Bonnie Sherr Klein

Films directed by Bonnie Sherr Klein

• Building an Organization (1968)
• A Continuing Responsibility (1968)
• Deciding to Organize (1968)
• People and Power (1968)
• Through Conflict to Negotiation (1968)
• Little Burgundy (1969)
• VTR St-Jacques (1969)  (also known as: "Opération boule de neige")
• Citizens' Medicine (1970)  (also known as: "La clinique des citoyens")
• A Working Chance (1976)  (also known as: "Du coeur à l'ouvrage")
• Harmonie (1977)
• Patricia's Moving Picture (1978)
• The Right Candidate for Rosedale (1979)
• Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography (1981)  (also known as: "C'est surtout pas de l'amour", "C'est surtout pas de l'amour : un film sur la pornographie", "Not a Love Story")
• Speaking Our Peace (1985)  (also known as: "Women, Peace and Power")
• Mile Zero: The SAGE Tour (1988)  (also known as: "Le mille zéro : la tournée SAGE")
• Russian Diary (1989)
• SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability (2006)  (also known as: "Sans honte : l'art d'être handicapé")

Quotes by Bonnie Sherr Klein

"I certainly unashamedly started out as a message-maker—the whole idea that the content of film is so important that aesthetics is less of a consideration. Of course, that evolved. The aesthetic of film is integral to the message."
-- Bonnie Sherr Klein (source)

"In those days of feminism, everything was new. We were making it up. We were creating feminist theory as we went along, to the extent where, you know, you decide not to accept the 'givens.' Everything was up for grabs."
-- Bonnie Sherr Klein (source)

"Studio D [at the National Film Board of Canada] was a total integration of film and the [women's] movement. We were inspired by and inspired the movement. It was really heady. Intellectually it was incredibly stimulating. Every idea was a new idea. Discovering the patriarchy behind every corner. The whole movement about violence against women was unheard of. It was just a soup that was constantly bubbling."
-- Bonnie Sherr Klein (source)

"We [filmmakers at Studio D], as artists—which is a word I never used then—were so in touch with the community of women. They were feeding us and we were feeding them, and this was such a big part of the feminist movement, in a sense, we were leading and we were following, and we were making the films that were so needed, and were so seen."
-- Bonnie Sherr Klein (source)

"To other filmmakers with disabilities, I say: 'Do it!' There are opportunities, and there are challenges, and there are many more films to be made. We have our own stories, and people are hungry."
-- Bonnie Sherr Klein (source)

Quotes about Bonnie Sherr Klein

"The two women who persuaded us to launch our first community videotape project were no ordinary film-makers. Dorothy Henaut and Bonnie Klein brought to the task a philosophy about democratic participation that shaped every aspect of the work, from the way to run training classes to the way editorial decisions are made. It is largely their concept, their way of working, which guides social animators, teachers and community leaders generally who are now applying Challenge for Change techniques across Canada."
-- George C. Stoney (source)

For QUOTES about a specific film by Bonnie Sherr Klein, please see:   Deciding to Organize    People and Power    Through Conflict to Negotiation    VTR St-Jacques    Citizens' Medicine    Patricia's Moving Picture    Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography    Speaking Our Peace    SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability   

Notes about Bonnie Sherr Klein

• Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
• Studied at Barnard College (B.A., 1961), the Carnegie Institute of Technology, and Stanford University (M.A., 1966).
• Moved to Canada in 1967 and joined the National Film Board's 'Challenge for Change' program.
• She's the mother of Naomi Klein (author of No Logo) and Seth Klein (B.C. Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives).
• In 1987, at age 46, she had two strokes; she spent 7 months in hospital and 2 years in rehabilitation.
• Her radio series 'Bonnie & Gladys' was about her experience as a person with a disability.

Bibliography for Bonnie Sherr Klein

Section 1: Publications by Bonnie Sherr Klein

• Sherr Klein, Bonnie, and Dorothy Todd Hénaut. "In the hands of citizens: A video report." Challenge for Change: Newsletter, no. 4, Spring-Summer 1969.
• Sherr Klein, Bonnie, and Dorothy Todd Hénaut. "In the Hands of Citizens: A Video Report (1969)." ["Originally appeared in the Challenge for Change/Société nouvelle newsletter (Access/Médium-Média), no. 4, Spring/Summer 1969."] In Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada, edited by Michael Brendan Baker, Thomas Waugh, and Ezra Winton, 24-33. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.
• Sherr Klein, Bonnie. "Illusions and Realities in the Media." Canadian Woman Studies / Les Cahiers de la femme 8, no. 1 (1987): 71-74.
• Sherr Klein, Bonnie. Slow Dance: A Story of Stroke, Love and Disability. Toronto: Knopf Canada, 1997. In collaboration with Persimmon Blackbridge.
• Sherr Klein, Bonnie. "We Are Who You Are: Feminism and Disability." In Identity Politics in the Women's Movement, edited by Barbara Ryan, 71-77. New York: New York University Press, 2001.

Section 2: Publications about Bonnie Sherr Klein

Book Chapters

• Charbonneau, Stephen Michael. "Bonnie Klein, Saul Alinsky, and the American Experience." In Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada, edited by Michael Brendan Baker, Thomas Waugh, and Ezra Winton, 234-241. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.
• Goldsmith, David A. "Bonnie Sherr Klein." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. In The Documentary Makers: Interviews with 15 of the Best in the Business, 64-73. Hove, U.K.: RotoVision, 2003.

Brief Sections of Books

• Engelman, Ralph. Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, 1996. (pp. 228-231, 234)
• Levitin, Jacqueline. "Contrechamp sur les démarches de quelques réalisatrices." In Femmes et cinéma québécois, edited by Louise Carrière. Montréal: Boréal Express, 1983. [in French] (pp. 229-237)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Cole, Janis, and Noelle Elia. "Bonnie Sherr Klein: Two Perspectives." Point of View: POV, no. 66, Summer 2007.
• Globe & Mail. "Bonnie Sherr Klein films at Margaret Mead festival." Globe and Mail, October 17, 2006.
• Matas, Robert. "Still political after all these years." Globe and Mail, July 4, 2006.
• McHugh, A. "Une ex-cinéaste américaine au Québec : Bonnie Sherr Klein." Copie Zéro, May 1980. [in French]
• Spaner, David. "Bonnie Sherr Klein: Radical icon; Named to the Order of Canada in 2013, Klein has created controversial activist films for over 40 years." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. Point of View: POV, no. 91, Autumn 2013.
• Steed, Judy. "Moviemakers with a message: Save the world." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein, Terre Nash, Dorothy Rosenberg. Globe and Mail, March 2, 1984.

Web Sites

• Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. "Femmes à l'honneur : leurs réalisations : les femmes dans le cinéma canadien : Bonnie Sherr Klein." Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/femmes/030001-1254-f.html. [in French]
• "Canadian Film Encyclopedia: Bonnie Sherr Klein." Film Reference Library (Toronto International Film Festival Group). http://www.filmreferencelibrary.ca/index.asp?layid=46&csid1=296&navid=88&fid3=556.
• Cole, Janis. "The Canadian Encyclopedia: Sherr Klein, Bonnie." Historica Foundation of Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=A1ARTA0009889.
• Cole, Janis. "L'Encyclopédie canadienne : Sherr Klein, Bonnie." Fondation Historica du Canada. http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=F1ARTF0009889. [in French]
• "IMDb: Bonnie Sherr Klein." Internet Movie Database, Inc. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0458674/.
• Library and Archives Canada. "Celebrating Women's Achievements: Canadian Women in Film: Bonnie Sherr Klein." Library and Archives Canada. http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/femmes/030001-1254-e.html.
• National Film Board of Canada. "CitizenShift: Rebels with a Cause: Bonnie Sherr Klein." National Film Board of Canada. http://citizen.nfb.ca/onf/info?did=1621.

Section 3: Publications about the Films of Bonnie Sherr Klein

Deciding to Organize (1968)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Combs, Richard. "Deciding to Organise." Review of Deciding to Organize. Monthly Film Bulletin, April 1973.

People and Power (1968)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Combs, Richard. "People and Power." Review of People and Power. Monthly Film Bulletin, vol. 40, no. 468, January 1973.

VTR St-Jacques (1969)  (also known as: "Opération boule de neige")

Book Chapters

• Sherr Klein, Bonnie, and Dorothy Todd Hénaut. "In the Hands of Citizens: A Video Report (1969)." ["Originally appeared in the Challenge for Change/Société nouvelle newsletter (Access/Médium-Média), no. 4, Spring/Summer 1969."] In Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada, edited by Michael Brendan Baker, Thomas Waugh, and Ezra Winton, 24-33. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.
• Rusted, Brian. "Portapak as Performance: VTR St-Jacques and VTR Rosedale." In Challenge for Change: Activist Documentary at the National Film Board of Canada, edited by Michael Brendan Baker, Thomas Waugh, and Ezra Winton, 218-233. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2010.

Brief Sections of Books

• Druick, Zoë. Projecting Canada: Government Policy and Documentary Film at the National Film Board of Canada. Montreal: McGill-Queen's University Press, 2007. (pp. 146-150)
• MacKenzie, Scott. Screening Québec: Québécois Moving Images, National Identity, and the Public Sphere. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2004. (pp. 151-152)

Brief Sections of Journal Articles

• Boyle, Deirdre. "O, Canada!: George Stoney's Challenge." Wide Angle 21, no. 2 (1999). (pp. 55-56)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Sherr Klein, Bonnie, and Dorothy Todd Hénaut. "In the hands of citizens: A video report." Challenge for Change: Newsletter, no. 4, Spring-Summer 1969.
• Madden, Paul. "VTR St. Jacques." Review of VTR St-Jacques. Monthly Film Bulletin, May 1974.

Patricia's Moving Picture (1978)

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Kranz, R.C. "Patricia's Moving Pictures." Review of Patricia's Moving Picture. Cineaste, Spring 1980.

Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography (1981)  (also known as: "C'est surtout pas de l'amour", "C'est surtout pas de l'amour : un film sur la pornographie", "Not a Love Story")

Books

• Sullivan, Rebecca. Bonnie Sherr Klein's Not a Love Story. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2014.

Book Chapters

• Caverni, Monique. "Réflexions en vrac d'une spectatrice." In Femmes et cinéma québécois, edited by Louise Carrière, 133-140. Montréal: Boréal Express, 1983. [in French]
• Elder, R. Bruce. "Two Journeys: A Review of Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. ["Originally published in the Journal of Canadian Studies, 17, no. 4 (Winter 1982-1983)."] In Take Two, edited by Seth Feldman, 236-243. Toronto: Irwin, 1984.
• McGreal, Jill. "Feminism and Pornography: 'Not a Love Story'." In The Undercut Reader: Critical Writings on Artist's Film and Video, edited by Nina Danino and Michael Mazière, 216-219. London: Wallflower, 2003.
• Nicks, Joan. "Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography—Tabloid Rhetoric in Interventionist Documentary." In Candid Eyes: Essays on Canadian Documentaries, edited by Jim Leach and Jeannette Sloniowski, 131-147. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003.
• Rich, B. Ruby. "Anti-Porn: Soft Issue, Hard World." In Chick Flicks: Theories and Memories of the Feminist Film Movement , by B. Ruby Rich, 261-273. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 1998.
• Rich, B. Ruby. "Anti-Porn: Soft Issue, Hard World." ["Originally published in the Village Voice 27, no. 29, 20 July 1982."] In Gendering the Nation: Canadian Women's Cinema, edited by Kay Armatage, Kass Banning, Brenda Longfellow, and Janine Marchessault, 62-75. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1999.
• Schiff, Stephen. "Not a Love Story." ["Boston Phoenix, August 17, 1982."] In Flesh and Blood: The National Society of Film Critics on Sex, Violence, and Censorship, edited by Peter Keough, 57-63. San Francisco: Mercury House, 1995.
• Stone, Jennifer. "Eros in Chains." In Mind Over Media: Essays on Film and Television, 43-46. Berkeley, CA: Cayuse Press, 1988.

Brief Sections of Books

• Humm, Maggie. Feminism and Film. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1997. (pp. 46-47)
• Landsberg, Michele. Women and Children First: A Provocative Look at Modern Canadian Women at Work and at Home. Toronto: Macmillan of Canada, 1982. (pp. 86-88)
• Lever, Yves. Anastasie, ou, La censure du cinéma au Québec. Sillery, Québec: Septentrion, 2008. [in French] (p. 270)
• Lever, Yves. Les 100 films québécois qu'il faut voir. Québéc: Nuit blanche, 1995. [in French] (pp. 171-172)
• Tracey, Lindalee. Growing up Naked: My Years in Bump and Grind. Vancouver: Douglas & McIntyre, 1997. (pp. 188-206)
• Vanstone, Gail. D Is for Daring: The Women behind the Films of Studio D. Toronto: Sumach Press, 2007. (pp. 141-144)
• Williams, Linda. "The Ethics of Intervention: Dennis O'Rourke's The Good Woman of Bangkok." In Collecting Visible Evidence, edited by Jane M. Gaines and Michael Renov. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 1999. (pp. 185-186)

Journal Articles

• Atwater, Lynn. "Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Teaching Sociology 15, no. 3 (July 1987): 362-363.
• Barrowclough, Susan. "Not a Love Story." Screen 23, no. 5 (November-December 1982): 26-36.
• DiCaprio, L. "The Film and the Debate." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. Jump Cut, no. 30 (March 1985): 39-43.
• Everts, A. "Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Skrien, no. 116 (March 1982): 22-23. [in Dutch]
• Matteau, Andrée. "L'universalité du principe masculin par le biais de la pornographie." Revue québécoise de sexologie 2, no. 3 (1982): 217-226. [in French]
• Papson, Stephen. "Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Humanity & Society 7, no. 3 (August 1983): 332-335.
• Rich, B. Ruby. "Anti-Porn: Soft Issue, Hard World." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Feminist Review, no. 13 (Spring 1983): 56-68.

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Alaton, Salem. "Not a Love Story finally goes public." Globe and Mail, May 21, 1983.
• Cleroux, Richard. "Not a Love Story to open for public." Globe and Mail, November 2, 1981.
• Debbas, Danielle. "Une action, entre autres." Gazette des femmes, October 1982. [in French]
• Dessureault, Matthieu. "Cinéma et féminisme au diapason : La Chaire Claire-Bonenfant — Femmes, Savoirs et Sociétés entame une série de projections-tables rondes sur le thème du féminisme avec le documentaire C'est surtout pas de l'amour: Un film sur la pornographie." Le Soleil (Québec), February 24, 2022. [in French]
• Fulford, Robert [Marshall Delaney, pseud.]. "Hard-core dilemma: In a new NFB film two women graphically point up the problem liberals face in dealing with pornography." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Saturday Night, November 1981.
• Fulford, Robert. "NFB film ignites anti-porn movement." Toronto Star, June 5, 1982.
• Golding, Sue. "Exposed for debate." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Body Politic, November 1981.
• Jansen, Kate. "Not a Love Story... (A second view)." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Cinema Canada, November 1981.
• Land, Randi Jo. "Canadian director tells how she made anti-porn movie." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. Jerusalem Post, May 19, 1989, Features.
• Marshall, Bill. "Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Monthly Film Bulletin, vol. 49, no. 576, January 1982.
• Sandie, Johnson. "Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography made by the National Film Board of Canada's Studio D. Bonnie Klein, director." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Off Our Backs, April 1982.
• Scott, Jay. "Not a Love Story: Sleazy peek at women and porn." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Globe and Mail, September 7, 1981.
• Steed, Judy. "NFB film ignites heated controversy." Globe and Mail, November 14, 1981.
• Szporer, P. "Taking off: 'Not a Love Story' in distribution." Cinema Canada, July 1982.
• Variety. "Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Variety, September 16, 1981.
• Yacowar, Maurice. "Not a Love Story." Review of Not a Love Story: A Film about Pornography. Cinema Canada, November 1981.

Dissertation Chapters

• Anderson, Elizabeth Susan. "Clashing Identity Stories: Reception and Distribution of 'Not A Love Story'." In "Pirating Feminisms: Film and the Production of Post-War Canadian National Identity," 182-243. PhD diss., University of Minnesota, 1996.

Speaking Our Peace (1985)  (also known as: "Women, Peace and Power")

Journal Articles

• Roach Pierson, Ruth. "Media Review." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Canadian Woman Studies / Les Cahiers de la femme 7, no. 3 (Autumn 1986): 110-112.

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Finlayson, Judith. "Facing nuclear realities." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Globe and Mail, May 25, 1985.
• Gollan, Donna. "Nurturing sensibilities." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Broadside, June 1985.
• Groen, Rick. "War and peace through female eyes." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Globe and Mail, August 6, 1985.
• Mironowicz, Margaret. "Speaking Our Peace is simply eloquent." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Globe and Mail, August 3, 1985.
• Nelson, Joyce. "Speaking Our Peace." Review of Speaking Our Peace. Cinema Canada, July-August 1985.
• Steed, Judy. "Moviemakers with a message: Save the world." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein, Terre Nash, Dorothy Rosenberg. Globe and Mail, March 2, 1984.

Mile Zero: The SAGE Tour (1988)  (also known as: "Le mille zéro : la tournée SAGE")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Peace Magazine. "The Filming of Mile Zero." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein, Alison Carpenter, Maxime Faille, Seth Klein, and Desiree McGraw. Peace Magazine, February-March 1989.
• Steed, Judy. "A tale of two odysseys: Klein celebrates living." Globe and Mail, November 26, 1988.

SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability (2006)  (also known as: "Sans honte : l'art d'être handicapé")

Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, or News Websites

• Brymer, Lois. "Shameless: The Art of Disability." Review of SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability. CM, June 8, 2007.
• Cohen, Raymond D. "Shameless: Bonnie Sherr Klein talks about her new film." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. Abilities, no. 68, Autumn 2006.
• Griffin, Kevin. "No heroes, no tragedy in profiles of disabled: Documentary maker Bonnie Sherr Klein took 18 years to recover enough from a stroke to make a film about the experience—hers and others." Vancouver Sun, May 19, 2006, Final, Arts & Life.
• Hays, Matthew. "The possibilities in disability: After two strokes, Bonnie Sherr Klein couldn't imagine doing another film. This year, she returns to the screen." Globe and Mail, August 25, 2006.
• Kivisild, Emma. "Shameless." Interview with Bonnie Sherr Klein. Herizons, Spring 2007.
• Knight, Chris. "Overcoming adversity, sans heroics: Doc Soup's opening film." Review of SHAMELESS: The ART of Disability. National Post, October 4, 2006, Arts & Life.
• Zacharias, Yvonne. "Disabled filmmaker focuses on challenges: Roberts Creek pyjama party gives birth to National Film Board work about five physically challenged people." Vancouver Sun, May 12, 2007.

Archival Collections

• Cinemathèque québécoise (Montréal, Québec)
• Library and Archives Canada (Ottawa, Ontario)