Canadian Women Film Directors Database
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Quote:
"The Innis College 'Town Hall' was packed. Women from all the various allegiances and cross-allegiances of Toronto's women's movement had turned out in force. After the applause for the film [Jill Johnston October 1975] had died down, the guest of honor [Jill Johnston] came down to the front of the hall to speak. There was a conflict of interests between herself and the filmmakers, she announced. She couldn't relate to the film, thought that the image it created would harm her aspirations as a serious writer, and wouldn't sign a release for its sale or showing outside Canada. [...] What kept coming through loud and clear was that she didn't object to the film so much because it misrepresented her, but because it didn't portray her as she wanted to be seen. One of the scenes she thought should have been cut, for instance, because she didn't 'feel that way anymore', showed her exploding in rage at a man in a public meeting, and threatening to kick him 'in the balls' if he didn't leave immediately. She approved, on the other hand, of an interview sequence with Reiner Schwartz because she liked the 'laid-back' self that came across, the 'cool, low-key' manner in which she deflected his attempts to label her."
-- Katherine Gilday


Source:
Gilday, Katherine. "Jill Johnston, October '75." Review of Jill Johnston October 1975. Cinema Canada, September 1977. (p. 57)