Explores how Armstrong’s films re-work conventions about literary adaptation, biography and realist storytelling
Examines Armstrong’s work in light of new media scholarship and philosophies, including feminist cinematic ethicsSituates Armstrong’s achievements in the context of Australian film policies and historyProvides an examination of never-before-studied elements, including Armstrong’s short filmsIncludes a never-before-utilised oral history project with ArmstrongA commercially successful Australian director of over eighteen feature films and documentaries, including
My Brilliant Career
(1979), Gillian Armstrong is an early, notable example of a woman director connecting with mass audiences. Armstrong’s films are unique in their aesthetic expression and in the ethical relationships that they depict, framed through the language of gender inclusivity and due in part to her foregrounding of original, complex and nuanced female characters. This important book fills a gap in the literature on women screen practitioners and is a long overdue response to demands for new insight into the work of this significant director.