Cynthia Scott

Cynthia Scott was born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Scott grew up in a self-described working-class family that fostered her creativity growing up. Scott studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Manitoba, graduating with a B.A. in 1959, at the age of 19.

After graduation, Scott worked at the Manitoba Theatre Centre as a second assistant director before moving to London, England where she worked as a researcher for Patrick Wilson and Douglas Leiterman on This Hour Has Seven Days. In 1965, Scott returned to Canada and began working as a public affairs producer for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television program Take 30, where she stayed for nearly a decade.

Scott's career took a turn in 1972 when the National Film Board of Canada hired her as a staff director. Scott immediately began directing, producing and sometimes writing both documentary and fiction pieces for the NFB; mainly slice-of-life documentaries with a mind for social issues. In Scott's first year with the NFB, she directed a 26-minute documentary named The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine (1972). Scott's debut directing work would then go on to win a Canadian Film Award (which would later become the Genie Awards in 1980 and then the Canadian Screen Awards in 2012) for direction in a TV Information program. In 1976, Cynthia Scott produced the controversial Barbara Greene documentary Listen Listen Listen (1976) for the NFB.

Once Scott had been working at the NFB for about a decade, she co-wrote, co-edited and co-produced a NFB joint project titled For The Love of Dance (1981). Over the next several years, Scott would work on several documentaries set in the dance world, including Flamenco at 5:15 (1983), which won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.

Cynthia Scott also researched and co-wrote First Winter (1982), directed by John N. Smith (her spouse and fellow filmmaker), which received an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short at the 54th Academy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Cynthia Scott began developing a full length docufiction film with the NFB featuring eight non-actresses, all but one of whom were senior citizens. The Company of Strangers (US title: Strangers in Good Company), released in 1990, features a heavily improvised script based on the real lives of the women cast. The film was a huge success in both Canada and international markets; it became the highest grossing NFB produced film ever at the time.

Cynthia Scott is currently recovering from cancer. Before being diagnosed, Scott was in development on an adaptation of The Stone Diaries, a 1993 fictional autobiography written by Carol Shields. Scott has stated she plans to go back into development on The Stone Diaries once her health has returned to normal.

However, in a 2004 interview with Sarah Kernochan, Scott described herself to Kernochan as "retired now".

Director filmography

• The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine (1972)
• Some Natives of Churchill (1973)
• Scoggie (1975)
• For the Love of Dance (1981) [co-directed with John N. Smith, Michael McKennirey and David Wilson]
• Flamenco at 5:15 (1983)
• Discussions in Bioethics: A Chronic Problem (1985)
• Jack of Hearts (1986)
• The Company of Strangers (1990)

Co-writer filmography

• First Winter (1982) [co-written with Gloria Demers]
• The Company of Strangers (1990) [co-written with David Wilson, Sally Bochner and Gloria Demers]

Producer filmography

• Take 30 series (1965–72) [TV, 71 episodes] [co-producer]
• Man Alive: Jack Chambers (1971)
• West series: Ruth and Harriet: Two Women of the Piece (1973)
• West series: Every Saturday Night
• Some Natives of Churchill (1973)
• Listen Listen Listen (1976) [co-produced with Roman Kroitor]
• Canada Vignettes: Holidays (1978)
• Canada Vignettes: The Thirties (1978)
• You’ve Got the Power: Arioli: Running (1979)
• You’ve Got the Power: Teenagers (1979)
• Man of Might: Fit In (1979)
• For the Love of Dance (1981) [co-produced with John N. Smith, Michael McKennirey, David Wilson and Adam Symansky]
• Flamenco at 5:15 (1983) [co-produced with Adam Symansky]

Co-editor filmography

• For the Love of Dance (1981) [co-edited with John N. Smith, Micheal McKennirey and David Wilson]
• Flamenco at 5:15 (1983) [co-edited with Paul Demers]

- The Ungrateful Land: Roch Carrier Remembers Ste-Justine (1972):

• Canadian Film Awards: Best TV Information Programme - Won

- First Winter (1982):

• 54th Academy Awards: Best Live Action Short - Nominated

- Flamenco at 5:15 (1983):

• 56th Academy Awards: Best Documentary Short - Won

- The Company of Strangers (1990):

• fr:Association québécoise des critiques de cinéma: Best Quebec Feature Film - Won
• 12th Genie Awards: Best Picture - Nominated
• 12th Genie Awards: Film Editing - Won
• Vancouver International Film Festival: Most Popular Canadian Film
• International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg: Grand Newcomer Award