'Defying the odds at every turn, Gillian Armstrong's sustained career over four decades has inspired two generations of women to take up filmmaking. In this timely book, Julia Erhart draws on four decades of feminist film critique to illuminate for a new generation the body of experimental, realist, biographical, documentary and period films directed by Armstrong. Erhart's knowledge of and passion for Armstrong's cinema makes compelling reading.'Felicity Collins, La Trobe University


A 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.

Julia Erhart is Associate Professor in Screen Studies at Flinders University.


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Introduction