HARRY RASKY: Private Lives, Public Eyes
Wendy Michener Lecture at York University

TORONTO, November 3, 1999 -- Celebrated Canadian documentary filmmaker Harry Rasky will present the Wendy Michener Lecture, titled Private Lives, Public Eyes, on November 22 at York University.

Over the course of his long association with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Rasky made more than forty documentaries, garnering over 200 international awards and citations. His productions, termed "Raskymentaries" in recognition of his distinctive style, include many penetrating biographies of leading artists, performers and writers of our day. They provide a fascinating look at the particular forces that create artistic genius, while being seminal studies in the practice of biographical filmmaking.

Rasky's talk will be the final event of the fall 1999 Wendy Michener Symposium, a six-part program running October/November titled Harry Rasky: Poet with a Camera. Leading up to the lecture was a five-week series of films drawn from the Harry Rasky Archives at York University, presenting Rasky in conversation with such greats as Marc Chagall, Leonard Cohen, Tennessee Williams, Teresa Stratas and Yousuf Karsh.

In the Wendy Michener Lecture, Rasky will discuss the process of film biography, with particular reference to the films and artists presented in the prior screenings. He will also address the topical issue of biographical documentary in television programming today, notably the role of public broadcasters in the development and dissemination of this art form. Having observed and recorded trends in world and Canadian culture for almost fifty years, Rasky is uniquely placed to offer insights into how our public institutions celebrate our cultural icons and through them, shape and reflect our society and our cultural identity.

The annual Wendy Michener Symposium was established in York University's Faculty of Fine Arts to commemorate the late Wendy Roland Michener, a noted Canadian arts critic and journalist.

The Wendy Michener Lecture takes place Mon. Nov. 22 at 7:00 p.m. in the Nat Taylor Cinema, Room N102 Ross Building at York University, 4700 Keele St. The lecture will be followed by a Q&A session and a reception. Admission is free. For more information, please call (416) 736-5136.

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For further information, please contact:

Carol Bishop
Communications, Faculty of Fine Arts
York University
(416) 736-2100 ext. 20421
email: cbishop@yorku.ca