Chick Strand

Mildred "Chick" Strand (December 3, 1931 – July 11, 2009) was an American experimental filmmaker, "a pioneer in blending avant-garde techniques with documentary".

[2] Strand's film making and directing approach incorporates personal elements from her own life experiences and societal forces and realities.

[8] Chick Strand studied anthropology at the University of California, Berkeley, and in the early 1960s organized film happenings with Bruce Baillie.

[2] In 1961, Strand established the Canyon CinemaNews, a monthly filmmakers' journal which became a focal point for the West Coast independent film movement.

They were collaborators in art and life for over 30 years, dividing their time between Los Angeles and San Miguel de Allende, a small town in Mexico.

[2] Mosori Monika (1969) is a documentary about colonialism in Venezuela, told from the points of view of an elderly Warao woman, a Franciscan nun and the filmmaker herself.

[13] Soft Fiction (1979)[14][15] is a short film that includes various personal narratives, told from the points of view of 5 women, mostly about their sexual and sensual experiences.

[18] An early promotional film for Sears, made with Pat O'Neill and Neon Park, is held along with her complete body of work in the collection of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.

Strand released the film Soft Fiction (1979) during the second wave of feminism which included narratives and histories of women who experienced rape, incest, drug addiction and vulnerability.

In 2023, a profile of Strand was featured in the New York Times' Overlooked section, celebrating the impact of historical figures whose deaths went previously unreported by the newspaper.