Mary Field Biography

Mary Field was one of Britain's pioneering producers and directors of documentaries. She also was a leading authority on children's films. She was educated at Bedford College for Women. She then taught history until 1926 when she was invited to become the education manager of British Instructional Films by Bruce Woolfe. Within a year she had become a producer, and eventually she moved to directing. She primarily made documentaries about children's education and nature. During the late 1920's she created the brilliant Secrets of Nature series. When World War II erupted, she joined other directors and made films for the Ministry of Information. Her moving diagrams, which she used in instructional films, were truly innovative. In 1951, she became the executive officer for the Children's Film Foundation. Six years later, she became chairwoman of the International Centre for Films for Children in Brussels. In 1959, she became the program consultant for two TV companies. Mary Field retired in 1963. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi