Maya Deren

Maya Deren was originally born in Ukraine but her family moved to New York shortly after her birth in 1922. She met he future husband, Alexandr Hackenschmied, a photographer and cameraman in Hollywood who encouraged her into the media of film.

After her fathers death she spent some of her inheritance on a 16mm camera and subsequently went on to produce possibly her most famous short film 'Meshes of the Afternoon' in 1943. She was very much known for being highly individualistic in her short film work and this is certainly reflected in 'Meshes of the Afternoon' as the overall theme of the film is extremely abstract and clearly reflects her mentality and ideas. This film in particular is often regarded as having set the tone for post war Avant Garde filmmaking and has been attributed for ensuring the success of Avant Garde filmmaking after the end of the second world war.

Deren reflects an anti-mainstream stance and her creative freedom throughout her filmmaking career. Her films such as 'Ritual in transfigured time' often feature creative spark, such as discontinuous editing and manipulating angles for effect.