Alice Guy-Blaché is the first of either sex to direct a fictional film. During her lifetime, she wrote directed and produced from 1896 to 1920 over 1000 films. She was the first to use close-ups, hand tinted film, and synchronized sound. Guy-Blaché believed in storytelling and was the first filmmaker to include narrative in her films. She founded Solax, the largest pre-Hollywood studio in America in 1912.
Her company was extremely successful for a time, but as major motion pictures became heavily male-dominated, Guy-Blaché’s accomplishments fell into the shadows. Only recently have her achievements been rediscovered.
