{{short description|Canadian film director, producer and writer}} {{Use mdy dates|date=September 2025}} {{Infobox person | name = Irene Lilienheim Angelico | image = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1946|12|9}} | birth_place = Munich, Germany | education = Sir George Williams University (BA, 1974) | occupation = Film director, producer, writer | known_for = ''Dark Lullabies'', ''The Cola Conquest'', ''Black Coffee'' | notable_works = {{Plainlist| * ''Dark Lullabies'' * ''The Cola Conquest'' * ''Black Coffee'' * ''Inside the Great Magazines'' * ''Vendetta Song'' * ''First to Stand'' }} | spouse = Abbey Jack Neidik (professional and personal partner) | children = Toben Max Joseph Neidik | website = www.dliproductions.ca }}
'''Irene Lilienheim Angelico''' (born December 9, 1946) is a Canadian film director, producer and writer.<ref>{{Cite news|date=November 15, 1999|title=Gemini winners|work=Playback|url=https://playbackonline.ca/1999/11/15/27301-19991115/|access-date=August 18, 2020}}</ref><ref name="WhoWhoDOB">{{cite book |title=Who's who in Canadian Film and Television |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fukqAQAAIAAJ&q=Irene+Angelico++1946+munich |publisher=Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television |date=2000| isbn=9780771576546 }}</ref> known for socially engaged documentaries, particularly on issues related to racism, antisemitism, human rights, media representation, and social justice. Her work often combines investigative journalism with personal testimony and historical analysis. She is known documentaries and series, which include ''Dark Lullabies'', ''The Cola Conquest'', and ''First to Stand''.
==Early life== Angelico was born in 1946 in Munich.<ref name="WhoWhoDOB" /><ref name="DSRF">{{cite book |title=Documentation Sur la Recherche Féministe |year=1979 |publisher=Ontario Institute for Studies in Education |page=10 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wb6xAAAAIAAJ&q=Irene+Angelico+++1946}}</ref> Her parents, Her parents were Polish Jewish Holocaust Survivors who immigrated to the U.S. after the Liberation.<ref>{{cite web |title=Arsenal: single |url=https://www.arsenal-berlin.de/en/arsenal-cinema/past-programs/single/article/5697/2804/archive/2015/november.html |website=Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst e.V.}}</ref> She grew up in New York and later Chicago, and was active in the women’s movement, the civil right movement and against the war in Vietnam. She and her first husband moved to Canada when he lost his Supreme Court appeal as a conscientious objector. She received a BA degree with distinction in the Humanities of Science with distinction from Sir George Williams University in 1974.<ref name="whosWho2">{{cite book |last1=Holmes |first1=Gillian |title=Who's Who of Canadian Women, 1999-2000 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AGpWnv0L61wC&q=irene+angelico+A+Canadian+Independent+Film+Caucus+Montreal&pg=PA1976 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |date=June 1, 1999|isbn=9780920966556 }}</ref> She married Abbey Neidik, a fellow filmmaker, who would become a frequent collaborator, in 1986. They have one son.
== Career == In 1980, Angelico and her partner Abbey Jack Neidik produced and directed the feature documentary ''Dark Lullabies''. The film explored the effect of the Holocaust on children of survivors and second-generation Germans.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Eisenstein |first=Bernice |date=1986 |title=Seal of Eternity |url=https://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/darklullabies-review-28.pdf |work=The Canadian Forum}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Giberovitch |first1=Myra |title=Recovering from Genocidal Trauma: An Information and Practice Guide for Working with Holocaust Survivors |date=December 31, 2013 |publisher=University of Toronto Press |isbn=978-1-4426-6544-6 |page=203 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ti6NAgAAQBAJ&q=irene+angelico+Dark+Lullabies&pg=PA203}}</ref> The film received the first prize for "The Most Socially/Politically Engaging Film" at Mannheim and the prize for "The Most Memorable Film" in Tokyo. It was included in The 250 Greatest Documentaries of all Time at the National Film Board of Canada's "International Salute to the Documentary,<ref>{{Cite web |date=1989 |title=Le Documentaire se fête/A Salute to the Documentary. 1989. |url=https://www.cinematheque.qc.ca/fr/collections/?utm_source=collections.cinematheque.qc.ca |website=Collections Cinématheque QC}}</ref> the inaugural film at the Stratford Festival Forum, and commemorative screenings in Berlin and Vilnius.<ref name="GlobeDarkReview">{{cite web |last1=Peary |first1=Gerald |title=Berlin toasts Pool's 'pearl' |url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/darklullabies-review-08.pdf |publisher=The Globe and Mail |date=February 27, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Garrick|first=Louis|date=December 14, 2016|title=Dark Lullaby: Irene Angelico's belated pilgrimage to Vilnius|url=https://en.delfi.lt/world-lithuanians/dark-lullaby-irene-angelicos-belated-pilgrimage-to-vilnius.d?id=73165960|access-date=August 17, 2020}}</ref> The film continues to be screened and broadcast worldwide.
Angelico went on to write and direct several documentary series: 1998's ''The Cola Conquest'' about Coca-Cola as a metaphor for America,<ref name="ColaReviewMacleans">{{cite web |last1=CHIDLEY |first1=JOE |title=Fortunes in fur and fizz |work=Maclean's |date=September 7, 1998 |url=https://archive.macleans.ca/article/1998/9/7/fortunes-in-fur-and-fizz |url-access=subscription }}{{Dead link|date=September 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref><ref name="Brownstein-1998" /> ''Black Coffee'' about the political and social impact of coffee,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kudak|first=Kelsey|date=May 1, 2008|title=A responsible caffeine nation|work=Minnesota Daily|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/blackcoffee-review-06.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref><ref name="UniversalCoffeereview">{{cite web |last1=Rodriquez |first1=Roberto |title=History Channel transmite documentales sobre el café |website=El Universal |date=May 3, 2011 |url=https://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/blackcoffee-review-08.pdf |via=DLI Productions |language=es}}</ref> and ''Inside the Great Magazines'' was about the first international media.<ref name="LDevoirgrandsMagreview">{{cite web |last1=Cauchon |first1=Paul |title=Les grands magazines ont-ils encore un avenir? |url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/magazines-review-01.pdf |website=Le Devoir}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Crompton |first=Helen |date=January 27, 2010 |title=Documentary dissects the colourful world of magazines |url=https://thewest.com.au/entertainment/tv/documentary-dissects-the-colourful-world-of-magazines-ng-ya-223579.amp |website=The West Australian}}</ref>
Angelico also produced and wrote many documentaries including the 1992 ''Entre Solitudes'' about the Anglos of Quebec;<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kellett-Betsos|first=Kathleen L.|date=September 1994|title=Between the Solitudes|url=https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/201/300/cm/html/2001/v07n09/cmarchive/vol22no4/solitudes.html|journal=CM: A Reviewing Journal of Canadian Materials for Young People|volume=22|number=4|via=The Manitoba Library|archive-date=February 9, 2022|access-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209235347/https://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/eppp-archive/100/201/300/cm/html/2001/v07n09/cmarchive/vol22no4/solitudes.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> ''The Love Prophet and the Children of God'' about a sex for salvation cult;<ref name="Brownstein-1998">{{Cite news|last=Brownstein|first=Bill|date=August 29, 1998|title=Couple turns lens on Pop Culture: From pop to cult life|work=The Gazette|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/colaconquest-review-04.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Hays|first=Matthew|date=1998|title=All in the family|work=Mirror|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/colaconquest-review-04.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> ''She Got Game'' about the women's tennis tour;<ref>{{Cite news |last=McCarthy |first=Todd |date=December 16, 2003 |title=She Got Game |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/she-got-game-1200537412/ |work=Variety}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Wertheim|first=Jon|date=April 28, 2003|title=Hewitt's lawsuit has little merit|url=http://dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/SI.pdf|magazine=Sports Illustrated}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Tebbut|first=Tom|date=2003|title=Documentary shows life behind the game|work=Globe and Mail|url=http://dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/GlobeAndMail041203.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> ''Vendetta Song'' about an honour killing in Turkey;<ref>{{Cite news|last=Heinrich|first=Jeff|date=February 25, 2005|title=Focus on Deadly Custom|work=The Gazette|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/TheGazette02262005.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ozen|first=Omer|date=February 15, 2005|title=Ve Bir Kan Davasi Ezgisi ya da Guzide|work=bzim Anadolu|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/Turkish%20Interview.pdf|access-date=August 21, 2020}}</ref> ''Canadaville, USA'' about the town Franck Stonach built for Katrina survivors;<ref name="Wyatt-2007">{{Cite news|last=Wyatt|first=Nelson|date=November 1, 2007|title=The town Frank Stronach built|work=The Star|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/2007/11/01/the_town_frank_stronach_built.html|access-date=August 18, 2020}}</ref> ''Unbreakable Minds'', a film that humanizes mental illness;<ref>{{Cite journal|date=November 30, 2005|title=The Mental Illness Issue|url=http://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/unbreakable-review-04.pdf|journal=VICE|volume=12}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Irizarry |first1=Kristopher |title=Documentary examines schizophrenia |url=https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2005/03/31/documentary-examines/ |website=The Badger Herald}}</ref> and ''First to Stand'', a documentary featuring the work of Irwin Cotler and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wheeler |first=Brad |date=February 5, 2023 |title=With their new film about Irwin Cotler, married Montreal filmmakers make a stand for human rights |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/article-with-their-new-film-about-irwin-cotler-married-montreal-filmmakers/ |work=The Globe and Mail}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Headquist |first=Chelsea |date=October 26, 2023 |title=Documentary Featuring Canadian Human Rights Lawyer Irwin Cotler Premiers in DC, as Cotler Receives Human Rights Award |url=https://firsttostand.com/assets/pr-washington.pdf |work=Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice}}</ref>
Angelico was one of the founding chairs of the Canadian Independent Film Caucus Montreal (CIFC), now known as DOC.<ref>{{cite web |title=On the DOC Road – Point of View Magazine |url=http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/on-the-doc-road |website=povmagazine.com|date=September 2008 }}</ref><ref name="whosWho2"/>
== Filmography == *''...And They Lived Happily Ever After'', director, editor (1975) (co-directed with Kathleen Shannon).<ref name="NFB2">{{cite web |title=National Film Board of Canada |url=http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/our-collection/?idfilm=10604 |publisher=Government of Canada |date=October 11, 2012}}</ref> *''Meditation in Motion,'' director, writer, editor (1979)<ref name="DSRF" /> *''Dark Lullabies, producer, director, writer, editor'' (1985)<ref name="LaPresse">{{cite web |last1=Laurence |first1=Jean-Christophe |title=Dark Lullabies: berceuse pour l'Holocauste |url=https://www.lapresse.ca/cinema/nouvelles/entrevues/201401/28/01-4733191-dark-lullabies-berceuse-pour-lholocauste.php |website=La Presse |language=fr |date=January 28, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=The Canadian forum |date=April 1986 |publisher=Canadian Forum, Limited |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qjMxAQAAIAAJ&q=irene+angelico+Dark+Lullabies}}</ref><ref name="CinemaCanadareview">{{cite journal |last1=Dorland |first1=Michael |title=Dark Lullabies |journal=Cinema Canada |date=October 1985 |page=39 |url=http://cinemacanada.athabascau.ca/index.php/cinema/article/viewFile/2953/2996}}</ref> *''Entre Solitudes / Between Solitudes, producer'' (1992)<ref>{{cite web |last1=Kellett-Betsos |first1=Kathleen |title=BETWEEN THE SOLITUDES |url=https://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol22no4/solitudes.html |website=umanitoba.ca |access-date=August 18, 2020 |archive-date=April 27, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060427082408/http://www.umanitoba.ca/cm/cmarchive/vol22no4/solitudes.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> *''The Burning Times,'' associate producer (1990) *''The Cola Conquest; A Trilogy, producer,'' director, writer, editor (1998)<ref name="ColaReviewMacleans" /><ref name="Brownstein-1998" /> *''The Love Prophet and the Children of God,'' producer (1998)<ref name="Brownstein-1998" /> *''The Journey Home: a Romanian Adoption'', producer (2000) *''She Got Game'', producer (2003)<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Todd |title=She Got Game |url=https://variety.com/2003/film/reviews/she-got-game-1200537412/ |website=Variety |date=December 16, 2003}}</ref> *''Vendetta Song'' producer, writer (2005) *''Unbreakable Minds'' producer (2005) *''Black Coffee'' director, writer (2007)<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pendergrast |first1=Mark |title=Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How It Transformed Our World |date=July 9, 2019 |publisher=Basic Books |isbn=978-1-5416-4642-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=F9WWDwAAQBAJ&dq=Black+Coffee+irene+angelico&pg=PT23 }}</ref><ref name="CitizenCoffeeReview">{{cite news |last1=Kennedy |first1=Janice |title=Wake and smell the revolution |work=Ottawa Citizen |date=November 13, 2005}}</ref> *''Inside the Great Magazines'', producer, director, writer (2007) *''Canadaville, USA'', producer (2008)<ref name="Wyatt-2007" /> *''Shekinah: The Intimate Life of Hasidic Women'', producer (2013) <ref>{{cite web |last1=Cole |first1=Susan G. |title=Shekinah: The Intimate Life Of Hasidic Women |url=https://nowtoronto.com/shekinah-the-intimate-life-of-hasidic-women |website=NOW Magazine |date=May 15, 2014 |access-date=August 28, 2020 |archive-date=March 8, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308005629/https://nowtoronto.com/shekinah-the-intimate-life-of-hasidic-women |url-status=dead }}</ref> *''Beyond Earth: the Beginning of NewSpace'', producer (2013) *''Big Wind'', producer (2015) *''Shekinah Rising'', producer (2018) *''Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance'' (2020) ''First to Stand: The Cases and Causes of Irwin Cotler'', producer, director, writer, editor (2022)<ref>{{Cite news |last=Cashman |first=Greer Fay |date=February 22, 2023 |title=A Matter of Timing |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-732307 |work=The Jerusalem Post}}</ref>
== Books == *Angelico co-edited ''The Aftermath: A Survivor's Odyssey Through War-Torn Europe'', written by her father, Henry Lilienheim<ref name="booksInCanada">{{cite web |title=Books in Canada - Review |url=http://www.booksincanada.com/article_view.asp?id=1369 |website=www.booksincanada.com}}</ref> and co-edited by Abbey Neidik and Mark Pendergrast,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=LeBlanc |first=Benjamin H. |title=The Aftermath: un témoinage inestimable |url=https://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/aftermath-review-08.pdf |journal=Le Quartier Libre |volume=2 |issue=18}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Lilienheim |first=Henry |date=1994 |title=The Aftermath: A Survivor's Odyssey Through War-Torn Europe |url=tps://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/bib91791 |work=United States Memorial Holocaust Museum}}</ref> and ''The Third Seder: A Haggadah for Yom HaShoah'' with Yehudi Lindeman.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Arnold |first=Janice |date=May 25, 2015 |title=Third Seder Created to Commemorate the Holocaust |url=https://www.dliproductions.ca/assets/reviews/thirdseder-review-03.pdf |work=CJN}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Angelico and Lindeman |first=Irene and Yehudi. |date=2012 |title=The Third Seder: A Haggadah for Yom Hashoah. Stanford University Libraries. 2012 |url=https://searchworks.stanford.edu/view/10103980 |work=Stanford University Libraries}}</ref>
=== Awards and Honors === Canadian Women Behind the Camera (2019, 2020. 2021)
Women in the Director’s Chair (2001)
A Salute to the Documentary (1989)
Founding Chair of CIFC Montreal (now DOC) (1992-3)
Hot Docs Alumnae
'''Meditation in Motion''' (1979)
Director, Editor
Dance Film Awards Competition, Honors in Film Category (1980)
American Film Festival- Selected for Screening (1979)
'''Dark Lullabies''' (1985)
Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
International Film Festival of Mannheim - Special Prize, Most Socially-Politically Engaging Film (1985)
International film Festival of Mannheim, Interfilm Jury Award - First Prize (1985)
International Film Festival of Mannheim - Education Jury Award (1985)
Torino International Festival of Young Cinema, Prize of the City of Torino - Best Feature Film Nominee (1986)
World Television Festival, Tokyo - Most Memorable Film (1986)
American Film Festival - Red Ribbon (1986)
National Film Board of Canada, A Salute to the Documentary – Official Selection, The Greatest Documentaries from Around the World (1989)
'''Entre Solitudes / Between Solitudes''' (1992)
Producer, Editor, Writer
Best Documentary Nomination - Les Prix Gémeaux (1993)
Best Editing Nomination - Les Prix Gémeaux (1993)
'''Dipl'''''ôme de participation –'' FIPA at Cannes, Les Grands Reportages Faits de Societé ''(1994)''
Certificate of Appeciation - Earth Peace International Festival (1983)
'''A Song for Tibet''' (1991)
Producer
Genie – Best Short Documentary (1992)
Yorkton Film Festival – Best Documentary of the Year (1992)
Hawaii Film Festival – Best Documentary of the Year (1992)
American Film Festival - Blue Ribbon (1992)
'''The Cola Conquest'''; A Trilogy (1998)
Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
Hot Docs - Best Documentary Series - Independent (1999)
Chicago international Television Competition, Silver Hugo - Best Series (1998)
Gemini Awards - Best Writing in a Documentary or Series (1999)
National Education Media Network - Gold Apple (1999)
Gemini Awards - Best Documentary Series Nomination (1999)
Encounter Internacionais de Cinema Documentale, Vila Franca de Xira (1998)
'''The Love Prophet and the Children of God''' (1998)
Producer, Writer
Chicago International Television Competition, Gold Plaque - Best Biography of the Year (1998)
Yorktown Short Film and Video Festival - Golden Sheaf Award (1999)
Hot Docs - Best Biography Nominee (1999)
'''She Got Game''' (2003)
Producer
Temecula Valley International Film and Music Festival, California - Best Documentary (2003)
Columbus International Film and Video Festival - Chris Statuette (2003)
Sports Movies & TV Milano International FICTS Fest, - Guirlande d'Honneur (2003) participation
Aurora Awards - Gold Awards (2004)
'''Vendetta Song''' (2005)
Producer, Writer
Hot Docs CIDA Prize - Best Canadian Documentary on International Development (2005)
Hot Docs - Top Ten Audience Favourites (2005)
Calgary International Film Festival- Best Canadian Documentary (2005)
Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois, Quebec Film Critics Association - Best Medium Length Documentary (2005)
Vendetta Song - Rendez-vous du Cinéma Québécois – Choix du public (2005)
Female Eye Film Festival - Best Documentary (2005)
International Women’s Film Festival, Torina - 3<sup>rd</sup> prize (2006)
Columbus International Film and Video Festival – Humanities – Bronze Plaque (2006)
'''Unbreakable Minds''' (2005)
Producer, Writer
Willpower Board of Directors Grateful Appreciation Award (2005)
'''Black Coffee''' Part III: Gold In Your Cup '''(2007)'''
Director, Editor, Writer
Gemini Best Original Music Score for a Documentary Program or Series – nominee (2006)
'''Canadaville, USA''' (2008)
Producer, Writer
Chicago International Film Festival - Merit Prize for Social Political Documentary (2008)
'''Shekinah: The Intimate Life of Hasidic Women''' (2013)
Producer, Writer
Crown Heights Film Festival – Best Documentary (2013)
'''Beyond Earth: the Beginning of NewSpace (2013)'''
Producer, Writer
Hollywood Independent Documentary Awards - Award Winner (2017)
Beyond Earth Film Festival - Jury’s Special Mention. (2019)
'''''Shared Legacies: The African American-Jewish Civil Rights Alliance''''' (2020)
Editing Consultant
Atlanta Jewish Film Festival - Building Bridges Jury Prize
Pittsburgh Jewish Film Festival – Best Documentary
Mayerson JCC Jewish and Israeli Film Festival - Audience Favorite
'''First to Stand''' (2022)
Producer, Director, Editor, Writer
Best Feature Length Documentary, Goldstar Movie Awards, (2023).
Honorable Mention, Mannheim Arts and Film Festival, (2023).
Nominee, Festival des Libertés (Brussels), (2023).
Nominee. Barcelona Indie Awards, (2025).
Honorable Mention. Los Angeles Film and Documentary Awards. (2024).
== See also == · 14th Gemini Awards
· First_to_Stand:_The_Cases_and_Causes_of_Irwin_Cotler
== External links ==
* www.dliproductions.ca * www.firsttostand.com * IMDb
==Collections== Her work is included in the collections of the National Film Board of Canada,<ref name="NFB">{{cite web |title=National Film Board of Canada |url=http://onf-nfb.gc.ca/en/notre-collection/?idfilm=60967 |publisher=Government of Canada |date=October 11, 2012 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref> the Australian Centre for the Moving Image<ref name="ACMICollection">{{cite web |title=And they lived happily ever after |url=http://collections.acmi.net.au/objects/20341 |website=ACMI Collections}}</ref> and the Cinémathèque québécoise.<ref name="Cinematheque">{{cite web |title=Recherche Oeuvres La Cinémathèque québécoise |url=http://collections.cinematheque.qc.ca/recherche/recherche/oeuvres?operator%5B0%5D=%2B&q%5B0%5D=%22Irene+Angelico%22&field%5B0%5D=Generique_r |website=collections.cinematheque.qc.ca |language=fr-FR}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Angelico, Irene}} Category:Living people Category:Canadian women film producers Category:Canadian women screenwriters Category:Artists from Munich Category:Canadian women film directors Category:Film directors from Montreal Category:Film producers from Quebec Category:Canadian documentary film directors Category:Canadian documentary film producers Category:Canadian women documentary filmmakers Category:Canadian Screen Award winning writers Category:Jewish Canadian film people Category:1946 births