Kay Mander

Kay Mander was born in Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire. Her father was an accountant and bookkeeper. She spend part of her childhood in France and Germany, where her father was employed by an international company. In 1935, Mander was hired as a secretary for the International Film Congress, which took place in Berlin, Nazi Germany. She met delegates from the British feature film industry, who encouraged her to seek work in the United Kingdom. She took their advice and sought employment in the British film industry. She was initially hired to serve as an interpreter for Hans Schneeberger, a German expatriate cameraman who could not yet speak English. She then spend a few years working for the publicity, budget and production departments of British film studios. In 1940, Mander was hired by film producer Arthur Elton to direct a training film for the aircraft construction industry. The result was ''How to File'' (1941), which explained proper tool uses with what film historians have called "skillful technical exposition" . She was soon hired to direct more instructional and promotional films. She directed about 50 films, between 1940 and 1957. Her last was the feature film ''The Kid from Canada'' (1958). Early in the Cold War, Mander had trouble getting hired, due to her political affiliation. She was a member of the Communist Party of Great Britain for decades, and served as a prominent union activist. She was views as a Soviet-sympathizer. While her career as a director suffered, she still served as a shooting continuity specialist for several films. Among her high-profile works in that field were the films ''From Russia With Love'' (1963), ''The Heroes of Telemark''(1965) and ''Fahrenheit 451'' (1966). Mander died in 2013, when 98-years-old.