Margaret Atwood: Once in August

Margaret Atwood Once in August is a 1984 documentary film about Canadian writer Margaret Atwood, directed by Michael Rubbo and produced by the National Film Board of Canada NFB. The film was made in Rubbos trademark style of selfconscious documentary filmmaking or metafilm, with Rubbo foregrounding the creative process in making the film, including his frustrated attempts to uncover autobiographical influences in Atwoods work. It was his last film with the NFB.

In one sequence, Atwood mocks Rubbos creative process when she and her family take control of the camera. Atwood puts on a paper bag over her head as family members take turns asking who is this woman?, providing humorous responses and poking fun at Rubbos filmmaking approach.The Canadian Film Encyclopedia called the film unconvincing, stating that it put an end to his remarkable run of personal documentaries. There is an unmistakeable sense in the Atwood film that he had exhausted the form or that he at least needed a break from this particular style. Atwood remained distant, and Rubbo never really made contact with her as a subject. ........

Source: Wikipedia