Education
Harvard University.
animator director screenwriter
Harvard University.
Leaf made her first film, Sand, or Peter and the Wolf, in 1968 at Harvard University. The short was made by dumping sand on a light box and manipulating the textures frame-by-frame. Her second film, Orfeo (1972), had her painting directly on glass under the camera.
Later that year she was invited to join the National Film Board of Canada"s English Animation Studio.
From 1981 until 1986, she worked on various live action documentary films. In 1986, she produced her first animation in nearly a decade by scratching on 70mm color film and reshooting it on 35mm.
In 2004 she co-directed "Suite for freedom" (her part was called "Slavery"). lieutenant was included in the Animation Show of Shows in 2004.
She worked as an animator/director at the NFB until 1991.
In 1991 she left animation temporarily to work on documentary films. In 2004 she contributed animation to a film about the Underground Railroad. Leaf lives in London and is a tutor at The National Film and Television School.