Canadian War Museum to Screen National Film Board Documentary on Pegi Nicol MacLeod

Pegi Nicol: Something Dancing About Her is an affectionate portrait of Pegi Nicol, a charismatic and relatively unknown painter, that charts the course of her short and remarkable life in the first half of the 20th century; shedding fresh light on her place in Canadian art history.

These were exciting times for a young artist. While the Group of Seven was forging Canada's first national art movement, the rise of European fascism was politicizing artists everywhere. Pegi dove into painting, leftwing politics and love affairs with equal enthusiasm, becoming a mentor to countless artists — and a friend to such influential figures as F. R. Scott and King Gordon.

Juxtaposing artwork with personal letters and archival material, filmmaker Michael Ostroff skilfully evokes a remarkable creative spirit. Nicol died too soon, but left a joyous legacy — striking paintings of wartime servicewomen and kaleidoscopic cityscapes. Her radiant quality illuminates this fitting and overdue tribute.