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My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts

Imagine that your grandmother used to iron the king’s shirts! This tall tale turned out to be true for Oscar®-winning filmmaker Torill Kove, who expanded a family myth to create an entertaining animated short with a historical twist. My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts is Kove’s surprising and whimsical recounting of an unlikely career in service of an unusual monarch. And when World War II comes to Kove’s native Norway and the king is forced to flee, her grandmother’s skills play a key role in the guerilla resistance against the invading Nazis.
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Imagine that your grandmother used to iron the king’s shirts! This tall tale turned out to be true for Oscar®-winning filmmaker Torill Kove, who expanded a family myth to create an entertaining animated short with a historical twist. My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts is Kove’s surprising and whimsical recounting of an unlikely career in service of an unusual monarch. And when World War II comes to Kove’s native Norway and the king is forced to flee, her grandmother’s skills play a key role in the guerilla resistance against the invading Nazis.

War, Conflict and Peace Families Foreign Countries History All subjects
Animation Comedy Women in Film All channels
  • story
    Torill Kove
  • direction
    Torill Kove
  • animation
    Torill Kove
  • narration
    Mag Ruffman
  • colour design
    Anne Ashton
  • additional animation
    Luigi Allemano
    Ketil Bruun Andersen
  • additional backgrounds
    Anne Ashton
    Natasha Nikitina
  • trace and paint
    Luigi Allemano
    Ketil Bruun Andersen
    Anne Ashton
    Laurence Ayi
    Elaine Gasco
    Gina Georgousis
  • animation camera
    Pierre Landry
    Lynda Pelley
    Thea Pratt
    Karl Erik Ruud
  • animatic
    Pal Gengenbach
    Morten Skallerud
  • testing
    Pal Gengenbach
    Morten Skallerud
  • music
    Kevin Dean
  • musician
    Kevin Dean
    Jan Jarczyk
    Dave Laing
  • sound
    Normand Roger
    Jean-Baptiste Roger
  • music recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
    Martin Rouillard
  • final mix
    Shelley Craig
  • final mix - assistance
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • post-production coordination
    Éric Barbeau
  • program administrator
    Gisèle Guilbault
  • executive producer
    David Verrall
  • producer
    Marcy Page
    Lars Tommerbakke

Education

Ages 12 to 17

Notes

Relate story to historical accounts of Nazi resistance in Norway. (See also the film: Through My Thick Glasses) Why did the woman feel so proud of her work? Is it possible to make a difference through such non-violent acts? Create a list of things people can do to support big causes in small ways. Ask students whether everything in the story is true. What is a tall tale? Brainstorm ideas about everyday adventures that could be turned into tall tales and have students write their own.

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My Grandmother Ironed the King's Shirts
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