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The Lady Architect

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  • Directed by Moira Simpson
  • 2026, Canada, 24 minutes, English

Back in 1937, Margaret Buchanan was the first woman to graduate in architecture from the University of Alberta, Canada. Her early years were full of promise, as she worked on northern projects with her engineer father and later with a leading Edmonton firm, MacDonald and Magoon. Then her career stalled due to the lack of acceptance of female architects by the male dominated profession, the pressures of marriage and raising a family, and an eventual slide into alcoholism. This moving mother-daughter story is told largely by Margaret herself, speaking from audio tapes her daughter Moira Simpson recorded 50 years ago.

Sponsored by Ken King, Ottawa.