Palm Springs Int’l Film Festival
In my experience, true creativity arises from what we don’t know. Unexpected obstacles force us to devise out-of-the-box solutions we would never ordinarily have considered. With “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence,” I took leaps into the unknown, intentionally inviting creative challenges. During a Q&A following one of our screenings, my Director of Photography, Matthew Wilder, called […]
DOC NYC World Premiere: “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence”
Thank you, DOC NYC and IFC Center, and everyone who attended our SOLD OUT festival World Premiere of “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.” It was a dream night. What an honor to share the stage with extraordinary singer-songwriter Janis Ian and my talented and committed core collaborators for a Q&A following the screening. Sharing the stage […]
Cheech Marin: Creating the Premiere Episode of PBS SoCal’s Emmy-Winning Series “Artbound”
I’m thrilled to share that PBS SoCal, Southern California’s flagship PBS station, has announced that its original Emmy® award-winning arts and culture documentary series ARTBOUND will kick off its fifteenth season on Friday, Oct. 4, at 8 p.m. PT with a documentary I’m grateful to have written and directed, “The Cheech.” This project has been […]
San Francisco Jewish Film Festival: Sneak Preview
I immigrated from London to San Francisco as a child, and it was there, as a middle schooler at The Hamlin School, that I first dreamed of becoming a film director. Returning to San Francisco for the SFJFF sneak preview of my new film “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence” about the life and music of the […]
Joan Baez: Filming with a Folk Music Icon
The people who are in your life say so much about you. Janis Ian has a magnificent array of friends and fans. Joan Baez is one of them. That’s why I interviewed Joan for for my documentary “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence.” Joan Baez clearly loves Janis and she was Janis’s hero when Janis was coming […]
Werner Herzog: On Meeting a Master
A sweet moment with Werner Herzog at the Aero Theater. I told him he makes the world more beautiful and he said he “tries”. To my filmmaker friends, I highly recommend his MasterClass (masterclass.com) as a source of inspiration. He shared his memoir and gorgeous film “Family Romance, LLC” with us. Werner’s unstoppable spirit is […]
Arlo Guthrie: Interview for “Janis Ian: Breaking Silence”
A moment of repose during our shoot with Arlo Guthrie at Preservation Hall in Saratoga Springs. That afternoon, Arlo shared his unique insights into the shifting landscape of the American folk music tradition into the mid-1960s, the unique challenges of being a touring musician, as well as, his respect and admiration for his friend in […]
Origins: Jewish Film Institute Residency, Summer 2023
Thank you to the Jewish Film Institute for spotlighting my in-progress documentary “Janis Ian & The Art of Song.” I’m heartened to be welcomed into the Jewish Film Institute’s supportive and enriching filmmakers’ community, and honored to be making a film about such a masterful artist and beautiful human being–Janis Ian. A shout-out to my […]
Origins: Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me
Ashley Lewis, who is a good friend of mine and was a very good friend of Anna Nicole, is featured in Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me. She and I served as Consulting Producers on the project. I watched the Netflix premiere of Anna Nicole Smith: You Don’t Know Me directed by Ursula Macfarlane […]
Origins: Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center Residency, Spring 2023
The Rockefeller Foundation announced its 2023 Bellagio Residency Cohort and I am thrilled to be included. What an extraordinary experience to be a resident at Bellagio Center in Lake Como, Italy this month. Here I am standing outside the Santa Caterina studio assigned to me during my stay at the Bellagio Center Villa Serbelloni. I cherish […]