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What I've been doing:
I currently divide my time between independent film projects and the Goethe-Institut / German Cultural Center where, for the
last decade, I've been working primarily on media-based projects (internet, television, radio) that foster dialogue between
North American and Germany and the European Union. Before that, I was a producer/writer for the University of Maryland College
Park's innovative "Visual Press" and produced a feature-length film of Samuel Beckett's "Endgame," starring
the San Quentin Drama Workshop and re-creating Beckett's own production with these talented actors. Prior to that, I served
for several years as senior program officer for the Media Program at the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington.
And before that, I worked for seven years as Director of Cornell University Cinema, with three theaters and a very active
program of repertory and current films. This led me to initiate a feature film project called "Biquefarre" with
Georges Rouquier, the dean of French documentarians. The film won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice International Film
Festival in 1983. I am also co-président of the Association Georges Rouquier in Goutrens (Aveyron), France (see: www.georgesrouquier.org)
Educational background:
I come from a small town in rural upstate New York. In college, I studied French literature and culture and spent a year in
Paris in the late 1960's, where I discovered film. That led me to a master's program in film-making and then a doctorate in
film criticism and history from the University of Iowa. My dissertation was a study of how Jean Renoir, one of the great masters
of world cinema, used space as a means of expression in the films he made in the United States in the 1940's. In 2003, I was
named a Chevalier in the Ordre des Palmes Académiques by the French Government.
What I'm up to now:
For the last several years--along with several trips to Brazil--I have been studying Portuguese intensively and discovering
the amazing literature, history, and cinema of Brazil. My aim is to find ways to better inform people, especially those living
in North American and Europe, about the realities of Brazilian life and culture. What better way than a Film Festival on public
television, presenting brilliant examples of how Brazilians see the world themselves.
What I need from you:
Your interest and your help to make this initial project a success. North Americans and Europeans are, by and large, ignorant
about the realities of Brazil. This project will bring Brazilian voices to the attention of a broad public in the "North,"
where accurate information about Brazil and Latin America are lacking. I need your help to make "Northern" audiences
just a little bit more aware of life in Brazil, a big piece of the Southern hemisphere, a major economy, and a rich source
of creativity and imagination.
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