film crew
Suzanne
Wasserman, Director, Writer and Producer
Suzanne Wasserman has a Ph.D. in American History from New York
University. She is the Associate Director of the Gotham Center for New
York City History at the CUNY, Graduate Center. She is directing and producing
a film about her cousin, Janet Jagan, who was elected President of Guyana
in South America in 1997. She has received grants from NYSCA, the Open
Society Documentary Film Fund, the Director John Sayles, the Lucius and
Eva Eastman Fund, The Harburg Foundation and the Samuel Rubin Foundation.
The film is in post-production. She has taught courses in Museum Studies,
Women Studies, Urban Studies, American History and World History. She
has worked as a public historian on projects for the Jewish Museum, City
Lore, the Tenement Museum, Henry Street Settlement, Clio, Inc. and Steeplechase
Films. She has published widely on topics such as Lower East Side housing,
recreation, tourism, and pushcart peddling, the Jewish silent screen actress
Theda Bara and on 19th century saloons.
Deborah
Shaffer, Executive Producer
Deborah Shaffer has been producing documentary films for over twenty years
and has received many awards for her work, including an Academy Award
in 1986 for her short documentary Witness to War. Her recent credits include
directing Enemies of War, PBS, January 2001 and 2 one hour programs on
contemporary art, PBS, Fall 2001. In 1995, she produced, directed and
wrote the one-hour program Secrets Underground on women scientists for
WGBH- TV's series Discovering Women. Secrets Underground won a Christopher
Award, and a special commendation from the National Association of Women
in Radio and Television. Her other films include The Wobblies (1979) and
Fire from the Mountain (1987).
Amanda
Zinoman, Editor and Co-writer
Amanda Zinoman received her B.A. from Barnard College in 1984. Amanda
currently is a staff editor on NOW, with Bill Moyers at PBS. She has worked
as a film editor for WNET, Channel 13, Frontline, WGBH, HBO and MSNBC.
She edited Art 21/ Consumption (PBS, 2001), Drinking Apart, (HBO, 2000)
The Lost Children of Rockdale County (Frontline WGBH, 1999 and winner
of Peabody Award 2000), The Fall (ABC, 1999), Trauma, Life in the ER (New
York Times Television Network, The Learning Channel), Carmen Miranda,
Bananas is My Business (1994) and The Shvitz (1992) among other films.
She was nominated for an Emmy in 1998.
Debra
Granik, Cinematographer
Debra Granik worked as a documentary videographer before attending New
York University's graduate film program. While attending NYU, Debra received
multiple awards for her work including the Nestor Almendros Award for
Cinematography (1997 and 2000) and production awards from Martin Scorsese
and Warner Brothers. She has also just completed Side by Side, her Graduate
Thesis film and foray into digital filmmaking, for which she recently
received a Wasserman Award. Her current project is DOWN TO THE BONE, a
feature script based on her award-winning short film SNAKE FEED, which
was written and work-shopped at the Sundance Screenwriting and Directors
Labs. DOWN TO THE BONE won the Nantucket Film Festival's Screenplay competition
June 2002.
Steve
Sandberg, Original Score
Emmy-nominated composer Steve Sandberg currently scores "Dora the
Explorer" for Nickelodeon/CBS. With Uli Geissendorfer, he recently
wrote the music for "Climbing Miss Sophie," which had its premiere
at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival. He has toured with David Byrne, Ruben
Blades, and Bebel Gilberto. Studies of Indian raga influence his current
"Chants, Songs and MusicaLandscapes" solo concerts, which he
has presented at the Knitting Factory, Guggenheim Museum and Locus Media.
www.novemberentertainment.com/sandberg.html.
Basya
Schechter, Music
Basya Schechter formed Pharaoh's Daughter in 1995. Pharaoh's Daughter
has performed in the US, Germany, England, Netherlands and Czech Republic,
In New York, they played at Damrosch Park, Lincoln Center in front of
6,000 people in the 25th Annual Yiddish Music Festival, as well as headlining
at Symphony Space. Pharaoh's Daughter released their first CD, "Daddy's
Pockets" in February 1999. They received critical acclaim from the
Jewish Week, Downtown Music Gallery, and New Voices. The first track on
that album, "Niggun," served as the opening song of Pearl Gluck's
documentary film, "The Couch." Their second CD, "Out of
the Reeds," was released on the JAM (Jewish Alternative Music) branch
of Knitting Factory Records in April www.pharaohsdaughter.com.
Ryan
Swihart, Website design
Ryan Swihart is a graduate student
in United States history at the City University of New York. He also works
at the Gotham Center for New York City History. Technical assistance by
Jonathan Hooper of Tinyboxer.com.
Suzanne
Wasserman
