Download CV - Department of Art & Art History - Stanford University
Download CV - Department of Art & Art History - Stanford University
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JAMIE MELTZER<br />
<strong>Stanford</strong> <strong>University</strong><br />
<strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong> & <strong>Art</strong> <strong>History</strong>,<br />
M.F.A. Program in Documentary Film and Video<br />
435 Lasuen Mall<br />
<strong>Stanford</strong>, CA 94305<br />
EDUCATION<br />
Master <strong>of</strong> Fine <strong>Art</strong>s in Cinema, San Francisco State <strong>University</strong>, San Francisco, CA. 2002<br />
Bachelor <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong>s in Film and English, cum laude, Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY. 1996<br />
TEACHING EXPERIENCE<br />
<strong>Stanford</strong> <strong>University</strong>, <strong>Stanford</strong>, CA<br />
Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor 2007-‐present<br />
Teach in the <strong>Department</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>Art</strong> & <strong>Art</strong> <strong>History</strong>, the Film and Media Studies Program, and<br />
the MFA Program for Documentary Film and Video.<br />
Vassar College, Poughkeepsie, NY<br />
Visiting Assistant Pr<strong>of</strong>essor, 2003-‐2007<br />
FILMS:<br />
Freedom Fighters (in production) Co-‐Director, Producer<br />
A feature-‐length documentary film exploring the lives <strong>of</strong> four Dallas County exonerees<br />
who are starting their own private investigation firm to help free other men who are<br />
wrongly imprisoned. The film touches on their own stories <strong>of</strong> wrongful imprisonment,<br />
their struggles to start their lives over again once they were exonerated, and their<br />
passion for helping others who may be innocent, but are still behind bars.<br />
Informant (2012) Director<br />
A spellbinding look at a radical activist turned FBI informant who has been both vilified<br />
and deified, but never fully understood. In 2005, Brandon Darby became an overnight<br />
activist hero when he traveled to Katrina-‐devastated New Orleans and braved toxic<br />
flood waters to rescue a stranded friend. Soon after, he became a founding member <strong>of</strong><br />
Common Ground, a hugely successful grassroots relief organization whose slogan<br />
“Solidarity not Charity” reflected its anarchist philosophy. After two young activists were<br />
arrested at the 2008 Republican National Convention, Darby shocked close friends and<br />
activists nationwide by revealing he’d been instrumental in the indictment—he was an<br />
FBI informant. Using a Rashomon-‐like approach, in which contested parts <strong>of</strong> the story
are revisited from multiple points <strong>of</strong> view, the film reveals the complexity <strong>of</strong> both the<br />
political and personal issues that drive Darby. Premiered at the San Francisco<br />
International Film Festival in 2012.<br />
La Caminata (2009) Director/Producer<br />
A small town south <strong>of</strong> the Mexican border decides to take control <strong>of</strong> their own<br />
community and stem the tide <strong>of</strong> migration to the US. This short documentary film<br />
chronicles their unique way <strong>of</strong> battling this exodus and explores the effect <strong>of</strong> migration<br />
on Mexican communities. Distributed by New Day Films. Screened at AFI/Silverdocs,<br />
True/False, among others.<br />
Welcome to Nollywood (2007) Director/Producer<br />
Co-‐Produced by the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC) and Corporation for<br />
Public Broadcasting (CPB)<br />
An exploration <strong>of</strong> the burgeoning Nigerian “video-‐film” industry, known as “Nollywood.”<br />
Video-‐films are generally shot on digital video equipment in five to ten days and soon<br />
after released through an extensive home-‐video network throughout Africa. The films<br />
are a shining example <strong>of</strong> a successful Third World culture industry, and are more<br />
popular among West Africans than imported Hollywood films. This feature-‐length<br />
documentary film celebrates and examines this unique industry by following two video-‐<br />
film directors as they struggle to make their productions in Lagos. The film was co-‐<br />
produced by the NBPC and aired nationally on PBS in the summer <strong>of</strong> 2008 as part <strong>of</strong> the<br />
series AfroPop, hosted by The Wire’s Idris Elba. The film is also distributed on DVD<br />
through Cinema Guild, a respected educational distributor, and IndiePix, a commercial<br />
distributor.<br />
Off the Charts: the Song-‐Poem Story (2003) Director/Producer<br />
A feature-‐length documentary film on the song-‐poem industry, where amateur writers<br />
and poets send in their words to be turned into songs by pr<strong>of</strong>essional musicians. The<br />
film was broadcast nationally on PBS’s Independent Lens series. The film was also<br />
screened at numerous festivals and theatrical venues. Feature articles about the film<br />
appeared in the Sunday New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Los Angeles Weekly,<br />
and Chicago Tribune, among other publications. Discussion <strong>of</strong> film and director<br />
interview was featured on the popular National Public Radio program “To the Best <strong>of</strong><br />
Our Knowledge.” The film was picked up for DVD distribution by Shout Factory!/Sony<br />
Music. A companion CD Soundtrack, featuring songs and dialogue from the film and<br />
liner notes by Penn Jillette from Penn and Teller, was also released at the same time.
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