Jeff Adachi has devoted his professional life to public service, serving as a public defender for 32 years, the last 15 of which in the top elected spot in the public defender’s office. Somehow he has also managed to carve out a sideline as a filmmaker, making documentaries that examine racial issues in our culture… Read More »
SOUTHWEST OF SALEM — The San Antonio Four and filmmakers Deborah S. Esquenazi and Sam Tabet
I spoke to the San Antonio Four, Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez,on June 20, 2016, it was the afternoon before their film, SOUTHWEST OF SALEM screened at the 40th Annual Frameline Festival. When they and director Deborah S. Esquenazi and producer Sam Tabet appeared on stage after that screening, it was to a five-minute… Read More »
3 1/2 MINUTES, 10 BULLETS — Marc Silver Interview
One of Marc Silver’s primary reasons for making 3 1/2 MINUTES, 10 BULLETS, was to humanize a statistic. In this case, a young black man, Jordan Davis, killed in an altercation over loud music. The case became notorious because of that reason, providing a catchy hook to media coverage, not because of the tragic loss of… Read More »
Herzog, Werner — INTO THE ABYSS
Ordinarily I edit out the the sound of a phone ringing during an interview, but there was something about the way Werner Herzog responded to it when it happened during our talk on November 5, 2011, that it seemed wrong not to include it. The film we were discussing was his documentary, INTO THE ABYSS,… Read More »