ABOUT
“Robert Frank is gloriously notorious. He is the groundbreaking photographer of The Americans; the iconoclastic director of Pull My Daisy and Cocksucker Blues; a difficult (almost impossible) interview subject; a rejecter of wealth and celebrity; a man whose ‘sympathies were with people who struggled,’ who has a ‘mistrust of people who made the rules.’
He was also a father to a daughter, Andrea, and a son, Pablo, who both died young. His work is emotional and impulsive. Filmmaker Richard Linklater describes Frank, who emigrated to the United States from Switzerland in the 1940s, beautifully as “a restless, searching artist pushing the boundaries of the documentary, experimental, and more traditional narrative forms.” Fans will be giddy with the unprecedented access to Frank—and his irrepressible irascibility, energy, and humor—this film offers. Those uninitiated into the cult of Robert Frank should be prepared for a wild and wonderful ride.”
Laura Israel: Director
Laura Israel cut her teeth editing award-winning commercials and music videos while still a film student at NYU. By the time she graduated she had formed her own editorial company, Assemblage. Her client list included: John Lurie, Lou Reed, Patti Smith, Keith Richards, Sonic Youth, New Order, Ziggy Marley, David Byrne, artists Laurie Simmons and Robert Frank. The films she edited with Frank have screened all over the world and won many awards. WINDFALL, her debut doc, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won top prize at Doc NYC. A NY Times Critics Pick, the paper dubbed it “Urgent, informative and artfully assembled”. WINDFALL is distributed by First Run Features, and Ms. Israel was named in Filmmaker Magazine’s 2011 “25 New Faces of Independent Film”.
Melinda Shopsin: Producer
Melinda Shopsin is an Emmy, Sundance and Peabody award-winning producer with 15 years of experience in documentary, television and online content. Most recently, she produced Gimlet Media’s MYSTERY SHOW a podcast that garnered one million listens in its first month of release and reached number one on the itunes charts. She is currently Vice President of Production at acclaimed director Eugene Jarecki’s company Charlotte Street Films where she oversaw production on THE TRIALS OF HENRY KISSINGER, WHY WE FIGHT, FREAKONOMICS, REAGAN & THE HOUSE I LIVE IN.
Alex Bingham: Art Director and Editor
Alex Bingham studied at Chelsea School of Art London before moving to New York and delving into film and video. She was art director and editor on WINDFALL, which premiered at the Toronto International Film and won Doc NYC top prize. Editing clients include DKNY, Clinique, Tommy Hilfiger, Bobbi Brown, Ralph Lauren, Estee Lauder, Robertet , Condé Nast, The New Yorker, Vogue, W Magazine, Popular Mechanics , MoMA, Parsons School of Design as well as music videos for Sheryl Crow, Aretha Franklin, Sarah McLachlan, Damian Marley, Death Cab for Cutie, Robert Miles, Mary J Blige and many more.
Lisa Rinzler: Cinematography
Ms. Rinzler is an Independent Spirit and Emmy award-winning Director of Photography whose films include: POLLOCK, MENACE II SOCIETY, BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, TREES LOUNGE, MEA MAXIMA CULPA: SILIENCE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, DEAD PRESIDENTS, BMW (BOMBAY'S MOST WANTED), 30 BEATS, THE WAR WITHIN, THREE SEASONS, LISBON STORY and The SOUL OF A MAN.
Ed Lachman: Additional Camera
Acclaimed cinematographer Ed Lachman has received an IFP Award as well as Emmy and Academy Award nominations for films including CAROL, THE VIRGIN SUICIDES, I’M NOT THERE, FAR FROM HEAVEN, and the HBO miniseries MILDRED PIERCE. SHADOW, in collaboration with artist Slater Bradley, premiered at the Whitney Museum of Art in 2010.
Lukas Fitze: Consulting Producer
A Swiss transplant, Lukas left a career in advertising in Zurich for a career in advertising in New York, eventually gravitating towards pioneering internet startups where he worked on some of the earliest online digital entertainment platforms. In 2008 he co-founded Featurezoo, a digital-media boutique and has brought his expertise to the sphere of cultural initiatives, with such festivals and programs as Zurich meets New York, ETH Zurich Pavilion (for the New Museum/IDEAS CITY), World-Architects, Volta Art Fair, Pen World Voices, The Extremely Hungary Festival, Swiss Roots and the Swiss Peaks Festival.