PRE-PRODUCTION/PRODUCTION/RESEARCH

Vincent
A biography of the iconic poet Edna St. Vincent Millay: her life, legacy and controversies.  Supported by an ITVS-NEH fellowship.

Moishe
A look at the man once dubbed the “Godfather of the Music Business.”  Controversial, cunning and highly quotable, Morris Levy was both feared and beloved.

Film School
Based on the experiences of founders of Pacific Street Films – Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher – a documentary exploration of what went down at the fabled film school that produced notables like Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone.

Relentless Vision: Federico Arcos
A contemporary of Emma Goldman, Federico’s life as an anarchist began on the barricades of Barcelona in July of 1936 fighting the fascist troops of Francisco Franco.  His commitment didn’t end there, but led him to devote his life to create and preserve an essential archive of anarchist and libertarian history.

Aldo
Aldo Izzo, a retired sea captain, is now the conservator and protector of the Jewish cemetery in Venice, Italy.  For decades Izzo has maintained this ancient and world-famous cemetery, preserving the legacy of the Jewish community in La Serenissima.

Foreclosure Diaries
On-going coverage of the housing crisis which began in 2007 and continues today, much of it based on the journalistic writings of Joel Sucher for platforms that include American Banker; Huffington Post and In These Times.

High Flight
Research and production began in earnest in 1998 with funding by WNET; this series will chronicle the achievements of early flyers, many drawn from communities of color.

COMPLETED PROJECTS

Five-Finger Discount: A Crooked Family History (2017)
Documentary based on Helen Stapinski’s best selling memoir about growing up blue collar in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Dressing America (2014)
Documentary about the role played by Jewish entrepreneurs, designers and workers in the creation of New York City’s Garment Center.

Beyond Swastika and Jim Crow: Jewish Refugee Scholars at Black Colleges (2010-2014)
Based on PSF’s documentary From Swastika To Jim Crow and produced in partnership with the Museum of Jewish Heritage in NYC, the exhibit traveled throughout the United States, showing at over a dozen African-American and Jewish venues museums and venues.

Alfred Levitt: In Three Acts (2008)
Artist, radical and adventurer Alfred Levitt died in 2000 at the age of 105.  The film chronicles his life as he reminisces about friends and colleagues that include Jack London, Marcel Duchamp and Emma Goldman.

Beyond Wiseguys: Italian-Americans & The Movies (2007)
Vérité footage, film clips and interviews with prominent Italian American film artists explore the experiences that brought them all to the movies as well as the roots of Hollywood stereotyping.  PBS.

Building Wealth and Risky Business (2005)
Two multipart series designed to teach the fundamentals of financial literacy to high school and college students.

City of Refuge (2004)
Jewish immigration to New York City by Holocaust survivors, Sephardic and Jews from the Soviet Union for the Museum of Jewish Heritage, New York City.

The Economics Classroom (2002)
Teacher development workshop consisting of eight one-hour programs, website and educational materials. For Annenberg/CPB.

Backstory GoodFellas and Backstory JFK (2002)
Documentaries for the AMC’s “Back Story” series: Martin Scorsese’s “GoodFellas” and Oliver Stone’s “JFK.”

Bravo Profile: Nick Nolte (2002)
One-hour profile of the noted actor.

Speed Traps (2001)
Fast-paced, high-energy show takes an in-depth look at the history and technology of speed detection, and ticket avoidance. The Learning Channel.

Martial Arts: The Real Story (2000)
A two-hour special on the little-known world of real martial arts, showing fighting techniques have been developed that require silent devotion, zealous commitment and above all, secrecy. The Learning Channel and ITV in the UK.

From Swastika to Jim Crow (1999)
Documentary explores the little-known story of Jewish refugee scholars teaching at historically black colleges before and during WWII.  ITVS for PBS.

Crime Stories (1999)
Three one-hour documentaries about notable trials from the past: The Jeffrey MacDonald Murder Case, Richard Speck: Born to Raise Hell, and The Trial of the Chicago 8.  Court TV.

Exploring the World of Music (1999)
Twelve part video series, study guide and three audio CDs, highlighting the basic principles of music, through a world music perspective.  International co-production.  Annenberg Project of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The Other Half … Revisited (1998)
Documentary comparing social conditions today with those that Jacob Riis documented in 1890 in his famous work, “How The Other Half Lives.” Ford Foundation and CPB. Broadcast on WNET-TV.

The Warrior Tradition (1998)
Documentary series on warrior cultures throughout history: Samurai, Shogun, The French Foreign Legion, The Gurkhas and The Green Berets. History Channel.

Intimate Portrait: Pamela Harriman (1998)
The life of the socialite and former Ambassador to France. LIFETIME Television.

Intimate Portrait: Jessica Lange (1998)
Documentary profile of Jessica Lange. Broadcast on LIFETIME Television.

Sidney Lumet: An American Director (1996)
A portrait of the film director, photographed during the production of Night Falls On Manhattan. Paramount Pictures and Spelling Entertainment

Final Take: The Fertility Scandal (1996)
Scandal at the University of California at Irvine Fertility Center.  LIFETIME Television.

Troubled Waters, Vanishing Treasures (1996)
For the American Museum of Natural History’s Endangered Species installation.

To The Ends of The Earth (1995)
The American Museum of Natural History’s fossil-hunting expeditions.

In Search of Peace (1995)
Documentary history of the relationship of the US and the United Nations, on the UN’s 50th anniversary. Narrated by Paul Newman. Turner Broadcasting System.

Schools For Sale: Advertising in the Classroom (1995)
A critical look at CHANNEL ONE, the for-profit service that brings advertising into the classroom.  Hosted by Lewis Black. For the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy at Rutgers University.

Calculating Change (1993)
PBS special on the efforts to overhaul math and science education in the US Hosted by Al Roker.  Produced for the Urban League and Thirteen/WNET.

Peacemaking (1993)
Educational program produced for the United Nations.

Lincoln-Douglas Debates (1991-1993)
Documentary on the students involved in the annual New York City debate competition. Broadcast on Thirteen/WNET.

Oliver Stone: Inside/Out (1992)
Documentary feature. Profile of the director. SHOWTIME and the BBC.

Jessica Lange: It’s Only Make-Believe (1991)
Documentary profile.  HBO/CINEMAX.

Martin Scorsese Directs (1990)
Profile of the director on the set of Goodfellas.  American Masters/PBS.

Blue Helmets: The Story of U. N. Peacekeeping (1990)
Role and history of UN Peacekeeping.  Narrated by Jesse Jackson. PBS special.

First City (1988)
PSF produced segments for this Emmy award winning magazine series on New York City: “Tugs,” “Brooklyn Bridge,” “Homeless,” “Arson Squad,” “Parking.”

WNET Metropolitan Division (1985 – 1988)
Salute To Newark, eight 30-second spots. Take Me Back To Dear Old Newark, 30-minute documentary. Also Fear Of Crime and Law And Order.

Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: A Special Gift (1984)
A portrait of the Nobel laureate. National Foundation for Cancer Research.

Man’s Best Friends (1984)
Investigation of the use and abuse of animals in medical experiments and product testing.  FRONTLINE.

I Promise To Remember: Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers (1983)
The rise and fall of Rock ‘n Roll’s first cross-over group. Broadcast on PBS.

The Cancer War (1983)
An investigation into the politics of cancer research. Broadcast on PBS.

Anarchism in America (1981)
Feature documentary on the American roots of anarchist thought and political action.  The National Endowment for the Humanities.

Free Voice of Labor: The Jewish Anarchists (1980)
The story of Jewish anarchist movement seen through the eyes of the last generation to publish the Freie Arbiter Stimme. Guggenheim Foundation and CPB.

The Grand Jury: An Institution Under Fire (1977)
An investigation of Grand Jury abuse. Broadcast on PBS.

Voices From Within (1977)
Documentary produced in collaboration with long-term women inmates at the Bedford Hills Correctional Institution.  Funded by the NYS Council on the Arts.

Politics and Police in Stamford (1975)
Investigative documentary for WNBC-TV.

The Marijuana Revolution (1975)
Investigative documentary for WNBC-TV.

Frame-up! The Imprisonment of Martin Sostre (1974)
Investigative documentary on the wrongful imprisonment of a black bookstore owner who would subsequently receive executive clemency from Governor Carey in New York State.

Red Squad (1972)
Independent documentary on the surveillance activities of the NYPD and the FBI.

Surveillance: Who’s Watching? (1971)
Police surveillance of political dissidents around the country. Produced for National Educational Television.

Ipimpi (1971)
Police infiltration of the Black Panther Party.

Inciting to Riot (1970)
Grand prizewinner at the National Student’s Association Film Festival.