- Standing Tall
- The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation
- Stephanie
- Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood
- Artful Reading
- Jim Dine: Childhood Stories
- Bali: Beyond the Postcard
- Stubborn Hope
- Debut
- Silver Valley
Standing Tall
2003
DVD
24 minutes
close captioned
$29.00
Having witnessed an airliner crashing into the second World Trade Center tower, on September 11, 2001, fourth- and fifth-grade students at Manhattan's P.S. 3 work through their feelings about the experience with the help of a drama therapist and a group of youth theater professionals. Through a series of theater workshops, the group develops an original play based on the children's own role plays.
Standing Tall documents the transformation of the young students' stories into a theatrical performance. It offers a compelling portrait of the sometimes amazing coping strengths that children can display when they are able to work through such experiences with the help of skilled, supportive adults.
"Extremely highly recommended for public and academic collections; would be especially useful in any educational setting with programs in children's therapy or creative arts therapy. This is a very good film for both children and adults."
-- Educational Media Reviews
"Documents a workshop with the aim of helping children to express their anxieties through an interactive and creative educational outlet. Recommended for educators looking for examples of alternate pedagogic approaches."
-- Video Librarian
"A well produced film that clearly identifies the value of group work using drama for children and adults dealing with serious concerns or tragedies. A good addition to a university film collection because it integrates multiple areas of creativity."
-- American Art Therapy Association Journal
FESTIVAL & CONFERENCE SCREENINGS
American Psychological Association
9th International Conference on Family Violence
Columbus International Film and Video Festival
The Moon and The Son: An Imagined Conversation
Academy Award Winner
Best Animated Short
2005
DVD
28 minutes, plus exclusive DVD content
$29.95
Buy The Moon and the Son Here
A powerful animated film that explores the difficult emotional terrain of father/son relationships as seen through animator John Canemaker's own turbulent relationship with his father. Featuring the voices of Eli Wallach and John Turturro in the roles of father and son, The Moon and the Son combines memory, fact, conjecture, trial transcripts, audio recordings, home movies, photos, and original animation to tell the story of an Italian immigrant's troubled life and the devastating consequences of his actions on his family. Produced by John Canemaker and Peggy Stern.
REVIEWS
“One of the most stunning, original and emotionally moving animated films ever created. It belongs in every audio-visual library and animation-lover’s collection.”
-- Donald Crafton, University of Notre Dame
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
Academy Award, Best Animated Short
Emmy Award, Outstanding Graphic and Artistic Design
Telluride Film Festival
Annecy International Animation Festival
For more information about the Moon and The Son, click here.
Stephanie
1986
DVD
58 minutes, Color
Order Here
Following the filmmaker's teenage neighbor through six pivotal years of her life, Stephanie documents her dreams and disappointments through adolescence. Bright and inquisitive, Stephanie becomes disaffected with high school and the narrow options available to her and ultimately fails to graduate. This award-winning film profiles a typical teenager while pointing to broader issues of socialization, sex-role stereotyping and self esteem for young women.
REVIEWS
"A lively profile of a lively woman growing up in the absurd '80s"
-- The Boston Globe
"A bittersweet portrait of a good, talented person slipping through the cracks."
--San Francisco Examiner
"Funny, fascinating and never just sentimental - 28 Up with a Boston honk."
-- Village Voice
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
American Film Festival, Finalist
Margaret Mead Film Festival
London Film Festival
Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood
2009
DVD
26 minutes, color
Available as bonus material on
Tom & Jerry: The Chuck Jones Collection
Order Here
In one of his last filmed interviews before his death in 2002, animator Chuck Jones speaks candidly about life in 1920s Los Angeles, and his family’s itinerant and sometimes hardscrabble existence. Peggy Stern and John Canemaker who each earned Oscar Awards for the animated short The Moon and the Son: An Imagined Conversation, collaborated on the project for Turner Classic Movies.
Stern produced and directed the special, and with Canemaker, conducted the interviews. In addition, Canemaker created original animation of Jones' childhood memories, which include revealing anecdotes about the events and personalities who influenced his early creative life and long career in cartoons. Chuck Jones: Memories of Childhood interweaves new animated segments with vintage family photographs and clips from classic cartoons, to reveal Chuck Jones in a new light.
Artful Reading
2010
DVD
14 Minutes
For information, click here.
Funded by Studio in A School, New York City, this documentary follows an innovative program to help parents combine art and picture books to reinforce early literacy skills. Filmed in Bedford Stuyvesant, three families reveal what they have learned from their involvement in a Studio in A School workshop.
Jim Dine: Childhood Stories
1992
DVD
28 Minutes, color
For information,click here.
In Jim Dine: Childhood Stories, the painter discusses, with disarming frankness and increasing intimacy, his childhood and how it influences his current life and work. Produced by Nancy Dine and Peggy Stern. Directed by Peggy Stern.
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
Nyon Film Festival, honoable mention
Cine Golden Eagle
American Film & Video Festival, Finalist
Bali: Beyond The Post Card
1993
DVD
60 minutes, color
Distributed by
Filmmakers Library
Order Here
An intimate story about a Balinese family whose gamelan music and Legong dance tradition spans four generations. The documentary follows an important event in the history of the family - the passing down of the Legong dance legacy to the youngest, a nine-year-old member of the family. The filmmakers capture the intensity with which tradition evolves and is passed on in Bali, a dynamic culture steeped in ancient traditions and increasingly exposed to the modern world.
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
National Geographic Earthwatch Film Award
Grand Prix du Video Danse
Margaret Mead Film Festival
Hawaii International Film Festival
Bombay International Film Festival
Stubborn Hope
1986
28 Minutes, color
For information,click here.
In 1966, Dennis Brutus was exiled from his country for his activity against the apartheid system. Segregated sport was the target of much of his work: in the 1950s he began soliciting international sports groups to bar South African teams from participation in the Olympic Games. In 1962, he was officially "banned," then arrested and imprisoned. After his prison term, he chose to leave his native land rather than be silenced by it.
Stubborn Hope is an intimate and compelling portrait of a South African exile in the United States. The film chronicles the period in Brutus' life after he gained political asylum. He travels across America to Los Angeles, where he lobbies to ensure that South Africa will be permanently banned from the Olympics. His odyssey across America becomes the window into his thoughts and deeds, particularly as he struggles to blend his personal voice with his political vision in the movement to liberate South Africa. Produced and directed by Peggy Stern.
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
The Margaret Mead Film Festival
London Film Festival
Filmex
Global Village
Museum of Modern Art
Cinema Du Reel
Debut
1990
60 minutes
For information,click here.
A documentary exploring the realities of life as a classical musician through the story of Hexagon, a newly formed chamber ensemble. Produced and directed by Peggy Stern. Funded by John R. Jakobson Foundation, Peter Palumbo Trust, among others. Broadcast nationally on PBS in October 1990.
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
Chicago Film Festival, Golden Hugo
Silver Valley
1988
For information, click here.
A feature-length documentary on the closing of a silver mine and its effects on a family in Idaho, produced and directed by Peggy Stern. Funded by the National Community Trust, and the Pinewood Foundation. Broadcast in 1988 on PBS, and on the Learning Channel as part of the INDEPENDENTS series.
AWARDS & FESTIVAL SCREENINGS
Cinema du Reel, Grand Prize
Athens International Film Festival, Merit Award