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Documentary Filmmaking & WWII: A Case StudyMaster ClassIn-Person

Headshot of Julia Mintz

Friday, Dec 15, 2023

9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Maysles Documentary Center
343 Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard

For many of us, the dominant narrative of the Holocaust is “Jews went like lambs to the slaughter.” This class will use the remarkable and award-winning documentary film Four Winters to explore an inspiring, but little-known, counternarrative: over 25,000 Jews courageously fought back against the Nazis and their collaborators, escaping into the forests of Eastern Europe and forming ragtag militias that bombed Nazi headquarters, train lines, and electric stations, and saved Jewish lives. The film’s director and producer, Julia Mintz, will discuss her filmmaking process: historical research, data-gathering, and interviews, as well as how she structured the narrative to tell a story about the ordinary women and men who, in the face of extraordinary odds, bravely stood up against tyranny and hatred.

FILMMAKING, WORLD HISTORY, WOMEN'S STUDIES, ETC.

Julia Mintz

Julia Mintz’s work focuses on narratives of bravery and resistance against unimaginable odds. She has been on the producing teams for films which have been shortlisted for the Academy Awards; have premiered at Cannes, Sundance and Tribeca; and won Emmy, Peabody, and festival awards. Her films can be seen on HBO, PBS, Netflix, and Amazon, and are shown on college campuses across the country. She has been a featured keynote and guest speaker for engagements in both the public and private sectors. An award-winning artist and accomplished multi-grant recipient for her work in visual arts and documentary film, Mintz has taught seminars and workshops worldwide, and has held an adjunct faculty position at LIU in NYC.