With extraordinary access to larger-than-life figures and a gimlet eye highly attuned to key moments, photographer Steven Schapiro did more than passively observe. He actively bore witness to history and kept alive ongoing human concerns through a cavalcade of breathtaking images. In this documentary portrait, many of Schapiro’s photos—in striking black and white and some in living color—are given space and time for contemplation, narrated by Schapiro’s wry, thoughtful insights. He spent sustained periods with celebrated cultural icons like Warhol, Streisand, Bowie, and Brando, as well as towering figures of the Civil Rights Movement, including James Baldwin, Muhammed Ali, John Lewis, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Just as crucial as the many pivotal events he framed with his camera are the human experiences of his subjects revealed in this finely wrought account. —Brian Karl
Screens with BIG ROCK BURNING (US 29min)
This intimate documentary explores the resilient spirit of Malibu's Big Rock community as they rebuild after the devastating Palisades Fire.
Maura Smith
As a graduate of the USC Cinema Department, Maura Smith went on to direct Towing (1978) with Sue Lyon and Joe Mantegna. While being an honors student in the MFA Screenwriting Program at Columbia University, Smith received first prize for the Zaki Gordon Memorial Award for Excellence in Screenwriting. Smith has directed for such companies as Sony Music, BBC TV, and Paramount. She has recently written and directed two narrative feature films.
