Jeff Kaufman | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1955-07-06)July 6, 1955 (age 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Film producer, director and writer / artist |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Known for |
|
| Spouse | Marcia Ross |
| Family | Richard C. Ross (father-in-law) |
| Website | www |
Jeff Kaufman (born July 6, 1955) is an American film producer, director, writer, and artist.[1] Kaufman has produced, written, and directed documentaries focusing on human rights activism and cultural icons includingThe State of Marriage,Every Act of Life, andNasrin.
Kaufman was born inMinnesota and raised inBellevue, Washington. He dropped out of college and moved toNew York City where he worked as a messenger forThe New Yorker.[2] Kaufman contributed cartoons toThe New Yorker, as well as illustrations toTheLos Angeles Times[3][4][5] andTheNew York Times. He also wrote for magazines and newspapers, and exhibited his paintings at art galleries.[6] Kaufman hosted the radio talk show "The Talk of Vermont"[7] inVermont for five years[1] before moving to Los Angeles in 2000.[8]
Kaufman directed and produced theDiscovery Channel specialWTC 9/11: Stories from the Ruins, and episodes forUnsolved History, a Discovery Channel documentary television series. In 2007, he producedBrush With Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman, a documentary film which portrayed the life of modernist painterEdward Biberman.[9]
In 2011, he producedEducation Under Fire, a documentary centered around thepersecution of Baháʼís in Iran, in collaboration withAmnesty International.[10] Kaufman's work on his next film,The Savoy King:Chick Webb and the Music That Changed America, drew praise from critics.[11] The film included interviews withFrankie Manning,Van Alexander,Louie Bellson,Roy Haynes, andNorma Miller. It featured the voices ofBilly Crystal,John Legend,Janet Jackson,Jeff Goldblum,Ron Perlman,Tyne Daly,Andy Garcia,Danny Glover,Keith David,Eugene Robinson, andCharlie Watts.[12]
In 2015, Kaufman directed, co-produced and wrote the critically acclaimed documentary filmThe State of Marriage, about thesame-sex marriage movement in Vermont.[13][14] Kaufman credited "countless examples of personal and political courage" that he witnessed during his stint as a radio host in Vermont as his inspiration to make the film.[15] His next filmFather Joseph depicted the contributions of Haitian Catholic priest Joseph Philippe in the empowerment of Haitians living in poverty.[16][17]
In 2018, Kaufman wrote and directedEvery Act of Life, a documentary on the playwright and LGBT activistTerrence McNally, featuringF. Murray Abraham,Christine Baranski,Nathan Lane,Angela Lansbury,Audra McDonald,Rita Moreno,Billy Porter,Chita Rivera, andPatrick Wilson, with the voices ofBryan Cranston andMeryl Streep.[18] The film premiered at theTribeca Film Festival and was screened at dozens of other film festivals. It was broadcast as part of theAmerican Masters series onPBS[6][19] and received anEmmy Award nomination forOutstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series.[20]
In 2020, Kaufman produced a short documentary focusing onwomen's rights in Iran called40 Million: The Struggle for Women's Rights in Iran.[21] Later that year, he produced and directedNasrin, a documentary feature onNasrin Sotoudeh and her fight for the rights of women, children and minorities in Iran. Narrated byOlivia Colman, the documentary was filmed secretly in Iran between late 2017 and mid 2018.[22][23] It premiered atThe Boston Globe's GlobeDocs Film Festival and was screened at dozens of film festivals, receiving positive reviews from critics.[24] Kaufman said about Sotoudeh, "There’s a good reason Nasrin has been called 'The Nelson Mandela of Iran'. She has the same kind of determination, resilience and vision."[25]Nasrin was released onHulu in June 2021 and nominated forBest Political Documentary at the6th Critics' Choice Documentary Awards.[26]
In 2023, Kaufman launched abutton campaign called "I oppose themandatory hijab" in solidarity with theWoman, Life, Freedom movement in Iran. The project's partners includedPEN America,Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights,Parliamentarians for Global Action, and theUnited Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iran.[27]
Kaufman exhibited paintings in Los Angeles before becoming a filmmaker, and has continued to paint and exhibit. His artwork typically makes use ofacrylic paint on wood, and involves the scraping down and reapplying of multiple thinlayers of paint. His recent work comprises a series of paintings linked to one theme, such as theNahua deityTláloc, theRussian invasion of Ukraine, and theBabi Yar massacres.[28][29]
Kaufman has written several full-length and shortplays.[30] In March 2024, his playFirst Aid was a winner at the Long Beach Playhouse New Works Festival.[31]
Kaufman is married toMarcia Ross, a casting director and documentary producer, with whom he has produced six documentary films.[2] He has two children–Anna Kaufman and Daniel Kaufman.[32]
| Year | Film | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Nasrin | writer, director, producer |
| 2020 | 40 Million: The Struggle for Women's Rights in Iran | writer, director, producer |
| 2018 | Every Act of Life | writer, director, producer |
| 2015 | Father Joseph | writer, director, producer |
| 2015 | The State of Marriage | writer, director, producer |
| 2012 | The Savoy King: Chick Webb & the Music That Changed America | writer, director, producer |
| 2011 | Education Under Fire | writer, director, producer |
| 2010 | Free Shane and Josh | writer, director, producer |
| 2007 | Brush with Life: The Art of Being Edward Biberman | writer, director, producer |
| 2005 | Unsolved History: The Hope Diamond | director, producer |
| 2004 | Unsolved History: Hunting Nazis | director, producer |
| 2003 | WTC 9/11: Stories from the Ruins | writer, director, producer |
| 2003 | The Last Mission | associate producer |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | GlobeDocs Film Festival | Audience Award | The State of Marriage | Won | [33] |
| 2018 | Tampa International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival | Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature | Every Act of Life | Won | [34] |
| 2020 | Emmy Awards | Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series | American Masters | Nominated | [20] |
| 2021 | Critics' Choice Documentary Awards | Best Political Documentary | Nasrin | Nominated | [26] |
| Cinema for Peace Awards | Award for Women’s Empowerment | Won | [35] | ||
| Terra di Tutti Film Festival [it] | The Voices of Invisible Women Award | Won | [36] |
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