BIO

Documentary Filmmaker | Lecturer | Storyteller of Art, Memory, and Identity

 

I’m a documentary filmmaker with over thirty years of experience directing, producing, and editing films that explore the intersections of art, public memory, immigrant narratives, and cultural identity. My work includes more than sixty film credits and has been screened at festivals around the world, as well as distributed through PBS, Kanopy, and other academic and cultural platforms. In 2023, I was honored to be featured in The New York Times for my documentary The Piccirilli Factor, which brings to light the story of Italian-American artisans behind some of America’s most iconic public monuments.

 

Throughout my career, I’ve had the privilege of sharing my films and insights in film festivals and at institutions such as Harvard University, Yale University, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, UCLA, the University of Virginia, Saint Louis University, UC Irvine, University of Miami, the British Academy, the University of Toulouse–Jean Jaurès, the Universidade Federal do Brasil, the Universidad de Buenos Aires, the African American Museum, The Holocaust Museum, the New York Public Library, Fairfield University, and The Hotchkiss School, among others.

 

While I’m deeply committed to my work as a filmmaker, I also value the opportunity to teach, speak, and collaborate with students and audiences. I’m not a retired filmmaker looking back—I continue to actively produce and direct new projects. My public speaking, screenings, and workshops are an extension of my creative practice and offer a space for meaningful cultural exchange.

 

I offer lectures, screenings with Q&A, and short-format workshops on topics including documentary production and ethics, and the art of visual storytelling across cultures and formats. I also lead specialized seminars based on my own documentary work, currently proposing the following:

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Shaping the American Monument: Public Art, Memory, and Identity

 

Films: Daniel Chester French: American Sculptor and The Piccirilli Factor

Description: This seminar explores how public art shapes national identity and collective memory through monumental sculpture. Through the lens of two documentaries—one focused on Daniel Chester French, the sculptor of the Lincoln Memorial, and the other on the Piccirilli Brothers, the artisans behind its carving—participants will examine the deep collaboration between artists, architects, and immigrant craftsmen. The seminar encourages conversation on visibility, authorship, and the lasting symbolism of public art in America.

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Voices of Vision: Poetry and Civil Rights in America

 

Films: Rita Dove: An American Poet and Julian Bond: Reflections from the Frontlines of the Civil Rights Movement

Description: Pairing the literary voice of U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove with the political voice of Civil Rights leader Julian Bond, this seminar invites participants to consider how art and activism intersect in American history. Through these two intimate portraits, the seminar reflects on Black intellectual leadership, legacy, and how language—poetic and political—shapes resistance and remembrance.

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The Art of Living: Women Creating in the Berkshires

 

Films: Alice Parker and The Art of Joy Brown

Description: This seminar offers an inspiring encounter with two creative women—composer Alice Parker and ceramist-sculptor Joy Brown—whose lives and work reflect a lifetime of dedication to the arts. Both based in the Berkshires, Parker and Brown exemplify artistic integrity and lifelong creativity across disciplines. This program explores the quiet revolutions that take place through music, sculpture, and community-based work.

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Cortázar and Borges in Conversation

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Films: Cortázar: Apuntes para un documental and Harto the Borges (in Spanish, with English subtitles)

Description: This Spanish-language seminar delves into the lives and work of two of Latin America’s most towering literary figures. Through candid interviews, archival footage, and poetic narrative, these documentaries reveal personal and philosophical contrasts between Cortázar and Borges. The program is ideal for literature departments and cultural centers interested in Latin American studies, authorship, and identity in exile.

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Juneteenth Collection

 

Films: Black Fiddlers (60 min), Samba on Your Feet (54 min), and Rita Dove: American Poet (26 min)

Description: From the hidden history of African American fiddlers in the Appalachian South to the pulsating rhythms of samba in Afro-Brazilian communities, this seminar explores the music and poetry of resistance, joy, and cultural preservation. Through three vibrant films, participants are invited to consider the ways in which rhythm, verse, and memory carry ancestral stories across continents and generations. Together, these works highlight how both music and poetry have served as essential forms of expression, resilience, and identity within the African diaspora—illuminating a legacy that continues to inspire and shape the cultural fabric of the Americas.