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As a documentary filmmaker, I was moved by Lankes’s vision and by his friendship with Robert Frost and Sherwood Anderson. With J.J. Lankes: Yankee Printmaker in Virginia, I aimed to explore how his art and his dialogue with Frost, Anderson and others framed an American understanding of work, place, and purpose.

Fourteen years ago, I made Rita Dove: An American Poet, a biographical film that captured something essential about one of America's most important voices. You can watch the documentary below. Now, as Rita and I prepare to embark on a new cinematic journey exploring her epic poem Sonata Mulattica, I find myself revisiting that first collaboration—not out of nostalgia, but to understand who we were then, what we captured, and how far we've traveled since.

We're thrilled to announce our upcoming documentary project that promises to be one of our most ambitious and compelling films yet. Following the success of our previous collaboration on "Rita Dove: An American Poet," we're reuniting with the legendary poet laureate Rita Dove to bring her critically acclaimed work "Sonata Mulattica" to cinematic life.

If this film moves you, if you believe in the power of documentary storytelling to change hearts and minds, we invite you to support our next projects through a tax-deductible contribution to the Documentary Film Fund.

Documenting Charlottesville: A Reflection on Community, History, and the Arts.

he dialogue with Crozier provides a unique opportunity—one artist presenting another.

'Monroe Hill' explores a significant chapter of Monroe’s life as Minister to France, highlighting his relationships with notable figures suc