Documentary at Boston University

Boston University is proud of the achievements of its former students in the documentary field, which go back a long way. We would like to build this page into a showcase of the professional documentary work of our graduates over the past decades.

All former students are invited to email me with updated information about their work for future posting here.

Mushroom (1995),
by Rachel Libert and Angélica Allende Brisk
To Brave a Dream (1992)
by Yael Katzir
Salesman (1969)
by Albert and David Maysles
Kantik'i Maishi: Songs of Sorghum (1992)
by Joan Kaufman

Mushroom (1995)

Made by
Rachel Libert and Angélica Allende Brisk

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Mushroom (1995)

In 1991 Rachel Libert and Angélica Allende Brisk graduated respectively from Boston University's College of Communication and University Professors Program. They decided to collaborate as filmmakers on a profile of an underrated vegetable. On the trail of mushroom enthusiasts, they traveled from Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, the self-proclaimed mushroom capital of the world, to the Northern California wilderness, where amateur mycologists hunt prized fungi. The engaging array of mushroom advocates tell why they love mushrooms: their dangers, their flavors, their market value, and their mythic allure. Premiered March 1996 at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in Women Filmmakers Present series.

You can email Angélica Allende Brisk at abrisk@ttrumble.tiac.net.

To Brave A Dream (1992)

made by
Yael Katzir

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To Brave A Dream (1992)

An account of a short-lived attempt by a small group of God-fearing families from Maine to plant an American colony near Jaffa in Palestine. In 1866, 157 Americans left their homes in Maine to prepare for what they hoped would be the return of Jews to the Holy Land. Yael Katzir's documentary of this long forgotten event was filmed in Maine and Israel and is now part of the permanent collection of the Tel Aviv Foundation. Katzir was awarded her Master of Science Degree in Broadcasting in 1988.

You can email Yael Katzir at katzir@post.tau.ac.il

Salesman (1969)

Albert Maysles was awarded his Master of Arts Degree from Boston University's Graduate School of Arts and Sciences in 1953. Salesman is one of the best known films that he and his brother David made employing the documentary technique they called 'direct cinema.' The camera follows four door-to-door Bible salesmen working in towns in the Mid-West. Among the Maysles' brothers many other documentary credits are Gimme Shelter (1970) and a series of films featuring the work of the Romanian artist Christo.

Visit the Maysles web site.

Salesman (1969)

made by
Albert and David Maysles

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Kantik'i Maishi: Songs of Sorghum (1992)

made by
Joan Kaufman

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Kantik'i Maishi: Songs of Sorghum (1992)

A documentary about ritual music and dance in the Caribbean islands of Bonaire and Curaçao. These African-derived folk festivals celebrate the harvesting of sorghum through traditional food, song, and dance. Elders, singers, and cultural leaders discuss the tension that arises from cultural change, efforts to preserve tradition, and the lingering effects of colonization and slavery, as the islands feel the result of industrialization and the rise of tourism. Joan Kaufman was awarded her Master of Science Degree in Broadcasting in 1989.

You can email Joan Kaufman at jdkaufman@aol.com