Sam Green
Encyclopedia
Sam Green is a San Francisco-based documentary
filmmaker. His film, The Weather Underground
, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004, broadcast nationally on PBS, and included in the Whitney Biennial.
and is a graduate of East Lansing High School
. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley
, where he studied documentary with acclaimed filmmaker Marlon Riggs
. He currently teaches film and video at the San Francisco Art Institute
and the University of San Francisco
.
focused on the group of young radicals of the same name, who during the late 1960s and '70s attempted to violently overthrow the United States
government. The film premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival
and was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Documentary Feature
category. The award winning film interweaves extensive archival material with modern-day interviews to explore the story of the Weather Underground. The New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell called the documentary a "terrifically smart and solid piece of film-making."
The Rainbow Man/John 3:16 focuses on the life of Rollen Stewart
, who became famous during the 1970s by appearing at thousands of televised sporting events wearing a rainbow-colored wig. The film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, where Trevor Groth said "More than an exploration one life, The Rainbow Man is a parable about alienation, the media, and the meaninglessness that often defines American life."
Green's other documentaries include The Universal Language; lot 63, grave c (about Meredith Hunter
); N-Judah 5:30; Pie Fight ’69; and Utopia, Part 3: The World's Largest Shopping Mall.
Sam Green's new documentary (2010), "Utopia in Four Movements," screened twice at this year's Sundance Film Festival
in the category entitled "New Frontiers." In this "live" documentary, Green himself narrates the 75"--minute film while a live band provides some of the sound track. The Sundance program explains, "From the establishment of a man-made language designed to end war and cultural conflict, and the undying optimism of an American exile in Cuba, to the current economic boom in China and the desire to give the remains in mass graves a dignified burial, Green and co-director Dave Cerf sift through the history of the utopian impulse with audiences and search for insights about the way to build a vision of the future based on humankind's noblest impulses." The man-made language refers to Esperanto
.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker. His film, The Weather Underground
The Weather Underground
The Weather Underground is a 2002 documentary film based on the rise and fall of the American radical organization The Weathermen. Using much archive footage from the time as well as interviews with the Weathermen today, the film constructs a linear narrative of the militant organization.The film,...
, was nominated for an Academy Award in 2004, broadcast nationally on PBS, and included in the Whitney Biennial.
Life
Green was raised in East Lansing, MichiganEast Lansing, Michigan
East Lansing is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located directly east of Lansing, Michigan, the state's capital. Most of the city is within Ingham County, though a small portion lies in Clinton County. The population was 48,579 at the time of the 2010 census, an increase from...
and is a graduate of East Lansing High School
East Lansing High School
East Lansing High School is a public high school in the city of East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It is managed by the East Lansing Public Schools district....
. He earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. He received his master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, where he studied documentary with acclaimed filmmaker Marlon Riggs
Marlon Riggs
Marlon Troy Riggs was a gay African-American filmmaker, educator, poet, and gay rights activist. He produced, wrote, and directed several television documentaries, including Ethnic Notions, Tongues Untied, Color Adjustment, and Black Is. ....
. He currently teaches film and video at the San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute
San Francisco Art Institute is a school of higher education in contemporary art with the main campus in the Russian Hill district of San Francisco, California. Its graduate center is in the Dogpatch neighborhood. The private, non-profit institution is accredited by WASC and is a member of the...
and the University of San Francisco
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco , is a private, Jesuit/Catholic university located in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1855, USF was established as the first university in San Francisco. It is the second oldest institution for higher learning in California and the tenth-oldest university of...
.
Films
Green's feature-length documentary film The Weather UndergroundThe Weather Underground
The Weather Underground is a 2002 documentary film based on the rise and fall of the American radical organization The Weathermen. Using much archive footage from the time as well as interviews with the Weathermen today, the film constructs a linear narrative of the militant organization.The film,...
focused on the group of young radicals of the same name, who during the late 1960s and '70s attempted to violently overthrow the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government. The film premiered at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and was nominated for a 2003 Academy Award for Documentary Feature
Academy Award for Documentary Feature
The Academy Award for Documentary Feature is among the most prestigious awards for documentary films.- Winners and nominees:Following the Academy's practice, films are listed below by the award year...
category. The award winning film interweaves extensive archival material with modern-day interviews to explore the story of the Weather Underground. The New York Times film critic Elvis Mitchell called the documentary a "terrifically smart and solid piece of film-making."
The Rainbow Man/John 3:16 focuses on the life of Rollen Stewart
Rollen Stewart
Rollen Frederick Stewart , also known as Rock 'n' Rollen and Rainbow Man, was a fixture in American sports culture best known for wearing a rainbow-colored afro-style wig and, later, holding up signs reading "John 3:16" at stadium sporting events around the United States and overseas in the 1970s...
, who became famous during the 1970s by appearing at thousands of televised sporting events wearing a rainbow-colored wig. The film premiered at the 1997 Sundance Film Festival, where Trevor Groth said "More than an exploration one life, The Rainbow Man is a parable about alienation, the media, and the meaninglessness that often defines American life."
Green's other documentaries include The Universal Language; lot 63, grave c (about Meredith Hunter
Meredith Hunter
Meredith Curly Hunter was a male spectator at the Altamont Free Concert. During the performance by The Rolling Stones, Hunter pulled out a gun after being punched by a Hells Angel and was then stabbed to death by a Hells Angel serving as a security guard...
); N-Judah 5:30; Pie Fight ’69; and Utopia, Part 3: The World's Largest Shopping Mall.
Sam Green's new documentary (2010), "Utopia in Four Movements," screened twice at this year's Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in the category entitled "New Frontiers." In this "live" documentary, Green himself narrates the 75"--minute film while a live band provides some of the sound track. The Sundance program explains, "From the establishment of a man-made language designed to end war and cultural conflict, and the undying optimism of an American exile in Cuba, to the current economic boom in China and the desire to give the remains in mass graves a dignified burial, Green and co-director Dave Cerf sift through the history of the utopian impulse with audiences and search for insights about the way to build a vision of the future based on humankind's noblest impulses." The man-made language refers to Esperanto
Esperanto
is the most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Its name derives from Doktoro Esperanto , the pseudonym under which L. L. Zamenhof published the first book detailing Esperanto, the Unua Libro, in 1887...
.
Filmography
- The Universal Language (2011)
- Utopia in Four Movements, directed with Dave Cerf, (2010)
- Utopia, Part 3: The World's Largest Shopping Mall, co-directed with Carrie Lozano (2009)
- Clear Glasses (2008)
- Lot 63, Grave C (2006)
- N-Judah 5:30 (2004)
- The Weather Underground (2003)
- Pie Fight '69 (2000)
- The Fabulous Stains: Behind the Movie (1999)
- The Rainbow Man/John 3:16 (1997)