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NAME: Dana Nachman AGE: 48 CITY: Los Altos JOB: Filmmaker
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study. I took Hebrew and I really loved Israel; I had gone there the summer of my freshman year. I finished my majors in my senior year and began taking creative-writing courses, but didn’t know what I could do with that. I became a TV producer on kind of a lark: My dad had a friend who worked at CBS News and I went there and was impressed by a producer. But it was very stressful work. I moved into special projects, investigations and documentaries.
Filmmaker Dana Nachman has dived into some heavy topics. The documentaries she Did you grow up in a religious has written, directed and produced since 2008 household? include unflinching accounts of wrongful We lived near Rye, New York, and went to conviction, families ripped apart by terrorism a Reform temple. It was similar to how we and individuals fighting companies that are in my current household. My father was produce harmful chemicals. But she began involved with United Jewish Appeal and the to show a softer side with “Batkid Begins,” an 87-minute, feelgood documentary about a 5-year-old cancer patient who had his wish come true in San Francisco: meeting Batman. Her 2018 film “Pick of the Litter” is the tale of a litter of pups birthed and trained at Guide Dana Nachman on the film set of “Pick of the Litter.” Dogs for the Blind in San Rafael, following them on their 20-month-quest to become Anti-Defamation League, doing a lot of work service dogs. The film led to a six-episode with refuseniks. We marched a lot. docuseries currently available on Disney Plus. What temple do you belong to now? J.: What inspired you to make “Pick of We belong to Congregation Beth Am. One the Litter”? of my kids just had a virtual bar mitzvah on Dana Nachman: My mom, a retired jourZoom. It was really lovely. We had a Torah at nalist in New York, had written a newspaper our house; you go and pick it up [from the series on guide dogs. In the back of my mind synagogue]. That was pretty cool. I thought that would make an amazing film. After I made “Batkid Begins,” which is about Your next film is set for streaming and philanthropy and people coming together to release in theaters on Dec. 4. “Dear grant this boy his wish, I realized that these Santa” sounds like a Christmas movie. kinds of family-positive, inspirational movies I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I like it. were much easier to make in every sense. “Dear Santa” is about Operation Santa, run by the U.S. Postal Service. The film is about What do you think makes “Pick of the the letters that get sent to Santa Claus every Litter,” which has won several film fest year and what happens to them. At its heart, awards, so appealing? it delves into poverty in America. I think it’s It is about disabilities, yet packaged in a film relevant for anyone to watch. about cuddly dogs. It is also a competition My movies do have serious underpinfilm: Which dogs will make it? nings. My goal? I feel like if I can make you laugh, cry and get chills in one film, then I’m You majored in Middle East studies and doing the right thing. n international relations in college, and “Talking With” focuses on local Jews who are doing got your master’s degree in broadcast journalism. What led you to filmmaking? things we find interesting. Send suggestions to sueb@jweekly.com. I just thought they were interesting subjects to
