Not just culinary experts know who she is. She is an icon of pop culture - several years ago a feature film about her, starring Meryl Streep, conquered cinema screens. Her stunning career included initiation of the transformation of American culinary consciousness - quite an achievement in the 1960s, when the United States was dominated by ready meals, instant soups and frozen foods. The documentary portrait of the charismatic Julia Child presents her way to the culinary peak - from the moment she fell in love with cooking while living with her husband, a diplomat, in France, through her studies, e.g., at Le Cordon Bleu school, writing books, and making culinary programs that broke popularity records. It is a film about an extraordinary person who made cooking a way of life and inspired many women around the world, her unconventional relationship and the times in which she lived. The directors used archival materials that show Julia in action, while also giving voice to her family and friends. Note: Due to the appetizing, suggestive food scenes, the movie cannot be watched while hungry! After the screening, you will return to the kitchen and make, e.g., Julia's beef bourguignon.
Before she started her own production company, Better Than Fiction, she spent many years as a producer at NBC News. For her work, she was awarded the Best American Producer on Radio and Television Award. She has made eight documentary films, including The Sturgeon Queens, which won a number of audience awards. She is a professor at Columbia University.
2007 Constantine’s Sword
2014 The Sturgeon Queens (doc.)
2016 American Veteran (doc.)
2018 RBG (doc.)
Betsy West is a director and journalist whose has worked as executive producer for the AOL and CBS coproduced documentary on-line project Makers. During her 20-year career as a producer at ABC News, she received the Emmy award and twice won the duPont-Columbia prize. She lectures at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
2016 4%: Film’s Gender Problem (doc.)
2017 The Lavender Scare (doc.)
2018 RBG (doc.)