James Spione
Encyclopedia
James Michael Spione is an American director, producer, writer and editor of both documentary and fiction films. Early on in his career, he developed a reputation for suspenseful dramatic shorts; his later career, however, has been marked by a new focus on short and feature-length documentaries for both theatrical release and public television broadcast.1,2
A native of the Hudson Valley region of New York State, Spione graduated with Honors in 1985 from the Film Directing program at the State University of New York at Purchase
.3 He first achieved national recognition in 1987, when he received a Student Academy Award for his dramatic thesis film Prelude, about an adolescent boy's solo journey into the Adirondack Mountains.4
During the 1990s, Spione wrote and directed several other notable dramatic shorts, including Garden (1994), which starred fellow SUNY alumni Melissa Leo
(2009 Best Actress nominee for Frozen River
) and Matt Malloy
(Six Feet Under (TV series)). An eerie period drama about a disturbed father's homecoming, Garden was featured in the Shorts Program at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival
and played at numerous other national and international film festivals.5
Spione next wrote and directed The Playroom (1996), starring Pamela Holden Stewart (The Reception (film)
), which was shown at the Walter Reade Theatre in New York City as part of the "Independents Night" series and broadcast on the national cable program "Reel Street."6 Spione also produced and co-edited John G. Young
's first feature, Parallel Sons
, which premiered at Sundance in the Dramatic Competition and was later distributed by Strand Releasing
.7
During the 2000s, Spione began to produce and direct nonfiction films. In 2005, he made American Farm, a feature-length documentary that focused on the predicament of his family's 5th-generation dairy farm in central New York State. The film premiered at the Fenimore Art Museum
in Cooperstown, New York, and went on to play theatres from the Berkshires to the Midwest.8 Spione often toured with the movie and would hold frequent Q&A sessions at each regional premiere to engage the audience directly in discussions about the state of family farming in America.9,10
In 2008, Spione collaborated with The Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo, Virginia on a historical documentary, Our Island Home, about the last surviving residents of a vanished settlement on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
. Our Island Home premiered at the Barrier Islands Center and was subsequently broadcast by WHRO-TV
in Norfolk, Virginia.11 Like American Farm, Spione released the DVD version of the movie through his own production and distribution company, Morninglight Films.
Slated for release in 2010 is Inauguration, a verite documentary concerning the events on the streets of Washington, D.C. leading up to the swearing-in of Barack Obama
.12
Spione's most recent film is Incident in New Baghdad
, a first-person account of the infamous July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike that killed two Reuters journalists, along with about a dozen other mostly unarmed individuals, in a suburb of Baghdad during one of the most violent and chaotic periods of the Iraq War.1 The film premiered theatrically at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
in New York City, where it won the prize for Best Short Documentary.23 In October of 2011, Incident in New Baghdad was shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination.26
Concurrent with his film directing career, Spione often worked as a film and video editor on independent dramatic and documentary features (Darien Sills-Evans' X-Patriots, Spencer Mandell and Raymond Pagnucco's God's Open Hand)13,14, as well as numerous award-winning videos for national educational producer Human Relations Media.15, 16
A.V. Club was quite critical.19,20,21 Nonetheless, the DVD version of the movie was selected by Video Librarian magazine as one of the Best Documentaries of 2008.22 More recently, Incident in New Baghdad was described by critics as "truly not worth missing" and "one powerful and disturbing film."24,25
Inauguration (2009)
Our Island Home (2008)
American Farm (2005)
The Playroom (1996)
Garden (1994)
Prelude (1986)
A native of the Hudson Valley region of New York State, Spione graduated with Honors in 1985 from the Film Directing program at the State University of New York at Purchase
State University of New York at Purchase
Purchase College, State University of New York, is a public four-year college located in Purchase, New York, United States. It is one of 13 comprehensive colleges in the State University of New York system...
.3 He first achieved national recognition in 1987, when he received a Student Academy Award for his dramatic thesis film Prelude, about an adolescent boy's solo journey into the Adirondack Mountains.4
During the 1990s, Spione wrote and directed several other notable dramatic shorts, including Garden (1994), which starred fellow SUNY alumni Melissa Leo
Melissa Leo
Melissa Chessington Leo , is an American actress. After appearing on several television shows and films in the late '80s, her breakthrough role came in 1993 as Det. Sgt. Kay Howard on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street for the show's first five seasons from 1993 – 1997...
(2009 Best Actress nominee for Frozen River
Frozen River
Frozen River is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Courtney Hunt. The screenplay focuses on two working-class women who smuggle illegal immigrants in the trunk of a car from Canada to the United States in order to make ends meet...
) and Matt Malloy
Matt Malloy
Matt Malloy is an American character actor. He has had numerous roles in both film and TV often portraying the beleaguered everyman. Malloy's only starring role to date was alongside Aaron Eckhart in the critically acclaimed black comedy, In the Company of Men...
(Six Feet Under (TV series)). An eerie period drama about a disturbed father's homecoming, Garden was featured in the Shorts Program at the 1995 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 played at numerous other national and international film festivals.5
Spione next wrote and directed The Playroom (1996), starring Pamela Holden Stewart (The Reception (film)
The Reception (film)
The Reception is 2005 feature film by American director John G. Young who wrote and directed the movie.-Plot:It is a drama set in wintry upstate New York...
), which was shown at the Walter Reade Theatre in New York City as part of the "Independents Night" series and broadcast on the national cable program "Reel Street."6 Spione also produced and co-edited John G. Young
John G. Young
John G. Young is an American director, producer and writer. He graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase .His works include Parallel Sons in 1995, The Reception in 2005 and Rivers Wash Over Me in 2009. He has also produced Garden in 2004. Most of his materials are related to gay...
's first feature, Parallel Sons
Parallel Sons
Parallel Sons is a 1995 gay-themed drama film, written and directed by John G. Young and starring Gabriel Mann and Laurence Mason. It premiered at the 1995 Sundance Film Festival,-Plot:...
, which premiered at Sundance in the Dramatic Competition and was later distributed by Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing
Strand Releasing is a theatrical distribution company founded in 1989 and is based in Culver City, California. The company has distributed over 300 auteur driven titles from acclaimed international and American directors such as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Gregg Araki, Francois Ozon, Jean Luc...
.7
During the 2000s, Spione began to produce and direct nonfiction films. In 2005, he made American Farm, a feature-length documentary that focused on the predicament of his family's 5th-generation dairy farm in central New York State. The film premiered at the Fenimore Art Museum
Fenimore Art Museum
The Fenimore Art Museum is a museum located in Cooperstown, New York, USA, operating under the auspices of the New York State Historical Association...
in Cooperstown, New York, and went on to play theatres from the Berkshires to the Midwest.8 Spione often toured with the movie and would hold frequent Q&A sessions at each regional premiere to engage the audience directly in discussions about the state of family farming in America.9,10
In 2008, Spione collaborated with The Barrier Islands Center in Machipongo, Virginia on a historical documentary, Our Island Home, about the last surviving residents of a vanished settlement on the Eastern Shore of Virginia
Eastern Shore of Virginia
The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010...
. Our Island Home premiered at the Barrier Islands Center and was subsequently broadcast by WHRO-TV
WHRO-TV
WHRO-TV digital channel 15 is the Public Broadcasting Service member Public television station for Hampton Roads, Virginia . The station is licensed to both Hampton and Norfolk with the studios at the Public Telecommunications Center for Hampton Roads next to the campus of Old Dominion University...
in Norfolk, Virginia.11 Like American Farm, Spione released the DVD version of the movie through his own production and distribution company, Morninglight Films.
Slated for release in 2010 is Inauguration, a verite documentary concerning the events on the streets of Washington, D.C. leading up to the swearing-in of Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
.12
Spione's most recent film is Incident in New Baghdad
Incident in New Baghdad
Incident in New Baghdad is a 2011 short documentary film about the July 12, 2007 Baghdad airstrike, directed by James Spione.The film features a first-person account from Ethan McCord, one of the first soldiers to arrive at the scene of the airstrike that killed between 12 to "over 18" people and...
, a first-person account of the infamous July 12, 2007, Baghdad airstrike that killed two Reuters journalists, along with about a dozen other mostly unarmed individuals, in a suburb of Baghdad during one of the most violent and chaotic periods of the Iraq War.1 The film premiered theatrically at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in New York City, where it won the prize for Best Short Documentary.23 In October of 2011, Incident in New Baghdad was shortlisted for an Academy Award nomination.26
Concurrent with his film directing career, Spione often worked as a film and video editor on independent dramatic and documentary features (Darien Sills-Evans' X-Patriots, Spencer Mandell and Raymond Pagnucco's God's Open Hand)13,14, as well as numerous award-winning videos for national educational producer Human Relations Media.15, 16
Praise and Criticism
Among his short works, Garden received high praise from critics during the movie's film festival tour. Lawrence Toppman wrote in the Charlotte Observer that "James Spione creates more tension in 25 minutes than most writer-directors manage over two hours," and the film was Toppman's most recommended of the 1994 Charlotte Film Festival.17 Critic Greg Stacy of the Orange County Weekly called Garden a "real gem" with "the crushing inevitability of a Flannery O'Connor story."18 Reaction to Spione's later documentary work, however, has been somewhat more mixed. While American Farm was generally well-received in newspapers such as the Wisconsin State Journal and the Burlington Free Press, at least one review in The OnionThe Onion
The Onion is an American news satire organization. It is an entertainment newspaper and a website featuring satirical articles reporting on international, national, and local news, in addition to a non-satirical entertainment section known as The A.V. Club...
A.V. Club was quite critical.19,20,21 Nonetheless, the DVD version of the movie was selected by Video Librarian magazine as one of the Best Documentaries of 2008.22 More recently, Incident in New Baghdad was described by critics as "truly not worth missing" and "one powerful and disturbing film."24,25
Filmography (Director)
Incident in New Baghdad (2010)Inauguration (2009)
Our Island Home (2008)
American Farm (2005)
The Playroom (1996)
Garden (1994)
Prelude (1986)
Movie Links
- http://www.incidentinnewbaghdad.com/
- http://www.ourislandhomefilm.com/
- http://www.americanfarmmovie.com/
- http://www.inaugurationthemovie.com/index.html