Margaret Lazarus
Encyclopedia
Margaret Lazarus is an American film producer
/film director
known for her work in documentary film
. She and her partner, Renner Wunderlich, received an Academy Award in 1993 for their documentary Defending Our Lives
, about battered women who were in prison for killing their abusers.
and grew up with her immigrant grandparents nearby. She graduated with honors from Vassar College
and received a Master’s Degree in Communications and Media from Boston University
, and to date has produced and directed 20 films about social justice and women’s issues. She began her career as a producer writer for a weekly public affairs program on the CBS
affiliate in Boston.
In 1974 she co-founded with Wunderlich the non-profit organization, Cambridge Documentary Films
, and to date has produced and directed 20 films about social justice and women’s issues: Including films on rape, “Rape is” and Rape culture
, films on body image and media culture, "BirthMarkings", "Killing Us Softly", and "Still Killing Us Softly", and films on labor history, "Eugene Debs and the American Movement". In addition to the Academy Award, her films have won numerous awards and prizes and have been screened at festivals throughout the world. She is currently the Executive Director of Cambridge Documentary Films
.
Throughout her career she has combined documentary filmmaking and political activism. In 1999 she produced and directed a series of short films on women, violence and human rights
for UNIFEM
, which were screened at the UN General Assembly. She is one of the co-authors of the chapter on Violence Against Women, in four of the editions of Our Bodies Ourselves.
As a Senior Fellow she taught “Producing Films for Social Change” at Tufts University
from 2006-2009 . She has served as a member of the executive committee of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
.
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
/film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
known for her work in documentary film
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...
. She and her partner, Renner Wunderlich, received an Academy Award in 1993 for their documentary Defending Our Lives
Defending Our Lives
Defending Our Lives is a 1993 short documentary film directed by Margaret Lazarus and Renner Wunderlich. It won an Academy Award at the 66th Academy Awards in 1994 for Documentary Short Subject.-See also:...
, about battered women who were in prison for killing their abusers.
Biography
Margaret Lazarus was born into a Jewish family, the daughter of a New York City teacher and a school administrator. She was raised in in QueensQueens
Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. The largest borough in area and the second-largest in population, it is coextensive with Queens County, an administrative division of New York state, in the United States....
and grew up with her immigrant grandparents nearby. She graduated with honors from Vassar College
Vassar College
Vassar College is a private, coeducational liberal arts college in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York, in the United States. The Vassar campus comprises over and more than 100 buildings, including four National Historic Landmarks, ranging in style from Collegiate Gothic to International,...
and received a Master’s Degree in Communications and Media from Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
, and to date has produced and directed 20 films about social justice and women’s issues. She began her career as a producer writer for a weekly public affairs program on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
affiliate in Boston.
In 1974 she co-founded with Wunderlich the non-profit organization, Cambridge Documentary Films
Cambridge Documentary Films
Cambridge Documentary Films is a non profit organization established in Massachusetts in 1974. The purpose of the organization is to create new perspectives on important social issues and give voice to groups and individuals whose perspectives are ignored by mainstream media...
, and to date has produced and directed 20 films about social justice and women’s issues: Including films on rape, “Rape is” and Rape culture
Rape culture
Rape culture is a term which originated in women's studies and feminist theory, describing a culture in which rape and sexual violence against women are common and in which prevalent attitudes, norms, practices, and media condone, normalize, excuse, or tolerate sexual violence against women...
, films on body image and media culture, "BirthMarkings", "Killing Us Softly", and "Still Killing Us Softly", and films on labor history, "Eugene Debs and the American Movement". In addition to the Academy Award, her films have won numerous awards and prizes and have been screened at festivals throughout the world. She is currently the Executive Director of Cambridge Documentary Films
Cambridge Documentary Films
Cambridge Documentary Films is a non profit organization established in Massachusetts in 1974. The purpose of the organization is to create new perspectives on important social issues and give voice to groups and individuals whose perspectives are ignored by mainstream media...
.
Throughout her career she has combined documentary filmmaking and political activism. In 1999 she produced and directed a series of short films on women, violence and human rights
Human rights
Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
for UNIFEM
UNIFEM
The United Nations Development Fund for Women, commonly known as UNIFEM was established in December 1976 originally as the Voluntary Fund for the United Nations Decade for Women in the International Women's Year. Its first director was Dr. Margaret Snyder, Ph.D...
, which were screened at the UN General Assembly. She is one of the co-authors of the chapter on Violence Against Women, in four of the editions of Our Bodies Ourselves.
As a Senior Fellow she taught “Producing Films for Social Change” at Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
from 2006-2009 . She has served as a member of the executive committee of the documentary branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
.
Filmography
- 1974 “Taking Our Bodies Back: The Women’s Health Movement”
- 1975 “Rape Culture”
- 1977 “Eugene Debs and the American Movement”
- 1979 “Killing Us Softly”
- 1981 “Calling the Shots: Advertising Alcohol”
- 1982 “Pink Triangles: A film about Homophobia”
- 1984 “Hazardous Inheritance: Workplace Hazards to Reproductive Health”
- 1986 “Last Empire: US Intervention”
- 1987 “Still Killing Us Softly”
- 1988 “Not Just a Job”
- 1989 “Advertising Alcohol”
- 1991 “Life’s Work”
- 1993 “Defending Our Lives”
- 1998 “Strong at the Broken Places”
- 1999 “Women’s Rights, Human Rights”
- 2000 “Beyond Killing Us Softly”
- 2001 “The Strength to Resist: Media’s Impact on Women and Girls”
- 2003 “Rape Is”
- 2005 “Healing the Wounds" (producer only)
- 2010 “BirthMarkings”