As part of the festival, we will be hosting a Masterclass on Friday, February 10th at 5:15 PM, which will be given by director John Zaritsky from Canada. John Zaritsky has won over 30 awards for his documentaries. These include an Academy Award® (1982) for his documentary “Just Another Missing Kid†, a Cable Ace Award (1987) for “Rapists: Can They be Stopped†, a Golden Gavel Award for “My Husband is Going to Kill Me†, a Robert F. Kennedy Foundation Award for “Born in Africa†, and an Alfred Dupont Award from Columbia University’s School of Journalism in 1994 for “Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo†. His films have won awards at the New York Film Festival and the American Film Festival, among others, and three of his films, “Broken Promises†, “Born in Africa†, and “Romeo and Juliet in Sarajevo†have been nominated for Emmy Awards. He has also won 6 Geminis, Canada’s national television awards.
Using his own footage, Zaritsky will explain how to direct politically and emotionally charged subjects and how to maintain professionalism and a businesslike distance versus the inevitable personal involvement in the stories during the intense and lengthy periods of filming.