In this six-part series, Jeff Oppenheim looks at the issue of forced displacement, immigration, and migration from the perspective of the ultimate innocent caught in the crosshairs of this issue – the children. Each episode launches Stateside with a historical perspective of a past immigration trend. We see the parallels from the past to a similar immigration motivator of today. Each episode will stem from the story of young people who have come face to face with the realities of displacement. Through them, we learn about the issues that forced their families to leave and the hazards they encountered along their journey to “the land of the free,” America.
Exploring three generations of his own family’s American immigration story, filmmaker Jeff Oppenheim looks at the privileges he has come to take for granted, particularly within the cultural diversity of his native New York City. He examines and contrasts the United States' inherent promise from its very founding to today's current hotbed political rhetoric.
The series offers a deep examination of the issues by pulling from the headlines of current news driving the exodus from specific countries and regions today, from war and conflict to religious persecution, economic hardship, resource scarcity, and climate change. Within each episode, the viewer is introduced to a young immigrant from that area of the world, now making a life in their adopted US city. Are they yet able to live the American dream?
Through up-close and personal interviews, we learn of the journeys taken from homelands to the pass-through countries offering temporary shelter and finally to their new home in the US. Each provides an inspirational and impactful story, reinvigorating the “American” ideology and entrepreneurship.
The film will reveal the push-and-pull factors causing each person's departure through a mixture of archival footage and, in some cases, personal footage or photographs contrasted against artistically filmed footage of their current American hometown.
We will interview experts in the region while exploring the issues and statistics surrounding the localized issue of migration. Through dialogue and discourse with resource partners, humanitarian agencies, service workers, government agencies, civic-minded corporations, and local small businesses, we will seek to separate fact from fiction surrounding the issue.
An investigative documentary about Elmyr de Hory, one of history's most notorious art forgers who is alleged to have painted thousands of fakes but never convicted. The film re-opens the criminal case, examining his art, life and crimes.
@Suite24k, Real Fake Film and Bellota Pictures partnered on this made for TV French documentary for Arte TV. Based on the research and story by Jeff Oppenheim, the TV film tells the story of one of the greatest art forgers who ever lived—Elmyr de Hory.
As part of a fundraising and awareness campaign to celebrate and support the NYC Public Hospitals, we produced a mini documentary on the legendary funk band Parliament Funk and screened it at the famed Apollo Theater in Harlem, NY as part of the 70th birthday celebration for frontman George Clinton.
As part of the International Kuduristas campaign, we created a series of digital teaching assets to support an integrated African studies teaching program through the music and dance craze known as Kuduro. Here is one of the digital short-form pieces that offers a history in not just the music and dance but the country of Angola.
How do you introduce international audiences to a new music and dance genre? First, you have to understand its roots. We spent time in the streets and clubs of Angola where kuduro music and dance was born. We met the acrobatic dancers, MCs and DJs and created Os Kuduristas (www.oskuduristas.com) as the 360-platform to introduce this uniquely Angolan music, dance and lifestyle to Western markets.
We launched Os Kuduristas with a series of street dance battles in Stockholm, Paris, and Amsterdam. Top Angolan Kuduristas challenged dancers of many styles: hip hop, locking, popping, breakdancing, wacking and more. In each market, dancers presented kuduro in both battle form and workshop forums to enrich the cultural exchange. Our dance crew was led by dancer/choreographer, Manuel Kanza, who was the winner of the 2008 hit Angolan TV dance competition, “Bounce”. His crew consisted of Celestino, Mirene, Oliveira, and Fogo de Deus. This was the first time any of the dancers had ever left their country, let alone continent.
As part of the International Kuduristas campaign we executive produced an international exchange between high school students from Brooklyn, Queens NY and Luanda (Africa) to push past geographical boundaries by exploring the new music and dance genre coming from Angola, Africa; Kuduro. This short version of the documentary chronicles the cross-cultural exchange between two NYC public high schools and a high school in Luanda, Angola. Together they share music, dance, laughter and in the process learn all about each other's cultures.
Set against the mystic and surreal landscape of Nepal and the High Himalaya is a story of a mountain, a 75-year old man, and his team of climbers. More than a mountaineering story, the TV length documentary by Jeff Oppenheim is metaphor for living life to its fullest and the value of teamwork. With playful bravado and Ukulele in hand, the three men set out on journey to go where no person has ever been before--the summit of Burke Khang.
A short-form documentary about an artist collaboration in celebration of the Jewish holiday of Sukkoth commissioned by the JJC of Harlem--where community is at the center in partnership with Art in FLUX.
We partnered with filmmaker Robin Leacock in the creation of her documentary “A Passion For Giving” which celebrates the personal joy and satisfaction of philanthropic giving. A PASSION FOR GIVING, is about philanthropy and giving and is meant to inspire people to help others. In the documentary Leacock speaks with many prominent philanthropists. The 50 min film which aired nationally on PBS offers a stylish and uplifting conversation with fascinating people, some famous some not, who are actively engaged in helping other people, animals and the planet. The film debuted at the Hamptons Film Festival in 2009.
In this excerpt the filmmaker chats with Rev, Run of Run DMC fame, about his work with troubled kids through adoption and mentoring programs.
A short form documentary on the worldwide issue of human trafficking. It was recently presented as part of a meeting at the United Nations, highlighting the problem, especially in conflict zones, and illustrating 10 ideas for action that can be adopted by the UN Security Council. We partnered with Reuters and the United Nations to gather footage from around the world for this project.