| Karen
Kramer has been a documentary filmmaker
since 1978, when her groundbreaking film about a small snake handling
church in Appalachia was released to widespread acclaim. Since then, she
has independently produced a dozen other films about rituals, traditions,
and communities around the globe, including such award-winning documentaries
as The Jolo Serpent Handlers, Legacy of the Spirits, To Serve the
Gods, The Last of the New York Cigar Rollers, Rice and Peas, Coney Island
Mermaid, Celebration, Days of Awe, Haitian Song, Moko Jumbie, Breaking
Leaves, and Children of Shadows. Her films have been seen
worldwide in over 40 countries on six continents.
Karen Kramer's films have received wide distribution both domestically
and internationally. They have been televised, in whole or in part, on
NBC, Fox 5, WNET, WNYC, CNN, WLIW, and many venues overseas. They
have been screened at
such
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prestigious
museums and showcases as the
Museum of Modern
Art, the Whitney Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, the Field Museum,
and hundreds of others. More than 150 universities (including Harvard,
Yale, Cornell, Stanford, Princeton, and Brown) show her films on a continual
basis. She has lectured and toured extensively with her work, and has
appeared on dozens of radio programs.
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Ms.
Kramer has four times received grants from the National Endowment for
the Arts, as well as awards from the New York State Council on the Arts,
the New York Council for the Humanities, the George Soros Foundation,
the Puffin Foundation, and many others. She holds a B.F.A. in film production
from New York University, and teaches in the communications department
at the New School for Social Research in Greenwich Village. She is on
the board of directors of the New York Film Video Council, and is a member
of Association of Independent Filmmakers, DocuClub, and Filmmakers Co-op.
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In
addition to her film work, Karen Kramer has written numerous free-lance
articles about film and other subjects for such publications as The
Village Voice, New York Newsday, The Daily News, Time Out, Woman’s
Own, The Independent, and many others. |