Filmmaker's Statement
In December of 2000, I was filming an interview for a PBS series about artists. Moments into hearing the interviewee speak, I immediately became caught in the strong current of his struggles, his illustrious life and his passion for social justice. After the interview was finished, we continued talking about our shared backgrounds and beliefs. Fast friends, he invited me to come up to Buffalo and visit. I told him that I would love to, and “is it alright if I bring my camera?”
This man was Milton Rogovin.
With Milton and his wife Anne’s enthusiasm, I began making this film about his life and work. With each return trip to Buffalo, we became closer friends. I soon met his children and grandchildren, and was brought into the warmth of their family as their Manhattan cousin, their adopted grandchild.
I was amazed to learn that the film I was making was the definitive film of Milton’s work; the only film to dig deeper, as a study of his life and work but also his legacy in the Art world. Crossing the country to interview top photographic curators, I learned just how highly regarded he is as a photographer and a printer - how an optometrist and political radical from Buffalo went on to become a world famous artist.
But this is not a film about an old man reflecting on his long life. This is a film about a deeply idealistic activist who, after his own freedoms had been stripped away, took it upon himself to fight for others who he saw had no voice. It is a film about a celebrated artist, whose stunning images are collected around the World and have become an important part of the American photographic lexicon. It is a film about perseverance, strength of character, the politics of fear and social justice - subjects hugely relevant in America today.
-Ezra Bookstein, Director & Producer, 2007
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