Midwestern born and raised, I first became aware of and intrigued by the storytelling power of the cinema in 1994 when I enrolled in Film as a Narrative Art with Professor Zoran Kuzmanovich at Davidson College in North Carolina. As an English major I took a concentration of courses in film analysis & production as well as creative writing. Not much of enduring value emerged, but a short documentary on a community of strippers (Choices, 1996, co-produced with Nathan Summerlin) permitted entry into the fascinating world of a Charlotte double-wide gentlemen’s club and gave a first taste of documentary storytelling.
After graduation and three invigorating years teaching English and living in a tiny village in northeastern Japan, I began graduate school in Asian religions at Cornell University. I was deeply marked by the ethical questions and concerned by the great potential for harm that could and often did result from the practices of western filmmakers representing other cultures. Despite these misgivings, I hold out hope that cross-cultural encounters and the creation of compelling documentaries can be an ethical and even nourishing process.
When not staying up late editing, transcribing or translating footage, I am the proud father of a one-year old daughter and teacher of humanities at John Abbott College in Montréal, a wonderfully supportive and nurturing community of students and colleagues. Since 2005 I have taught courses on religious studies, Japanese culture and religions, documentary film and politics, north-south relations, and most recently, environmental ethics and campus sustainability. My teaching interests are all over the map but the core of what I try to do is increase awareness about the far-reaching consequences of daily choices (our ways of consuming, thinking, and habits of being in the world) and inspire young people to become more fully engaged citizens who take the responsibilities and rights of civic life more seriously. I volunteer and am a member of the board of a dynamic, intergenerational meals-on-wheels organization with a rooftop garden (www.santropolroulant.org) and encourage everyone to become more informed about where our food comes from and maybe even grow some of your own.
