PBS Frontline Documentary About Divorce

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-28-2005
PBS Frontline Documentary About Divorce
Thu, 12-20-2007 - 11:50pm

Dear iVillage Members,

I'm writing because I'm researching a film project for
PBS/Frontline filmmaker Ofra Bikel -- one of the most
respected and awarded documentary filmmakers working
today. She hopes to make a film about a
divorcing (or recently divorced) couple that has been
married 20 years or more, probably in their late 50s
or older, preferably with adult children.

Ofra is interested in questions like: what happens to
a couple who lived together and shared their lives for
25 or 30 years (or more) before deciding
to separate? What is separation like at their age?
How did it happen? What were their lives like and how/why did things
change along the way? What does the present look like
for them? How do they see the future? Ofra imagines
profiling a few couples (or former couples)
experiences in order to explore an important aspect of
the changing American family.

Do you have any thoughts on people who might fit this
description and/or how to go about finding them? Or perhaps this is
something that you have been through personally and would like to
share? I should mention that Ofra is a very sensitive filmmaker and I
can assure you that she would handle anyone she talks to with great
care and respect. A letter from Frontline Executive Producer David
Fanning introducing Ofra follows this email.

Please feel free to contact me at frontlinedoc@gmail.com, and to
forward this email as you see fit.

Thanks very much.

-Katie Galloway

December 20, 2007

To Whom It May Concern:

This is a letter to introduce Ms. Ofra Bikel, one of
the most highly praised and experienced producers with
whom FRONTLINE has contracted over the years. Her
documentaries have received broadcast journalism's
most prestigious honors, including the Dupont-Columbia
University Journalism Award and the Robert F. Kennedy
Award. On November 13 of this year she received the
John Chancellor Award from Columbia University, given
to a journalist "whose reporting over time shows
courage, integrity, curiosity and intelligence."
Ms. Bikel's FRONTLINE credits include: "Clarence
Thomas and Anita Hill: Public Hearing, Private Pain,"
an exploration of the impact of Thomas's Supreme Court
confirmation hearings on black Americans; "Divided
Memories," an examination of people's recovered
memories; and the acclaimed "Innocence Lost" trilogy
of programs. She also produced and directed "Snitch,"
which explored mandatory minimum sentences; "An
Ordinary Crime"; "The Plea"; and "The O.J. Verdict,"
which was broadcast in October of 2005, the verdict's
tenth anniversary. Ms. Bikel's latest film, "When Kids
Get Life," looks at the crime and punishment of five
young men serving life without parole.
In addition, Ms. Bikel has produced several foreign
affairs reports that are distinguished by their
sensitivity, depth and thoughtfulness. They have
ranged from the experience of Americans working in
Japan, to a report on Poland's attempt to change from
communism to capitalism, to a profile of Ehud Olmert.
FRONTLINE is an hour-long documentary series broadcast
each week by over 330 PBS stations, and its audience
is one of the strongest in the country for current
affairs broadcasting. FRONTLINE is widely watched by
policy makers, journalists and those interested in
intelligent, literate reporting on the important
issues of our times. FRONTLINE consistently receives
prominent press reviews in papers such as The Los
Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Washington
Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Miami Herald, The
Boston Globe and dozens of others across the country.
FRONTLINE's reputation and body of work sets it apart
from commercial television. We seek out producers and
journalists like Ms. Bikel, who can bring depth and
understanding to current events, and on FRONTLINE, we
give them the time and space to pursue their serious
journalistic work.
We will be grateful for any assistance you can offer
to Ms. Bikel.
Sincerely,

David Fanning
Executive Producer, FRONTLINE

For your reference, below are links to the websites of
some of Ofra Bikel's FRONTLINE films:
When Kids Get Life
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/whenkidsgetlife/

The Plea
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/plea/

The Burden of Innocence
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/burden/

An Ordinary Crime
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ordinary/

The Case for Innocence
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/case/

Ofra Bikel's producer webpage
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/us/bikel.html