Jonathan Oppenheim

Movies

Blowin' Up
Editor
In a courtroom in Queens, women facing prostitution charges may earn a chance at redemption thanks to an experimental program established by a team of rebel heroines working to change the system.
In the Land of Pomegranates
Editor
A documentary about the Vacation From War Program where Israeli and Palestinian youth meet.
The Cinema Travellers
Editor
A critically acclaimed, poignant documentary that celebrates India’s travelling picture shows and laments their demise, filled with exquisite visuals and marvellous eccentrics.
Crescendo! The Power of Music
Editor
Since its inception in Venezuela in 1976, the El Sistema youth orchestra program has transformed the lives of disadvantaged children worldwide by putting musical instruments in their hands and encouraging them through the mysterious power of music. Following the lives of three participants in the Philadelphia and New York programs, Jamie Berstein’s impassioned film introduces Raven, a young violinist with natural talent, yet an overshadowing ego; Zebadiah, who needs the confidence to defeat his social awkwardness; and Mohammed, a trombonist whose falling grades threaten his ability to stay in the program.
Toto and his Sisters
Consulting Editor
Totonel (10) and his sisters, Andreea (14) and Ana (17), are waiting for their mother to come back home from prison. As they grow up, each of them learns how to survive on their own, hoping that when their mother returns, the family will be reunited.
Andre Gregory: Before and After Dinner
Editor
BEFORE AND AFTER DINNER is an exploration of the life and work of Andre Gregory, groundbreaking director, actor, artist, and raconteur, filmed by prize-winning documentarian Cindy Kleine, his wife. Through her close-up lens, Cindy introduces us to this cultural icon and master storyteller, and tells the unusual story of a good marriage that thrives in collaboration, art, and humor, celebrating the great vitality of the later years in life. The film touches on universal questions. Where does art come from? What experiences shape the life, the preoccupations, and the work of an artist? Drawing on the work Andre has created over a lifetime, and exploring the nature of the life that underlies the work, BEFORE AND AFTER DINNER is about how and why artists create.
William and the Windmill
Editor
William Kamkwamba builds a windmill from scrap to rescue his family from famine, transforming his life and launching him onto the world stage. His success leads to new opportunities and complex choices, distancing him from the life he once knew.
High Tech, Low Life
Editor
HIGH TECH, LOW LIFE follows the journey of two of China’s first citizen reporters as they travel the country – chronicling underreported news and social issues stories. Armed with laptops, cell phones, and digital cameras they develop skills as independent one-man news stations while learning to navigate China’s evolving censorship regulations and avoiding the risk of political persecution. The film follows 57-year-old “Tiger Temple,” who earns the title of China’s first citizen reporter after he impulsively documents an unfolding murder and 27-year-old “Zola” who recognizes the opportunity to increase his fame and future prospects by reporting on sensitive news throughout China.
The Oath
Editor
Tells the story of two men, Abu Jandal and Salim Ahmed Hamdan, whose fateful encounter in 1996 set them on a course of events that led them to Afghanistan, Osama bin Laden, 9/11, Guantanamo, and the U.S. Supreme Court.
Phyllis and Harold
Editor
Phyllis and Harold is a frank journey through a disastrous 59 year old marriage. Drawing on a lifetime of her family's home movies and interviews made over 12 years, filmmaker Cindy Kleine mixes reportage, cinema verite and animation to uncover family secrets and tell a story that could not be shown publicly as long as her father was alive.
Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love
Editor
Senegalese pop sensation Youssou Ndour has spent the last 20 years in the spotlight as a world-renowned musician and the iconic representative "voice of Africa." At the height of his career, Youssou became frustrated by the negative perception of his Muslim faith and composed Egypt, a deeply spiritual album dedicated to a more tolerant view of Islam. The album's brave musical message was wholeheartedly embraced by Western audiences but ignited serious religious controversy in his homeland of Senegal. The film chronicles the difficult journey Youssou must undertake to assume his true calling.
Sister Helen
Editor
In this emotionally compelling documentary, Sister Helen opens a private home for recovering addicts and alcoholics in the South Bronx after the death of her husband and two sons. The film's fly-on-the-wall technique succeeds in capturing the day-to-day existence of Sister Helen and the various residents of the home.
Children Underground
Producer
Children Underground follows the story of five street children, aged eight to sixteen who live in a subway station in Bucharest, Romania. The street kids are encountered daily by commuting adults, who pass them by in the station as they starve, swindle, and steal, all while searching desperately for a fresh can of paint to get high with.
Children Underground
Editor
Children Underground follows the story of five street children, aged eight to sixteen who live in a subway station in Bucharest, Romania. The street kids are encountered daily by commuting adults, who pass them by in the station as they starve, swindle, and steal, all while searching desperately for a fresh can of paint to get high with.
Arguing the World
Editor
A true story of four Jewish intellectuals born in New York and educated at City College during the 1930s, and their divergent paths over the next six decades.
Lives in Hazard
Editor
Lives in Hazard is a tough, uncompromising look at kids in gangs and the men they become in prison. Filmed in the barrios of east LA and in the prisons of California, this real-life drama follows the making of the Hollywood feature film American Me, in which director Edward James Olmos used real gang members and prison inmates as actors. The fictional scenes these homeboys portray pale in juxtaposition to the stark reality of their daily lives, a world where opportunities are scarce and guns plentiful. The brutal honesty of these gang members as they struggle to change makes Lives in Hazard a powerful story of kids caught up in a growing national crisis.
Hookers, Hustlers, Pimps and Their Johns
Editor
A documentary about prostitution in New York. Featuring interviews with all parties mentioned in the title.
Paris Is Burning
Editor
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women — including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.
A Matter of Trust: Billy Joel in the USSR
Editor
This special documentary chronicles Billy Joel's 1987 concert tour in the Soviet Union. The program features concert footage and clips of Joel and his band interacting with different groups of Soviet people.
Streetwise
Editor
This documentary about teenagers living on the streets in Seattle began as a magazine article. The film follows nine teenagers who discuss how they live by panhandling, prostitution, and petty theft.
The Pilot
Assistant Editor
Mike Hagan is a pilot in passenger service and candidate for the honor "Best Pilot of the Year". Nobody knows that he's got private sorrows - he's an alcoholic. A stewardess notices his regular visits of the toilet and reports it.
The Sister in Law
Fat Man
Robert and Edward are brothers involved in a web of adultery and deceit. They share Edward's wife and his mistress and a mission to deliver a package of jewels across the Canadian border, but the mission turns out to be deadly.