Greta Schiller facts for kids

Greta Schiller is an American filmmaker. She is known for directing and producing many documentaries. Her films often tell important stories about history and different groups of people. Two of her most famous films are Before Stonewall: The Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1984) and Paris Was a Woman (1995).

Greta Schiller's Filmmaking Journey

Greta Schiller started making films in the 1970s. Her early work focused on telling stories about people who were often not seen in movies. She wanted to share their experiences.

Early Films and Important Topics

In 1976, Greta Schiller made a short film called Greta's Girls. This was one of the first independent films to focus on stories about women who love women.

She also helped direct Greetings from Washington, D.C. in 1981. This film showed the first big march for equal rights for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). The march happened in 1979.

Making Before Stonewall

In 1984, Schiller directed Before Stonewall. This documentary won two Emmy awards. The film used interviews and old media to show the history of gay and lesbian people. It covered the early 1900s up to the late 1960s. Before Stonewall was the first film about gay or lesbian history to get money from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. This was a big step for these kinds of stories.

Starting Jezebel Productions

In 1985, Greta Schiller and Andrea Weiss started a film company called Jezebel Productions. It is a nonprofit company based in New York City. They wanted to make films that shared important stories, especially about women and people fighting for equal rights. They were inspired by movements from the 1970s that pushed for social change.

Working Together on Films

Schiller and Weiss worked together on many films. These include:

• International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1986): This film was about African American women musicians. They performed in the 1930s and 1940s.
• Tiny & Ruby: Hell Divin' Women (1988): Another film about women in music.
• Paris Was a Woman (1996): This film was about creative women who lived in Paris in the 1920s. It took five years to make and was very popular.
• The Five Demands (2023): Their most recent collaboration.

Other Notable Films

Greta Schiller has directed many other documentaries. Some of these include:

• Maxine Sullivan: Love to Be In Love (1990)
• Woman of the Wolf (1994)
• The Man Who Drove with Mandela (1998): This film tells the story of the driver for Nelson Mandela.
• I Live At Ground Zero (2002)
• No Dinosaurs in Heaven (2010): This film looked at the issue of creationism in science education.
• The Marion Lake Story: Defeating the Mighty Phragmite (2014)
• The Land of Azaba (2020): This was her first feature documentary about ecological restoration. It showed efforts to protect nature in Spain. The film won an award for "Best Cinematography."

Awards and Recognition

Greta Schiller has won many awards for her films.

Awards for Before Stonewall

Her film Before Stonewall won an award at the Torino Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. It was also nominated for a Grand Jury award at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2019, the Library of Congress chose Before Stonewall for the National Film Registry. This means it is considered a very important film for its cultural, historical, or artistic value.

Awards for Other Films

Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin' Women earned Schiller a Teddy Award at the Berlin International Film Festival. She won another Teddy Award in 1999 for The Man Who Drove with Mandela. This film also won "Best Documentary" at the Milan International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival.

Filmography Highlights

Here are some of the films Greta Schiller has directed or produced:

• Greta's Girls (1978)
• Greetings from Washington, D.C. (1981)
• Before Stonewall (1984)
• International Sweethearts of Rhythm (1986)
• Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin' Women (1989)
• Maxine Sullivan: Love to Be In Love (1990)
• Paris Was a Woman (1996)
• The Man Who Drove with Mandela (1998)
• I Live at Ground Zero (2002)
• No Dinosaurs in Heaven (2010)
• The Land of Azaba (2020)
• The Five Demands (2023)

More About Greta Schiller

Greta Schiller has received grants and fellowships to support her filmmaking. She is open about her identity as a lesbian.

Related Topics

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• NYC Pride March

See also

In Spanish: Greta Schiller para niños