Lynne Littman facts for kids

Lynne Littman, born on June 26, 1941, is an American director and producer for movies and TV shows. She is famous for directing the movie Testament. She also won an Academy Award for her short documentary film Number Our Days (1976).

Lynne was part of a special group called the Original Six. These women directors started the Women's Steering Committee within the Directors Guild of America. They did this to speak out against unfair treatment of women in Hollywood.

Early Life and Education

Lynne Littman was born in New York City on June 26, 1941. She went to the Music & Art High School. Later, she studied at Sarah Lawrence College. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. She also spent time studying in Paris at the Sorbonne from 1960 to 1961.

Lynne Littman's Career

Lynne Littman started her career as a secretary for WNET in New York. She then worked many different freelance jobs in the film industry. In the 1970s, she began working for National Education Television. This is where she started to explore making documentary films.

Making Documentaries

Lynne often worked with Mort Silverstein, who loved making strong news stories. They made a follow-up documentary called What Harvest for the Reaper. This film was inspired by Edward R. Murrow's Harvest of Shame.

She made several award-winning short documentaries. One notable film was The Matter of Kenneth (1973). Her most famous short documentary was Number Our Days (1976). This film was based on the work of anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff. It won an Academy Award in 1977.

Directing Testament

Lynne Littman's first major movie was Testament (1983). This film tells the story of a family trying to survive after a nuclear disaster. The movie was based on a short story called "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen. Lynne got the idea to make the film while reading the story with her son.

She worked hard to get the rights to the story and find money for the film. Eventually, a producer from PBS' American Playhouse offered her $500,000. This was for a 60-minute movie with no studio interference. The script turned out to be for a 90-minute film, so the budget grew to $750,000. Lynne was very proud that the movie was finished within its budget. The film was a big success when it was released. The lead actress, Jane Alexander, even received an Academy Award nomination.

Later Work and Awards

After Testament, Lynne Littman made films less often. In 1999, she released two films: Freak City and Having Our Say. Both of these movies were shown on television on the same day.

Lynne has won four Los Angeles Emmy Awards. She received these awards between 1972 and 1974, and again in 1977. She was also nominated for four Cine Golden Eagle awards. These nominations were for her films Running My Way (1982) and In Her Own Time (1985).

Personal Life

Lynne Littman was married to Taylor Hackford from 1977 to 1987. She has one child, Alexander Hackford. She also has a stepson named Rio Hackford. In 1985, she took a ten-year break from filmmaking. She did this to focus on raising her child. During the 1980s and 1990s, Lynne was on the advisory board for the National Student Film Institute.

Film Collection

Lynne Littman's collection of films and videos is kept at the Academy Film Archive. This archive helped to preserve her film Number Our Days in 2007.