Saul Landau facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Saul Landau
Born	January 15, 1936 New York City, U.S.
Died	September 9, 2013(2013-09-09) (aged 77) Alameda, California, U.S.
Alma mater	University of Wisconsin, Madison
Occupation	Journalist, filmmaker
Spouse(s)	Nina Serrano Rebecca Switzer
Children	5, including Greg and Valerie

Saul Landau (born January 15, 1936 – died September 9, 2013) was an American journalist and filmmaker. He also taught history and digital media at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. He was known for his work telling important stories through films and writing.

Early Life and Learning

Saul Landau was born in the Bronx, New York City. He went to Stuyvesant High School in Manhattan. Later, he earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

He gave his early papers and films to the Wisconsin Center for Film and Television Research. This helps people study his early work.

Saul Landau's Career

Saul Landau was a very busy person! He wrote 14 books and made over 50 documentary films. He also wrote articles for newspapers and websites like the Huffington Post. He often appeared on radio and TV shows to share his ideas.

The famous writer Gore Vidal once said, "Saul Landau is a man I love to steal ideas from." This shows how much Vidal respected Landau's thinking.

Landau was a special member of the Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) in Washington, D.C. He was also a senior member and former director of the Transnational Institute in Amsterdam. These groups work on important global issues.

He won an Emmy Award for his film Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang (1980). He also won the Edgar Allan Poe Award in 1981 for his book Assassination on Embassy Row. This book was about the murder of his friend Orlando Letelier. Landau also received the Letelier-Moffitt Human Rights Award for his work helping human rights. He also got the Bernado O'Higgins award.

In the early 1960s, he was part of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. He even wrote a play called "The Minstrel Show." At that time, he also worked to share films with others.

In 2005, Landau gave his films and papers about Latin America to the University of California, Riverside Libraries.

Films by Saul Landau

Saul Landau made many films that explored important topics. Here are some of his documentaries:

• Losing just the same (1966)
• Fidel (1968) – This film is about Fidel Castro, the leader of Cuba.
• From Protest to Resistance (1968)
• Que Hacer/What is to be Done? (1971)
• Conversation with Allende (1971) – About a talk with Salvador Allende, the president of Chile.
• Brazil: A Report on Torture (1971) – This film looked into serious issues in Brazil.
• Robert Wall: Ex-FBI Agent (1972)
• The Jail (1972)
• Zombies in a House of Madness (1972) – This film was shot inside a jail in San Francisco.
• Song for Dead Warriors (1974) – A film about the Wounded Knee incident, where Native Americans protested in 1973.
• Who Shot Alexander Hamilton (1974)
• Castro, Cuba and the US (1974) – Another film about Cuba and its relationship with the United States.
• Zombies in a House of Madness (1975) – A shorter film featuring poetry read inside the San Francisco jail.
• Land of My Birth (1976) – A film made for a political campaign in Jamaica.
• Bill Moyer's CBS report on CIA and Cuba (1977)
• The CIA Case Officer (1978) – This film was about John Stockwell, a former CIA official. It won an Emmy Award in 1980.
• Paul Jacobs and the Nuclear Gang (1979) – This documentary explored the dangers of low-level radiation. It showed how the government tried to hide health risks.
• Steppin' (1980) – A film about Michael Manley during an election in Jamaica.
• Report from Beirut (1982)
• Target Nicaragua. Inside a Covert War (1983)
• Quest for Power (1983)
• The Uncompromising Revolution (1988)
• Report from Iraq (1991)
• Papakolea (1993)
• The Sixth Sun: Mayan Uprising in Chiapas (1996) – About a Mayan uprising in Mexico.
• Maquila: A Tale of Two Mexicos (1999) – This film looked at how big companies affected the border between the US and Mexico.
• Iraq: Voices From the Street (September 2002)
• Syria: Between Iraq and a Hard Place (2004)
• Will the Real Terrorist Please Stand Up (2012)
• "WE DON'T PLAY GOLF HERE – and other stories of globalization"

Books by Saul Landau

Saul Landau wrote many books, often about history and politics.

• The Bisbee deportations: class conflict and patriotism during World War I (1959)
• To Serve the Devil, Volume 1: Natives and Slaves (1971)
• To Serve the Devil – Volume 2: Colonials and Sojourners (1971)
• They Educated the Crows (1978) – This book was a report on the murders of Orlando Letelier and Ronnie Karpen-Moffitt.
• My Dad Was Not Hamlet: Poems (1993) – A collection of his poems.
• The guerrilla wars of Central America: Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Guatemala (1993) – About conflicts in Central America.
• Hot air: a radio diary (1995) – Written with Christopher Hitchens and Pacifica Radio.
• Stark in the Bronx: A Detective Novel (2013) – A detective story.

Awards and Recognition

Saul Landau received many awards for his important work:

• Bernardo O'Higgins Award for Human Rights
• Letelier-Moffit Human Rights Award
• George Polk Award for Investigative Reporting
• Joe A. Callaway Award for Civic Courage (2013)
• Emmy Award
• Roxie Award for Best Activist Video
• Hugh M. Hefner First Amendment Award
• Mannheim Film Festival: Critics' First Prize
• Ann Arbor Film Festival First Prize
• Berlin Film Festival First Prize
• Best Director Award First American Indian Intercontinental Film Festival
• Golden Apple Award
• Best Picture North Carolina Smoky Mountain Film Festival
• Edgar Allan Poe Award, for "Assassination on Embassy Row"

Later Life and Passing

Saul Landau passed away on September 9, 2013, at his home in Alameda, California. He was 77 years old. He had been battling bladder cancer for two years.