Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse!
Directors and Producers Molly Bernstein and Philip Dolin, Producers Sam Jinishian and Alicia Sams
Logline
Legendary artist Art Spiegelman rocked the world when he transposed his parents into mice to tell their Holocaust survival story in his Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel, Maus. Art Spiegelman: Disaster is My Muse! chronicles Spiegelman’s irreverent life and work including his extraordinary partnership with wife Françoise Mouly and his checkered evolution through the world of underground comics.
Phase of Support: Post-Production
Project Links
Molly Bernstein - Director, Producer
Molly Bernstein is the director and producer of Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, a documentary that premiered at the New York Film Festival and received a wide theatrical release. The film was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s top 10 films and aired on PBS American Masters. She also directed An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell, which played in over 20 theaters nationwide. Most recently, she produced and directed The Show’s The Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, a feature documentary about the creation of the live rock show, which premiered at DOC NYC and was screened at festivals throughout the US and in Europe. It was recently broadcast on SKY ARTS UK.
Philip Dolin - Director, Producer
Philip Dolin’s recent credits include The Show’s The Thing: The Legendary Promoters of Rock, called “essential viewing for anyone interested in music industry history” by the Hollywood Reporter; Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay, which was named one of the top ten films of 2013 by Entertainment Weekly; An Art That Nature Makes: The Work of Rosamond Purcell, which screened at theaters and museums nationwide. Through his company Particle Productions, Philip has made over 100 short films for non-profits, arts organizations and universities. He started out producing hip-hop videos in the early ‘90s for artists Salt-N-Pepa, MC Lyte, Chubb Rock, and many others.
Sam Jinishian - Producer
Sam is a producer, archival producer, and production manager for independent documentary films and public television with over a decade of experience. Her most recent film, The Day Iceland Stood Still, about the Iceland women’s movement, premiered at Hot Docs in 2024. Other projects include Storyville Films’ Gabby Giffords Won’t Back Down (Briarcliff Entertainment/CNN Films), Julia (Sony Pictures Classics), and On Broadway. She is currently working on a feature documentary about climate change and accountability.
Alicia Sams - Producer
Alicia Sams is an Emmy Award-winning producer with extensive experience in both documentary and feature films. Recent films include: Executive Producer, Long Strange Trip, about the Grateful Dead; Deceptive Practice: The Mysteries and Mentors of Ricky Jay; and Arab American Stories, a 13-episode series for public television (Emmy Award 2013, SAG/AFTRA Belva Davis Award, 2013). She produced and directed (with Amy Rice) the Emmy Award-winning HBO film By The People: The Election of Barack Obama, a behind-the-scenes look at the journey of Barack Obama from the months prior to the announcement of his Presidential campaign to his first week in the White House. In 2009, Sams was executive producer of Cherien Dabis’ award-winning debut feature Amreeka. Sams also produced Toots, directed by Kristi Jacobson, about the legendary saloonkeeper Toots Shor.
Project logline and bios courtesy of the grantees.