Hybrid Cinema In Association with Hard Working Movies

Girl Before a Mirror

Executive Produced by Geralyn Dreyfous, Lynne Silbert, Amy Ziering Produced by Jon Reiss Written and Directed by Jill Goldman

Running time: 23:27 Picture Format: Color HD Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Shooting Format: 4K & 16mm

Logline

A portrait of the writer and editor Genevieve Bahrenburg who fell down a flight of stairs, suffered a traumatic brain injury and after thirteen surgeries is using art and images to reconstruct her identity.

Short Synopsis: Genevieve Bahrenburg lived a seemingly enchanted life that could be torn ​ straight from the glossy pages of Vogue, where she worked as a contributing writer. In 2013 she was working on a new book about the iconic artist Chuck Close when tragedy struck. Genevieve fell head first down a flights of stairs, leaving her in a coma for over a month.

Thirteen major brain surgeries later, Genevieve now suffers from aphasia, what she calls, " a writer without words". From intimate conversations with Genevieve and her close friends Chuck Close and David Blaine, to fragments of images from her dreams and memories, we will explore with Genevieve as she attempts to construct her new “I”.

Synopsis

Genevieve Bahrenburg’s life was picture perfect. Successful, brilliant, witty and generous, she lived a seemingly enchanted life that could be torn straight from the glossy pages of Vogue, where she worked as a contributing writer. In 2013 Genevieve had just finished two books with ​ Clayborne Swanson Frank (American Beauty and Young Hollywood ) and was working on a ​ ​ ​ ​ new book about the iconic artist Chuck Close, entitled Close to Close when tragedy struck. ​ ​

During a New Year’s Eve celebration Genevieve fell head first down a flights of stairs, which left her in a coma for over a month. No one thought she would survive. Yet survive she did and her recovery from her traumatic brain injury has been nothing short of miraculous. Genevieve has undergone thirteen major brain/skull surgeries and still remains brave, courageous and joyful. Her spirit has not been broken.

The Genevieve who is reemerging, however, is dealing with many issues far more difficult and complicated than her infectious smile lets on. She now suffers from aphasia, a former journalist is now, what she calls, " a writer without words". She is constructing her new "I" through images of herself drawn and fabricated by others. Who is the reflection of the woman in the painted mirror who has gone down the rabbit hole and spiraled back? Her struggle is very complicated, visual and has everything to do with art, poetry and magic. Genevieve’s closest friends and allies in her recovery are celebrated portraitist Chuck Close (who called her his muse) and popular illusionist David Blaine.

This short experimental, lyrical film will take a peek inside an extraordinary mind as we rediscover "Genevieve" as she rediscovers “herself". From intimate conversations with Genevieve, Chuck Close and David Blaine, to fragments of images from Genevieve's dreams and memories, to a collage of portraits and photographs of her by such noted artists as Annie Leibowitz, John Cooper, Tim Greenfield Sanders, Chuck Close, we will explore with Genevieve as she creates her "self portraits" and in doing so, shed some light on the resilience of the human spirit, the fluidity of the mind and the tremendous magical healing power of art.

The Filmmakers

Jill Goldman: Director Jill Goldman is a filmmaker and social activist. She received her MFA from UCLA Film School before directing her first feature film LOVE IS LIKE THAT starring Tom Sizemore, Richard Edson, Debi Mazar, and Seymour Cassel. She has also directed several short films including HOLDING MARGIE'S HAND starring Jennifer Jason Leigh and Eric Stoltz which have won many awards and screened in numerous international film festivals. She directed a video for Lenny Kravitz “Blues for Sister Someone” and produced the play SEA OF CORTEZ by John Steppling, which won the Pen West Writers Award and the feature film CLEOPATRA'S SECOND HUSBAND released by First Run Features. For the past 12 years Jill has dedicated her life to improving the lives of vulnerable children both locally and in the developing world. Jill is the Co­Founder of the Go Campaign, a global non­profit that supports and provides aid to grassroots organizations that serve children in need in 30 countries. GIRL BEFORE A MIRROR marks her return to filmmaking.

Geralyn Dreyfous, Executive Producer

Geralyn Dreyfous has a wide, distinguished background in the arts, extensive experience in consulting in the philanthropic sector, and participates on numerous boards and initiatives. She is the Founder of the Utah Film Center, a non­profit that curates free screenings and outreach programs for communities throughout Utah. In 2007, she co­founded Impact Partners Film Fund with Dan Cogan, bringing together financiers and filmmakers so that they can create great films that entertain audiences, enrich lives, and ignite social change. In 2013, Geralyn co­founded Gamechanger Films, the first for­profit film fund dedicated exclusively to financing narrative features directed by women.

Her independent producing credits include the Academy Award winning BORN INTO BROTHELS; Emmy nominated THE DAY MY GOD DIED; Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning THE SQUARE, Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning THE INVISIBLE WAR and multiple film festival winners such as KICK LIKE A GIRL, IN A DREAM, DHAMMA BROTHER, PROJECT KASHMIR, MISS REPRESENTATION, CONNECTED, ANITA, THE CRASH REEL, THE HUNTING GROUND, DREAMCATCHER, and ALIVE INSIDE. Geralyn was honored with the International Documentary Association’s Amicus Award in 2013 for her significant contribution to documentary filmmaking. Variety recognized Geralyn in their 2014 Women’s Impact Report highlighting her work in the entertainment industry. ​

Amy Ziering, Executive Producer / Interviewer

Amy Ziering is an Academy award nominated and two­time Emmy award winning documentary filmmaker. Her most recent film, THE HUNTING GROUND, a piercing, monumental exposé of rape culture on campuses, poised to light a fire under a national debate, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Her previous film, THE INVISIBLE WAR, a groundbreaking investigation into the epidemic of rape in the U.S. military, won the Audience Award at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, the Independent Spirit Award 2012 for Best Documentary, was nominated for an Oscar and won the 2014 Emmy Awards for Best Documentary and Outstanding Investigative Journalism. Released by Cinedigm/Documara, and broadcast on PBS, the film led Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta to announce significant policy changes, inspired Senator Gillibrand to co­author and push for the passage of the Military Justice Improvement Act (MJIA), and was the catalyst for the penning and passing of 35 additional new Congressional reforms. Her previous film, OUTRAGE, for which she received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Investigative Journalism, is a searing indictment of the hypocrisy of powerful, closeted politicians and the institutions that protect them. It was distributed by Magnolia Pictures and had its television premiere on HBO. Ziering also produced THE MEMORY THIEF, which stars Mark Webber, Rachel Miner, and Jerry Adler and is a thought­provoking examination of the relationship between empathy, narcissism and trauma. It was a New York Times critics’ pick and won several festival awards. Prior to this, Ziering co­directed and produced DERRIDA, a documentary about the world­renowned French philosopher and the philosophical movement known as Deconstruction. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, won the Golden Gate award at the San Francisco Film Festival, was released theatrically by Zeitgeist Films and features an original score by Oscar winning composer Ryuichi Sakamoto. Ziering’s first film, Richard Cohen's critically acclaimed TAYLOR'S CAMPAIGN, was a documentary about Ron Taylor, a homeless person who ran for a seat on the Santa Monica City Council. She is the 2012 recipient of the Nestor Almendros Prize for Courage and Filmmaking, the 2013 Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, the 2013 Gracie Award for Outstanding Producer ­ News/Non­Fiction, the 2013 Peabody Award, the 2014 ABA Silver Gavel Award for Television, the 2014 Media Impact Henry Hampton Award for Excellence in Film and Digital Media, and two 2014 News Emmys. Ziering is currently in production on a new project for HBO.

Jon Reiss, Producer

Named one of “10 Digital Directors of Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is a critically acclaimed filmmaker whose experience releasing his documentary feature, BOMB IT with a hybrid strategy was the inspiration for writing Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era, the first step­by­step guide for filmmakers to distribute and market their films. He recently co­wrote Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul and Selling Your Film in Europe. Over his thirty­year career, Reiss has also produced four feature films and numerous documentaries on every continent. As a media strategist, he has helped numerous filmmakers and companies navigate the new distribution and marketing landscape. He has worked with IFP, Paramount Studios, Screen Australia, Film Independent, Creative Scotland, and The South Australian Film Corporation. He has conducted his TOTBO Master Classes over five continents and is the year­round distribution and marketing lab leader at the IFP Filmmaker Labs. He also teaches at the Film Directing Program and Cal Arts and contributes to Filmmaker Magazine, The Huffington Post, Indiewire, Screen Daily, Moviemaker magazine, and other publications.

Jarin Blaschke, DP

Jarin Blaschke is an award­winning cinematographer and an alumni of the Sundance Directors' Lab. His recent feature film credits include the long­anticipated THE WITCH, which won the Best Director Award at Sundance Film Festival in 2015, and I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS, for which he won the First Time Fest Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography. In 2015, Jarin was named by Variety as one of the 10 Cinematographers to Watch, and by Moviemaker as one of the 13 Breakthroughs from Sundance. He is currently shooting "Shimmer Lake" directed by Oren Uziel.

Adam Schomer, Editor

As a documentary writer, producer and director, Adam is known for going to extreme places and lengths to follow heroic stories that bring insights into ourselves and important issues. His award winning film THE HIGHEST PASS was theatrically released and took a deep look at fear and death amidst an epic Himalayan motorcycle adventure. He produced and directed the feature documentary the THE POLYGON that takes an in depth look at the villages most affected by forty years of Soviet nuclear testing. He wrote, produced, and directed ONE LITTLE PILL, which reveals a startlingly simple new method to treat alcoholism that has been held back for too long. Adam recently produced and directed a follow up to THE HIGHEST PASS titled FREEDOM RIDERS, which will be a 10 episode series for television that looks deeply at inner freedom and is currently in post production. A Graduate of Cornell University and now located in Santa Monica California, Adam's intention is to unite through wisdom and entertainment.

Genevieve Bahrenburg

A Columbia graduate and New York native, Bahrenburg began her writing and editing career in the features department of Vogue. She moved on to become Features Editor at Elle.com and then Editorial Director of Above, a magazine and website dedicated to environmentalism and the promotion of sustainability. She is the writer and co­producer of Claiborne Swanson Frank’s American Beauty and Young Hollywood as well as a book about artist Chuck Close’s portraiture. Bahrenburg is currently freelance writing about art and culture for Vogue and C, working on her first novel, acting as Creative Director for Smart Woman Project and providing creative consulting and collaborating services to a diverse range of clients. She is also involved with Dia Art Foundation, Waterkeeper Foundation, Chinati Foundation, Rainforest Foundation, Artwalk NY, Acria, TWO X TWO for Aids and Art and The Lunchbox Fund.

Chuck Close

Chuck Close is an American artist best known for his large­scale Photorealist portraits, composed of tiny airbrush bursts, thumbprints, or looping, multicolored brushstrokes. In 1962, Close received his BA from the University of Washington in Seattle, followed by his MFA at Yale University in 1964. Three years later, he moved to New York, where he was one of the founders of Photorealistic painting, working at first in black and white before shifting to colorful, bright, and almost abstract paintings. Close systematically composes his paintings with a grid format, which is often visible in the finished work; his most recent works combine his methodical grid with the spontaneous brushwork of the Abstract Expressionists. The subjects of his portraits are usually his family and friends, including artists such as Richard Serra, Cindy Sherman, Alex Katz, Roy Lichtenstein, and Robert Rauschenberg. His work is widely esteemed, and has been exhibited at The Museum of Modern Art and PS1 in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Tate Modern in London, among many other institutions. In 1988, Close was diagnosed with a rare spinal artery collapse, which he refers to as “The Event,” and has been forced to paint in a wheelchair ever since. However, his artwork has evolved to accommodate his new circumstances, incorporating pixelated squares of color, which he paints with a brush strapped to his wrist, and which, from far away, create the effect of a unified composition.

David Blaine

An American magician, illusionist and endurance artist, David Blaine, is best known for his high­profile feats of endurance and has made his name as a performer of street and close­up magic. He has performed all over the world and has set and broken several world records.Showman David Blaine's original specialty was ​ "street magic" ­­ close­up magic done for small groups on New York City streets. His talent was showcased in a series of national TV specials in the late 1990s, with dramatic gasps from bystanders caught on camera. Soon David Blaine was both a magician and a celebrity, known for his hipster style, uptown­casual clothes, and friendships with actors like Leonardo Dicaprio. Over time Blaine moved from small­scale stunts to much­publicized set pieces that were as much endurance tests as feats of legerdemain. David Blaine was buried in a glass coffin for a week in a 1999 New York City stunt, and the next year he spent three days encased in a block of ice in Times Square. He stood atop a 90­foot pillar in New York's Bryant Park for two days in 2002 before falling into a cushion of cardboard boxes. In 2003 he spent 44 days suspended in a glass box near the Thames River in London. He lounged in a water­filled glass sphere outside New York's Lincoln Center for a week in May of 2006 in a stunt he called "Drowned Alive," and in September 2008 he hung upside down in New York's Central Park for 60 hours in a feat called "Dive of Death." Among his other stunts is "Electrified," in which (as described by the New York Daily News) he stood "on a 20­foot­high (6­meter­high) platform at Pier 54 on Manhattan's West Side, within a Tesla coil apparatus that continually zapped him with artificial lightning bolts."