Download our catalog (PDF), includes info on filmmaker Robbie Leppzer's speaking program in schools.
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FILMMAKER
“Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is remarkably sensitive regarding the nuances of his subject matter and protagonists. The result is filmmaking that is both compelling and thought provoking.”
—Geoff Gilmore, Director, Sundance Film Festival
Robbie Leppzer got an early start when he was 18 at Hampshire College to become an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker, now with over forty years experience directing over thirty independent film, video, and public radio documentaries for national and international distribution.
His critically acclaimed feature-length and short documentaries, as well as commissioned television news magazine segments, about contemporary social issues, grassroots activism, and multicultural themes have been broadcast by CNN International, NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, HBO/Cinemax, PBS, CNN, Sundance Channel, HDNet, Free Speech TV, Link TV, National Public Radio, and Pacifica Radio.
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Since 1985, Leppzer has been director of Turning Tide Films, an independent documentary video production company located in Wendell, Massachusetts.
From the environmental protests of the 1970s, to the growing social justice, environmental and global peace movements of the new millennium, Leppzer has chronicled grassroots social movements over the last four decades.
“I film stories of people who stick their necks out to take risks for grassroots social change and build bridges across cultures,” says Leppzer.
SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS
Filmmaker Robbie Leppzer is available to speak – in person or via an online video link – at schools or community screenings of his documentaries for a speaking honorarium.
Robbie can introduce the film and/or be available for a Q & A after the screening, or participate in a post-screening discussion panel with other panelists.
Robbie is also available to speak on college campuses and at high schools with a retrospective of his documentary films chronicling 40 years of grassroots social change activism.
On college campuses, Leppzer challenges audiences to think critically and uses his documentaries to spark discussions about media, culture, and contemporary social and political issues. He will lead discussions after the screening of his films highlighting the importance of grassroots citizen activism in a participatory democracy. He will also critique mainstream media coverage of grassroots movements and underscore the importance of independent media. In addition, he will talk about social change in the context of an expanding worldwide movement for global environmental and social justice.
SPEAKER REVIEWS
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“Robbie Leppzer was extraordinarily well-received in his appearance in my classroom. Not surprising for such an outstanding documentary filmmaker, Leppzer is a natural teacher, both in terms of his presentation, as well as in his ability to ask the kinds of questions that can bring students into the learning process through engaged discussion. He was able to meld his personal stories with informed analysis that raised awareness of both the process of filmmaking and the subjects explored in the films themselves.”
– Stephen Zunes, Ph.D., Professor of Politics, University of San Francisco
“After the screening, Leppzer skillfully elicited an usually lively and prolonged discussion. In a perceptive way, he built on the students’ knowledge and differing opinions to arrive at insights about media, democracy, and social change. His presentation was so successful that it remained a topic of conversation for the next several weeks.”
– Carlos Fontes, Ph.D., Professor of Communications Worcester State College
“Robbie Leppzer has an engaging presence. His enthusiasm for the subject of film and the social consciousness it can express is infectious. He is high on our list of repeat performances next year.”
– Rembert Briggs, English Teacher, Franklin Delano Roosevelt High School, Hyde Park, NY
“Robbie Leppzer is a seasoned filmmaker who helps elicit from viewers their own response to his films. Leppzer’s documentaries, along with his personal presence as a speaker, are definitely conversation starters that continue long after his visit.”
– Michael Duffey, Professor of Theology, Marquette University
For more information:
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Download our catalog (PDF), includes info on filmmaker Robbie Leppzer’s speaking programs in schools.
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