Amram Nowak

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Amram Nowak ( 1927 - June 6, 2005 ) is an American film producer , film director and author who was nominated for an Oscar in 1987 .

Life

Nowak graduated from City College of New York with a BA in Literature and then earned an MA in Acting from Syracuse University . In 1965 he founded the film production company Amram Nowak Associates, of which he was President and Creative Director. In the course of his career he produced a large number of documentaries as well as a number of feature films that were more than once devoted to country music. His early work included the 1969 documentary King Murray , produced with Amram Nowak Associates. He played himself in the film, which is about an insurance salesman and a filmmaker. King Murray was presented as the official US entry at the Cannes Film Festival . The Wall Street Journal film critic John O'Connor named him one of the ten best films of 1969.

In 1970 Nowak wrote the screenplay for the documentary The Nashville Sound , in which country music stars Roy Acuff , Bill Anderson , Johnny Cash , Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton can be seen and heard. In the 1972 television film Earl Scruggs: The Bluegrass Legend - Family & Friends produced by Nowak , the celebrity cast played themselves. In addition to bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs , Joan Baez , The Byrds and Bob Dylan also starred . After completing the film, Nowak worked at various theaters. He then worked for seven years at CBS , ABC and NET as a producer and director.

In 1987 , Nowak and Kirk Simon received an Oscar nomination in the category “Best Documentary” (long form) for the documentary Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer . The film focuses on excerpts from the life and work of the Nobel Prize winner Isaac Bashevis Singers . However, the Oscar went to Brigitte Berman for her documentary Artie Shaw: Time Is All You've Got and to Joseph Feury and Milton Justice for Down an Out in America .

Published in 1997, the two-part historical documentary They Came for Good: A History of Jews in the USA tells the story of Jewish immigrants to the United States over a period of 250 years. Amram directed and his wife Manya Starr wrote the script for the documentary.

Nowak was married to Bernice Novak and her second marriage from 1981 until her death in 2000 to the author Manya Starr. Nowak died five years later at the age of 78. In addition to his new partner, he left behind three children and four grandchildren and two step-sons.

Filmography (selection)

  • 1969: King Murray
  • 1970: The Nashville Sound
  • 1972: Earl Scruggs: The Bluegrass Legend - Family & Friends (TV movie)
  • 1984: American Playhouse (TV series, episode The Cafeteria )
  • 1987: American Masters: Isaac in America: A Journey with Isaac Bashevis Singer
  • 1997: They Came for Good: A History of Jews in the USA

Awards

Web links

swell

  1. ↑ a b c On the death of Amram Nowak In: The New York Times , June 8, 2005 (English). Retrieved February 20, 2014.
  2. ↑ Amram Nowak ( Memento from February 23, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Biography at sfjff.org (English). Retrieved February 20, 2014.
personal data
SURNAME Nowak, Amram
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film producer, director, and writer
DATE OF BIRTH 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH United States
DATE OF DEATH June 6, 2005