A Mirror

Part of the film: The Ripple Project: ONE

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An artist paces through his color filled studio, images of pop icons and hyper realistic depiction of ironic reality are scattered throughout. Marc Dennis, a New York painter, pains away at his next creation while drowning in a memory of a lost freind, Dina, a Shoah survivor; which Marc interviewed before she passed away. Dina's voice swell as we begin to see a clandestine painting that Marc has been working on.

Part of The Ripple Project: ONE film. A friend’s reflection reveals more than a looking glass. Renowned artist and clandestine Holocaust art scholar Marc Dennis interviews survivor Dina Jacobson, whose tranquil facade betrays an incomprehensible knowledge. Set in the bucolic village of Elmira in upstate New York, Marc’s inquisitive nature and Dina’s surreptitious life are revealed and reflected upon through days of frenzied conversation and the knowing silence of friends. Dina is one of six survivors interviewed by Marc, each story more complex and unique than the one before... Filmmaker Liron Unreich follows Marc, as both artist attempt to create a multi-media musuem installation based on these six interviews. A journey that will take them across the United States and the Atlantic. As each survivor shares his or hers life and precious days, the two artists try to capture an enduring portrait of survival, spirit, strength and inspiration to be shared with generations to come. Project Status: In early stages of production

Halloween, Lower Mahattan 2012

This short film is in no way trying to give a sense of the scale of destruction that Hurricane Sandy caused NYC- compared to Redhook, the Rockaways and other parts of the city the destruction cause to lower Manhattan was comparitively slight but residents still had to endure days without power or access to basic needs as most businesses were closed beneath 34th street. This is simply a document of some of the things we saw while biking around 2 days after the storm and an attempt to capture the strange quiet mood that engulfed the city. -Dylan Angell Directed by Dylan Angell Camera by Daniel Terna Edited by Joe Morgan Music by Jeff Tobias Executive Producers Liron Unreich and Michael McDevitt

May Day

This week marks the one year anniversary of Occupy Wall Street. The May Day protests were one of the last major Occupy related protests to take place under the banner of the movement. After a relatively quiet winter May Day highlighted the crossroads that the movement was at, there were many questions to if the movement was growing too divided or if it could substain itself in any form and it's hard to say if any of those questions were answered on May 1st. I felt disoriented throughout the day, unsure of what to make of the events that took place. I tried to create a video that matched the feeling I had. -Dylan Angell

Directed by Dylan Angell Shot by Ryan Hunter Edited by Joe Morgan Music by Gabe Celestino Voices sampled from May Day Radio Executive Producers Liron Unreich and Michael McDevitt

Miriam Friedman Morris

David Friedman(n) [1893-1980] was a painter and graphics artist in Berlin renowned for his portraits drawn from life. His quick-sketching talents led to an additional career as a leading press artist of the 1920’s. However, almost his complete works were looted by the Gestapo in 1941. David depicted human fate as a refugee in Prague, as a prisoner in the Lodz Ghetto, in the Gleiwitz I sub-camp of Auschwitz, and as a survivor. He survived the Lodz Ghetto by sketching portraits of officials in exchange for provisions. In Gleiwitz I, his artistic skills were recognized and his life spared by the whims of the SS. His wife and little daughter were ultimately killed despite his efforts to save them. Though David eventually remarried and built a new life first in Czechoslovakia, then Israel, Chicago, and finally in St. Louis, Missouri, he continued painting scenes from his tortured past. The responsibility of bearing witness weighed heavily on his conscience, even before his liberation. To give form to all that misery, to show it to the world - this was always his intent. Torn from his memories, he created the powerful series, Because They Were Jews! David’s daughter Miriam from his second marriage has spent her life consumed by a drive to rescue his legacy from oblivion and ensure its rightful place in history. Knowing that his work would best survive through her own perseverance, Miriam has found herself on her own journey which has led to personal discovery unveiling lost history and prewar works. David’s art weaves a tapestry of the joys and horrors that he experienced, witnessed and chronicled. Significant exhibitions of her father’s art resulting from her successful pursuits have created a stronger conviction to preserve the legacy of David Friedmann for future generations.

A Day At Zuccotti Park

I first went to Zuccotti park on day three of the occupation. I biked over mid-morning and there were maybe 200 people present who had camped out from the night before. Their purpose was unclear, but their determination was apparent and their presence raised the question: Why is there not a bigger movement taking place across the United States? Soon the movement was growing, and as it grew- it began to encompass more issues, drawing attention to more and more of the countries problems. As I spoke to people involved I realized that any one person’s opinion on these issues may clash completely with the next. I realized that OWS was serving as a platform for many, a podium for anyone and everyone to voice their frustrations with the government. There is no telling how this movement will grow and what change it will inspire- to document it seems almost to do it a disservice, to attempt to turn it into something static, to try to contain it. I decided to film what I saw and not focus on any one person’s agenda, to put politics aside and try to capture the energy of the spectacle that has inspired so many. To show the frustrations, the anger, joy, excitement, knowledge; unity that I saw on people’s faces, emotions that we all share even if our opinions ultimately differ. -Dylan Angell

What is Missing

In this Vignette, in partnership with the Brooklyn Arts Council’s Rethinking Memorial: Ten Interactive Sites for remembering 9/11, The Ripple Project asked ordinary New Yorkers a seemingly obvious yet often overlooked question: “What is missing in the conversation surrounding 9/11?”

The events of September 11, 2001 have made an indelible impression on the collective psyche of the American people, in particular, those New Yorkers who bore personal witness to the calamity of the twin towers’ thunderous collapse.  And while over the span of ten years time, the widespread historical and social ramifications of this tragedy have been thoughtfully documented, synthesized and discussed, the horrific scale of 9/11 consistently overshadows the deeply personal trauma felt not only by those directly affected by the loss of loved ones, but by the multitudes who witnessed and continue to witness it’s rippling aftereffects.

What is Missing, Rethinking 9/11 Memorials

In collaboration with the Brooklyn Arts Council Dumbo Improvement District, this past Saturday, The Ripple Project marked the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks with an interactive memorial alongside nine other stations featuring prominent artists on the streets of Dumbo. In a continuing effort to explore stories which lie behind the headlines and as part of the Brooklyn Arts Council’s Rethinking Memorial: Ten Interactive Sites for remembering 9/11, The Ripple Project sought out ordinary New Yorkers and asked a seemingly obvious yet oft overlooked question: “What is missing in the conversation surrounding 9/11?” The responses we received ran the gamut: many thoughtful and reflective, others colorful and controversial.

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In documenting these responses we hoped to inspire a diversity of reactions: anger, renewal, denial, indignation, apathy, conspiracy theories, paranoia, patriotism, prejudice, and sadness, all while preserving a common thread of humanity in shared experience.

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In the coming weeks we hope to edit this footage into a short, lyrical piece, which reflects our belief that the best memorial we can give to those who have passed is to continue to reflect and find new perspectives on the events of Sept.11th in the attempt to examine why the events of Sept.11th happened and what we can learn about ourselves in their aftermath.

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Paul Angell Plainfield, VT

Paul Angell is my uncle, he has kept Plainfield, VT as his home base since 1975 but has always come and gone to travel and work abroad. This Vignette focuses on Paul's time in Uganda in 1986 and 1987 as AIDS first began to take it's toll on the country. -Dylan Angell Vignettes Director/Producer

Fred Terna in Conversation

“This was. This is.” Brooklyn-based artist and Shoah survivor, Fred Terna, declares gesturing towards two paintings—one ominous and dark, the other lighter, with hues of hope.  “This is how the memory changed.”   Shared Memory is part oral history, part private gallery tour where Terna invites the viewer into his home and discusses pieces from his carefully catalogued collection spanning the history of his artwork. Together, the paintings and Terna’s stories describe his path from the Czech Republic to Brooklyn, from surviving Theresienstadt to his taxing marriage with a fellow survivor. In Shared Memory, Terna reveals how painting is both a way of coping with the horrors he has experienced and a means to preserve his memories.

WATCH: A conversation between Fred Terna and Rwandan genocide survivor and educator  Eugenie Mukeshimana, which took place after a private screening of Shared Memory.

The following letter was written to Shared Memory Director and The Ripple Project Cofounder, Liron Unreich, by Fred Terna.

Dear Liron,

I'm awed and delighted with the film. You and your team have done a superb job, telling the story of my paintings. Other film-makers have tried to make films about art and artists during the Shoah. When they focused on me they somehow stayed on the surface, there was a distance, a gap, between my feelings and ideas and what I saw on the screen. You are telling the story with great skill and insight, and I thank you.

During the Shoah we promised each other that the one who survives will tell about it. The burden is getting heavier as our numbers decrease, and you and your group are carrying this obligation with us, and for us.Please give my thanks to all who are working with you on The Ripple Project. Looking forward to hearing from you before long,Fred