IN CINEMA 

Very Real Casting: The Art of Finding Real Story with Martha Wollner
Tickets: $25-65 - SLIDING SCALE
Saturday, December 2rd from 2-5PM

We invite friends, filmmakers, non-filmmakers, students, Harlemites, and all New Yorkers to join us for a special documentary workshop with award-winning casting director and story producer, Martha Wollner. Rooted in Albert Maysles’s philosophy and practice, Martha’s approach to nurturing “real” stories elaborates on the tenets of Direct Cinema that defined the Maysles Brothers’ work—from Salesman (1969) and Abortion: Desperate Choices (1992) to LaLee’s Kin (2001) and In Transit (2015)—and Wollner’s 30+ year career. By showcasing excerpts from a wide range of Maysles films, Wollner will demonstrate some of the core elements of casting and storytelling, including: character as storyteller, locating dramatic conflict, story arc and development, filmmaker/subject relationships, and the role of empathy and trust. The open discussion format will allow for ample space for participants to discuss their own film projects, story ideas, and ethical questions and to explore collectively any and all questions and observations.

Martha Wollner has been finding real stories for forty years. She began her career with Albert Maysels, producing, casting and second unit directing for award winning projects that ranged from documentary features to landmark commercial campaigns and corporate projects for a host of Fortune 500 clients. Following her tenure with Maysles Films Inc. as the company's General Manager, Martha established her own company, Very Real Casting, dedicated to nurturing human stories for all forms of media, working with award winning filmmakers such as Michael Apted, Harris Savides, Barbara Kopple, Zachary Heinzerling and Josephine Decker. She has carried forward the Maysles philosophy into every project for forty years and is honored to have been the story producer for  Albert's last film, In Transit.

"Martha's people bring heart to the screen. There is no one like her. " - Albert Maysles

"She (Martha Wollner) understands story arc and knows how to find it within the real person's experience." - Michael Apted, director Seven Up series, Coal Miner's Daughter

There will be a short break halfway through the workshop where light refreshments will be provided.

This workshop is available on a sliding scale of $25 –$65. Please consider the needs and abilities of yourself and of others when choosing how much to pay. We are grateful for the generous support of folks with the means to chip in a bit extra, as it allows us to lower the price for others and subsidize slots for our students. 

Please reach out to accessibility@maysles.org with any requests or questions!