Wednesday, April 29th, 2015

9:40 AM, Admiralty Room

CHILDREN OF GIANT (Documentary)

WIF 2014 Finishing Fund Winner

Children of GIANT is a documentary film that unearths deeply wrought emotions in the small West Texas town of Marfa, before, during and after the month-long production of George Stevens' 1956 feature film, Giant. Based on the controversial Edna Ferber novel of the same name, the film, Giant did not shy from strong social-issue themes experienced throughout post-WWII America. George Stevens, its producer and director, purposely gravitated to the drought-ridden community of Marfa for most all of the exterior scenes.

Q&A with Carolyn Pfeiffer (Executive Producer)

Carolyn Pfeiffer first worked in Rome as Claudia Cardinale's assistant on films including Fellini's 8½, Visconti's THE LEOPARD and Blake Edwards's THE PINK PANTHER. She moved to Paris and worked as an associate producer for Alain Delon's production company. While in Paris she became executive assistant to Omar Sharif and worked on many of his films, including DOCTOR ZHIVAGO.

Pfeiffer moved to London and started her own public relations company. Her numerous clients included Robert Redford, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Francois Truffaut, Robert Altman, The Beatles's company, Apple Corps, Ltd. and Paul McCartney and Wings.

Moving to Los Angeles, Pfeiffer formed Alive Films with Shep Gordon. They produced ROADIE starring Meatloaf and RETURN ENGAGEMENT, a feature documentary about the Timothy Leary/G.Gordon Liddy debates (Alan Rudolph directed both films). Pfeiffer then joined Chris Blackwell to form Island Alive, a groundbreaking independent production/distribution company that produced and/or released films such as CHOOSE ME, EL NORTE, KOYAANISQATSI, STOP MAKING SENSE, INSIGNIFICANCE, THE HIT, A PRIVATE FUNCTION, and KISS OF THE SPIDER WOMAN, which won Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival as well as the Academy Award for William Hurt.

Back as co-chair of Alive Films and continuing her long partnership with Gordon, Pfeiffer produced a series of films for the company, including TROUBLE IN MIND and THE MODERNS (both directed by Alan Rudolph), A TIME OF DESTINY, THE WHALES OF AUGUST, GRAND ISLE, FAR NORTH, and SILENT TONGUE. Alive Films also released a number of films, including the French sensation BETTY BLUE (an Academy Award nominee) and Maximilian Shell's MARLENE (also an Academy Award nominee).

Between 1993 and 1999 Pfeiffer and her daughter Shannon lived in Jamaica, where she produced three Jamaican feature films, two of which were vanguard movies shot digitally for Chris Blackwell's Palm Pictures: DANCEHALL QUEEN and THIRD WORLD COP. To date they are the highest grossing films released in the Caribbean.

Pfeiffer returned to Los Angeles to become the founding president of the Los Angeles Film School; and then vice chair of the American Film Institute Conservatory. Later, she was invited to become founding president and CEO of Burnt Orange Productions for UT Austin, which produced THE QUIET, NATIONAL LAMPOON'S STONED AGE, THE CASSIDY KIDS, and ELVIS AND ANABELLE.

Pfeiffer now resides in Marfa, Texas where she continues her work as a producer. As well as consulting and producing for Bumbershoot Productions, she executive produced FAR MARFA. Most recently she is executive produced Hector Galan’s documentary CHILDREN OF GIANT for PBS.  Pfeiffer is an active member of the Academy, the former president of IFP West now FIND.