Directing

Deborah Shaffer

Deborah Shaffer has a 50-year career as a documentary filmmaker. She began making films in 1970s as a member of the Newsreel Collective, where she collaborated on the short film Make-Out. In 1972 she co-directed and co-produced the short How About You?, and in 1976 Chris and Bernie. Shaffer co-produced and co-directed her first feature documentary, The Wobblies, an oral and archival history of the…

Known For

Golden TalesGolden Tales · 1993
Golden Tales
★ 4.01993
MovieHorror
A collection of horror stories taking the viewer into the dark world of Stephen King, featuring vampires, strange objects and sinister humor. The five 20-minutes tales were all taken from the Tales from the Darkside TV series and strung together as a video feature.
ChuquiagoChuquiago · 1977
Chuquiago
★ 8.11977
MovieDrama
Racial, social and cultural aspects of La Paz (called Chuquiago by the Aymaras) seen through four stories.
The WobbliesThe Wobblies · 1979
The Wobblies
★ 6.71979
MovieDocumentary
Through oral histories, archival footage, photographs, and songs associated with the movement, "The Wobblies" tells the story of the Industrial Workers of the World, the radical union founded in Chicago in 1905 to organize workers across trades. Featuring interviews with aging Wobbly members alongside historical materials from early twentieth-century labor struggles, the film explores the union’s role in strikes, worker activism, and the broader fight for labor rights in the United States.
Witness to War: Dr. Charlie ClementsWitness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements · 1985
Witness to War: Dr. Charlie Clements
★ 4.61985
MovieDocumentary
This Academy Award–winning documentary follows Dr. Charlie Clements, a former U.S. Air Force pilot in Vietnam who, disillusioned by the war, abandoned his military career to become a physician. Working behind rebel lines in El Salvador, Clements dedicates himself to treating victims of conflict and advocating for nonviolence.
El Salvador: The People Will WinEl Salvador: The People Will Win · 1980
El Salvador: The People Will Win
★ 7.51980
MovieWarDocumentary
The battle of El Salvador and its revolutionary history, from the time of the Spanish conquest and colonization, to the insurgency of the 80s, approached by a Puerto Rican filmmaker immersed in the conflict. Depicts a host of F.M.L.N. guerrillas marching forth from Monte Alzaco, the spiritual home of Salvadoran resistance.
WildcatWildcat · 1977
Wildcat
1977
MovieDocumentary
During the 1975 wildcat strike in Appalachia, tens of thousands of coal miners walk off the job to defend their right to strike, as cameras capture the struggle from inside the movement.
El Salvador: Another VietnamEl Salvador: Another Vietnam · 1981
El Salvador: Another Vietnam
★ 6.71981
MovieDocumentary
This political documentary illustrates the turbulent history of El Salvador from the 1920s-1970s, and the role of the U.S. government in that history. The most comprehensive film introduction to that country, examines the civil war there in light of the Reagan administration's decision to "draw the line" against "communist interference" in Central America. Archival material offers an overview of U.S. military and economic policy in Central America since 1948, while footage drawn from sources in the U.S., Mexico, and Europe provides extensive background to the current political and military situation.
Cocolos y RockerosCocolos y Rockeros · 1992
Cocolos y Rockeros
★ 4.81992
MovieDocumentary
This documentary examines the musical tastes of Puerto Rico's youth. The terms "cocolos" refers to those who prefer salsa music, and "rockeros" to those who prefer rock music. Through interviews and an array of musical settings, the film explores the young people's feelings in a humorist yet serious manner, bringing to the forefront issues of biases and national identity inherent in this innocent yet very powerful form of social entertainment.

Filmography

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