Jon Alpert
Encyclopedia
Jon Alpert is an American
journalist
and documentary
filmmaker
, known for his use of a cinéma vérité
approach in his films. A native of Port Chester, New York
, Alpert is a 1970 graduate of Colgate University
, and has a black belt
in karate
.
Alpert has traveled widely as an investigative journalist
, and has made films for NBC
, PBS
, and HBO. Over the course of his career, he has won 15 Emmy Award
s and three DuPont-Columbia Award
s. He has been nominated for a 2010 Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary, Short Subject for China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province. He has reported from Vietnam
, Cambodia
, Iran
, Nicaragua
, the Philippines
, Cuba
, China
, and Afghanistan
.
In 1972, Alpert and his wife, Keiko Tsuno, founded the Downtown Community Television Center
, one of the country's first community media centers. He has interviewed Fidel Castro
several times, and was one of the few Western journalists to have conducted a videotaped interview with Saddam Hussein
since the Persian Gulf War
.
In 1991, while employed by NBC, Alpert was the first American journalist to bring back uncensored video footage from the first Persian Gulf War. The footage, much of it focusing on civilian casualties, was cancelled three hours before it was supposed to be aired, and Alpert was simultaneously fired. Later that year, CBS Evening News Executive Producer Tom Bettag planned to air the footage but this airing was also cancelled, and Bettag fired.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
filmmaker
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, known for his use of a cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
approach in his films. A native of Port Chester, New York
Port Chester, New York
Port Chester is a village in Westchester County, New York, United States. The village is part of the town of Rye. As of the 2010 census, Port Chester had a population of 28,967...
, Alpert is a 1970 graduate of Colgate University
Colgate University
Colgate University is a private liberal arts college in Hamilton, New York, USA. The school was founded in 1819 as a Baptist seminary and later became non-denominational. It is named for the Colgate family who greatly contributed to the university's endowment in the 19th century.Colgate has 52...
, and has a black belt
Black belt (martial arts)
In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...
in karate
Karate
is a martial art developed in the Ryukyu Islands in what is now Okinawa, Japan. It was developed from indigenous fighting methods called and Chinese kenpō. Karate is a striking art using punching, kicking, knee and elbow strikes, and open-handed techniques such as knife-hands. Grappling, locks,...
.
Alpert has traveled widely as an investigative journalist
Investigative journalism
Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, often involving crime, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years researching and preparing a report. Investigative journalism...
, and has made films for NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and HBO. Over the course of his career, he has won 15 Emmy Award
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
s and three DuPont-Columbia Award
DuPont-Columbia Award
The Alfred I. duPont–Columbia University Award is an American award that honors excellence in broadcast journalism. The awards, administered since 1968 by the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in New York City, are considered a broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prize, another...
s. He has been nominated for a 2010 Academy Award in the category of Best Documentary, Short Subject for China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province. He has reported from Vietnam
Vietnam
Vietnam – sometimes spelled Viet Nam , officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam – is the easternmost country on the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia. It is bordered by China to the north, Laos to the northwest, Cambodia to the southwest, and the South China Sea –...
, Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
, the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
, Cuba
Cuba
The Republic of Cuba is an island nation in the Caribbean. The nation of Cuba consists of the main island of Cuba, the Isla de la Juventud, and several archipelagos. Havana is the largest city in Cuba and the country's capital. Santiago de Cuba is the second largest city...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
In 1972, Alpert and his wife, Keiko Tsuno, founded the Downtown Community Television Center
Downtown Community Television Center
The Downtown Community Television Center or DCTV is a community media center located in Manhattan's Chinatown on Lafayette Street. It was founded in 1972 by documentary filmmaker Jon Alpert and his wife, Keiko Tsuno.-Mission:...
, one of the country's first community media centers. He has interviewed Fidel Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
several times, and was one of the few Western journalists to have conducted a videotaped interview with Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
since the Persian Gulf War
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
.
In 1991, while employed by NBC, Alpert was the first American journalist to bring back uncensored video footage from the first Persian Gulf War. The footage, much of it focusing on civilian casualties, was cancelled three hours before it was supposed to be aired, and Alpert was simultaneously fired. Later that year, CBS Evening News Executive Producer Tom Bettag planned to air the footage but this airing was also cancelled, and Bettag fired.
Films
- 1989 - One Year in A Life of Crime (Director/Producer)
- 1991 - Rape - Cries from the Heartland (Executive Producer)
- 1995 - High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell (Cinematographer/Producer)
- 1995 - Lock-up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island
- 1998 - Life of Crime 2
- 1998 - A Cinderella Season: The Lady Vols Fight Back
- 2002 - To Have and Have Not (Director)
- 2002 - Afghanistan: From Ground Zero to Ground Zero (Producer)
- 2002 - Papa (Director/Producer)
- 2003 - Latin Kings: A Street Gang Story (Director/Editor/Cinematographer/Producer)
- 2003 - Coca and the Congressman (Director)
- 2004 - The Last Cowboy (Director)
- 2004 - Dope Sick Love (Executive Producer)
- 2004 - Off to War (Executive Producer)
- 2004 - Bullets in the Hood: A Bed-Stuy Story (Executive Producer)
- 2005 - Venezuela: Revolution in Progress (Cinematographer)
- 2006 - Baghdad ER (Director/Producer)
- 2007 - The Bridge TV Show (Executive Producer/Cinematographer)
- 2008 - Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery (Co-Director/Co-Producer)
- 2008 - Dirty Driving: Thundercars of Indiana (Director/Producer)
- 2008 - A Woman Among Boys (Co-Director/Co-Producer)
- 2009 - China's Unnatural Disaster: The Tears of Sichuan Province (Co-Director/Co-Producer)
External links
- Jon Alpert biography
- Jon Alpert filmography
- Jon Alpert Discusses His Unfinished James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
Documentary on Democracy Now - Jon Alpert Talks About His New Documentary, "Section 60: Arlington National Cemetery" on Democracy Now
- “China’s Unnatural Disaster”: Oscar-Nominated Doc on Sichuan Earthquake Brings World Attention to Chinese Crackdown on Dissidents A brief interview with Jon Alpert on Democracy Now
- HBO Dirty Driving Home Page