Teodoro Maniaci
Encyclopedia
Teodoro Maniaci is an award-winning American
cinematographer
and documentary
director
, with dozens of motion pictures and television
shows to his credit. While his other films have had many reviews in the business
, he is best known to both the movie-going public and film-studies academics as the director of the ex-gay
documentary, One Nation Under God.
outside of Boston, Massachusetts and received a master's degree from New York University
Film School in 1990.
He is a member of the Directors of Photography Union, Local 600.
Maniaci currently lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn
, New York
with his partner.
and The Tao of Steve
. He has also contributed to a large number of films that have not made a lot of notice outside Hollywood. These include Party Monster, Outsourced
, and Inside Deep Throat
. Another of his recent films, The Business of Strangers
, has had good reviews.
Furthermore, he was the director of photography for at least five major television
specials: Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost & Found, Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live, and Sex and the City: A Farewell.
He was director of photography for Shaolin Ulysses, which was shown on PBS.
Maniaci was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, Pennsylvania
, and has won several awards for his work. He has filmed several music video
s and short films. One such short film was Reality in 2003, which was featured in the Woodstock Film Festival
.
When interviewed, Manianci found it difficult to describe his personal style of film-making:
For future work, he claims, "I’d love to do a sci-fi rocker film. We need a good sci-fi rocker movie!"
screened two early films shot by Maniaci, and reviewed them favorably:
He received the AMPAS Cinematography Award for The Savage Sleep and the Hamptons International Film Festival
Cinematography Award for Searching for Paradise.
Outsourced
was featured at the Seattle International Film Festival
to acclaim. The official festival synopsis and review was:
Clean, Shaven was given "un certain regard" at the Cannes Film Festival
, a runner's-up prize.
Maniaci's cinematography in The Tao of Steve
was given special praise by one reviewer:
Lodge Kerrigan
gave Maniaci thanks as a team player in an interview about the filming of Claire Dolan:
That film's "sex scene" was given special kudos:
David Mulholland wrote for The Paris Film Festival that The Business of Strangers
has a unique feel. In his words:
Another reviewer wrote about the camera work in that film in this way:
, which he co-directed with Jennifr Goodman, and was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival
.
It had generally favorable reviews. However, it received a 6.6 from "Rotten Tomatoes".
movement, in particular the Exodus
movement. He was both co-producer and co-director for this 1993 documentary.
". The film focuses on one ex-ex-gay
male couple, but also shows how through such techniques as the women wearing make-up and the men doing butch
or macho
mannerism
s. It also includes black and white archival footage. It also goes in some historical background, for context.
Yahoo describes it as "A documentary about the contemporary struggle for gay and lesbian civil rights, focusing on the religious, right-wing proliferation of curative therapies for homosexuality."
"Judge" Patrick Bromley at DVD Verdict
gives a fuller synposis:
for One Nation Under God.
The documentary was shown on the PBS
television show, P.O.V.
in 1994. The New York Times
reviewed that showing on Channel 13
for the New York City
market, giving a mixed blessing. The reviewer liked many parts, but demurred, "Unfortunately, One Nation Under God has a patchy, jumpy, overdone quality. The producers can't bear to leave bad enough alone: suddenly you find yourself watching homosexuals being rounded up by German Nazis. Nor can the producers resist some mushy proselytizing." In concluding, he wrote, "A significant argument is advanced here that opinions about homosexuality have less to do with science than with religion, morals and politics. If the producers had been able to contain themselves, develop that argument in a more coherent way and make their case without decoration, One Nation Under God might have been a considerably more consequential work."
The movie was rated by PlanetOut's PopcornQ with 4 Stars, and described as a "riveting documentary (that) offers the most dynamic historical overview of gays and lesbians in modern American society since Before Stonewall."
It receives a A-minus at Yahoo films. Amazon.com customers have given it a 3.5 stars out of 5. One Nation Under God garned a measely 6.8 out of 10 on IMdB.
DVD Verdict gave it a 79, stating, in part:
DVD Talk rated it well, Francis Rizzo III writing:
Rotten Tomatoes has not rated the film.
in film studies
.
In an article entitled Bullets, Ballots and Bibles: Documenting the History of the Gay and Lesbian Struggle in America, the film "to a certain extent also embodies a traditional 'coming out' narrative." In that article, scholar Bruce R. Brasell notes that the movie
editorialized on the production of Brotherhood as follows:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
cinematographer
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
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...
director
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:...
, with dozens of motion pictures and television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
shows to his credit. While his other films have had many reviews in the business
Hollywood, Los Angeles, California
Hollywood is a famous district in Los Angeles, California, United States situated west-northwest of downtown Los Angeles. Due to its fame and cultural identity as the historical center of movie studios and movie stars, the word Hollywood is often used as a metonym of American cinema...
, he is best known to both the movie-going public and film-studies academics as the director of the ex-gay
Ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
documentary, One Nation Under God.
Personal life and education
Maniaci was born and raised in Long Island, New York. He attended Tufts UniversityTufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
outside of Boston, Massachusetts and received a master's degree from New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
Film School in 1990.
He is a member of the Directors of Photography Union, Local 600.
Maniaci currently lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope, Brooklyn
Park Slope is a neighborhood in western Brooklyn, New York City's most populous borough. Park Slope is roughly bounded by Prospect Park West to the east, Fourth Avenue to the west, Flatbush Avenue to the north, and 15th Street to the south, though other definitions are sometimes offered. Generally...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
with his partner.
Career as a cinematographer
Maniaci has filmed an extensive body of work as a cinematographer, including most notably, Clean, ShavenClean, Shaven
Clean, Shaven is a 1994 film directed by Lodge Kerrigan, in which Peter Winter is a schizophrenic man desperately trying to get his daughter back from her adoptive mother...
and The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve is a 2000 romantic comedy film written by Duncan North, Greer Goodman, and Jenniphr Goodman. It is directed by Jenniphr Goodman and stars Donal Logue and Greer Goodman....
. He has also contributed to a large number of films that have not made a lot of notice outside Hollywood. These include Party Monster, Outsourced
Outsourced
Outsourced is a romantic comedy film, directed by John Jeffcoat, released in 2006.-Plot:When Todd Anderson's job and entire department are outsourced, he reluctantly travels to India to train his replacement...
, and Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat
Inside Deep Throat is a 2005 American documentary about the 1972 pornographic film Deep Throat and its effects on American society.The film is narrated by Dennis Hopper. The documentary was written, produced, and directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and produced by Brian Grazer...
. Another of his recent films, The Business of Strangers
The Business of Strangers
The Business of Strangers is a 2001 motion picture that tells the story of an eventful night shared between a middle-aged businesswoman and her young assistant....
, has had good reviews.
Furthermore, he was the director of photography for at least five major television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
specials: Saturday Night Live in the '90s: Pop Culture Nation, Saturday Night Live in the '80s: Lost & Found, Bette Midler Sings the Peggy Lee Songbook, Live from New York: The First 5 Years of Saturday Night Live, and Sex and the City: A Farewell.
He was director of photography for Shaolin Ulysses, which was shown on PBS.
Maniaci was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the Black Bear Film Festival in Milford, Pennsylvania
Milford, Pennsylvania
Milford is a borough in Pike County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat. Its population was 1,021 at the 2010 census. It was founded in 1796 by Judge John Biddis, one of the state's first four circuit judges, who named the settlement after his ancestral home in Wales.Milford has a...
, and has won several awards for his work. He has filmed several music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s and short films. One such short film was Reality in 2003, which was featured in the Woodstock Film Festival
Woodstock Film Festival
The Woodstock Film Festival is an American film festival that was begun in 1999. The festival was first conceived as a part of the Woodstock '99 Music and Arts Festival, with movies being screened as part of that event.-History:...
.
When interviewed, Manianci found it difficult to describe his personal style of film-making:
For future work, he claims, "I’d love to do a sci-fi rocker film. We need a good sci-fi rocker movie!"
Kudos/Praise
Filmmaker MagazineFilmmaker Magazine
Filmmaker is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis...
screened two early films shot by Maniaci, and reviewed them favorably:
He received the AMPAS Cinematography Award for The Savage Sleep and the Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival
Hamptons International Film Festival was founded to provide a forum for independent filmmakers from around the world to express their vision. The Festival is traditionally held for five days in mid-October in theatre venues from Montauk to Southampton and attracts roughly 15,000 visitors annually...
Cinematography Award for Searching for Paradise.
Outsourced
Outsourced
Outsourced is a romantic comedy film, directed by John Jeffcoat, released in 2006.-Plot:When Todd Anderson's job and entire department are outsourced, he reluctantly travels to India to train his replacement...
was featured at the Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
to acclaim. The official festival synopsis and review was:
Clean, Shaven was given "un certain regard" at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, a runner's-up prize.
Maniaci's cinematography in The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve is a 2000 romantic comedy film written by Duncan North, Greer Goodman, and Jenniphr Goodman. It is directed by Jenniphr Goodman and stars Donal Logue and Greer Goodman....
was given special praise by one reviewer:
Lodge Kerrigan
Lodge Kerrigan
Lodge Kerrigan is an American motion picture screenwriter and director. His 2010 film Rebecca H. entered into the Un Certain Regard section of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.-Filmography:* Clean, Shaven...
gave Maniaci thanks as a team player in an interview about the filming of Claire Dolan:
That film's "sex scene" was given special kudos:
David Mulholland wrote for The Paris Film Festival that The Business of Strangers
The Business of Strangers
The Business of Strangers is a 2001 motion picture that tells the story of an eventful night shared between a middle-aged businesswoman and her young assistant....
has a unique feel. In his words:
Another reviewer wrote about the camera work in that film in this way:
Criticism
While Maniaci has scored a number of hits, some have not received public acclaim. Rotten Tomatoes gave him only a 69% on their "Tomatometer".Tao of Steve
Maniaci's most critically acclaimed early work was The Tao of SteveThe Tao of Steve
The Tao of Steve is a 2000 romantic comedy film written by Duncan North, Greer Goodman, and Jenniphr Goodman. It is directed by Jenniphr Goodman and stars Donal Logue and Greer Goodman....
, which he co-directed with Jennifr Goodman, and was a hit at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
.
It had generally favorable reviews. However, it received a 6.6 from "Rotten Tomatoes".
One Nation Under God
Of all the films he has worked on, the one most identified with Maniaci is One Nation Under God, about the Ex-gayEx-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
movement, in particular the Exodus
Exodus International
Exodus International is a non-profit, interdenominational ex-gay Christian organization founded by Michael Bussee, Gary Cooper, Frank Worthen, Ron Dennis, and Greg Reid...
movement. He was both co-producer and co-director for this 1993 documentary.
Synopsis
This film is about how lesbians and gay men try to become "ex-gayEx-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
". The film focuses on one ex-ex-gay
Ex-ex-gay
The term ex-ex-gay is used to describe people who at one time participated in the ex-gay movement in an attempt to change their sexual orientation to heterosexual, but who then later went on to publicly accept that their sexual orientation falls under the LGBT umbrella...
male couple, but also shows how through such techniques as the women wearing make-up and the men doing butch
Butch and femme
Butch and femme are LGBT terms describing respectively, masculine and feminine traits, behavior, style, expression, self-perception and so on. They are often used in the lesbian, bisexual and gay subcultures...
or macho
Machismo
Machismo, or machoism, is a word of Spanish and Portuguese origin that describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinism...
mannerism
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of European art that emerged from the later years of the Italian High Renaissance around 1520. It lasted until about 1580 in Italy, when a more Baroque style began to replace it, but Northern Mannerism continued into the early 17th century throughout much of Europe...
s. It also includes black and white archival footage. It also goes in some historical background, for context.
Yahoo describes it as "A documentary about the contemporary struggle for gay and lesbian civil rights, focusing on the religious, right-wing proliferation of curative therapies for homosexuality."
"Judge" Patrick Bromley at DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict
DVD Verdict is a judicial themed website for DVD reviews. The site was founded in 1999. Current editor in chief is Michael Stailey, who also reviews for Rotten Tomatoes...
gives a fuller synposis:
Critical response
In 1993, Maniaci shared the Audience Award at the San Francisco Lesbian & Gay Film FestivalFrameline Film Festival
Frameline is a nonprofit media arts organization that produces the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, the oldest film festival devoted to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender programming currently in existence...
for One Nation Under God.
The documentary was shown on the 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....
television show, P.O.V.
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
in 1994. The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
reviewed that showing on Channel 13
WNET
WNET, channel 13 is a non-commercial educational public television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey. With its signal covering the New York metropolitan area, WNET is a primary station of the Public Broadcasting Service and a primary provider of PBS programming...
for the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
market, giving a mixed blessing. The reviewer liked many parts, but demurred, "Unfortunately, One Nation Under God has a patchy, jumpy, overdone quality. The producers can't bear to leave bad enough alone: suddenly you find yourself watching homosexuals being rounded up by German Nazis. Nor can the producers resist some mushy proselytizing." In concluding, he wrote, "A significant argument is advanced here that opinions about homosexuality have less to do with science than with religion, morals and politics. If the producers had been able to contain themselves, develop that argument in a more coherent way and make their case without decoration, One Nation Under God might have been a considerably more consequential work."
The movie was rated by PlanetOut's PopcornQ with 4 Stars, and described as a "riveting documentary (that) offers the most dynamic historical overview of gays and lesbians in modern American society since Before Stonewall."
It receives a A-minus at Yahoo films. Amazon.com customers have given it a 3.5 stars out of 5. One Nation Under God garned a measely 6.8 out of 10 on IMdB.
DVD Verdict gave it a 79, stating, in part:
DVD Talk rated it well, Francis Rizzo III writing:
Rotten Tomatoes has not rated the film.
Cultural impact
Rare amongst indie documentaries with significant gay content, One Nation Under God has become fodder for academiaAcademia
Academia is the community of students and scholars engaged in higher education and research.-Etymology:The word comes from the akademeia in ancient Greece. Outside the city walls of Athens, the gymnasium was made famous by Plato as a center of learning...
in film studies
Film studies
Film studies is an academic discipline that deals with various theoretical, historical, and critical approaches to films. It is sometimes subsumed within media studies and is often compared to television studies...
.
In an article entitled Bullets, Ballots and Bibles: Documenting the History of the Gay and Lesbian Struggle in America, the film "to a certain extent also embodies a traditional 'coming out' narrative." In that article, scholar Bruce R. Brasell notes that the movie
The Brotherhood
In August 2007, Maniaci finished filming a new series for the Showtime television network. The Providence JournalThe Providence Journal
The Providence Journal, nicknamed the ProJo, is a daily newspaper serving the metropolitan area of Providence, Rhode Island and is the largest newspaper in Rhode Island. The newspaper, first published in 1829 and the oldest continuously-published daily newspaper in the United States, was purchased...
editorialized on the production of Brotherhood as follows: