Lynne Littman (born June 26, 1941) is an American film and television director and producer. Her best known work is '' Testament'' (1983) and she has won several awards including an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for her documentary short film '' Number Our Days'' (1976).

Early life and education

Littman was born June 26, 1941, in New York City. She attended Music & Art High School"Notable Alumni,"
Alumni & Friends of LaGuardia High School website. Accessed Oct. 28, 2016. and Sarah Lawrence College, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. She also studied at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

from 1960 to 1961.

Career

Littman began her career in the industry by working as a secretary for

WNET WNET (channel 13), branded on-air as "Thirteen" (stylized as "THIRTEEN"), is a primary PBS member television station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, United States, serving the New York City area. Owned by The WNET Group (formerly known as the ...

(New York). In the following years she worked at a number of freelance jobs in different areas of film. It was until the 1970s when she began working for National Education Television. It is here that she began to explore her future in film journalism. Commonly she worked with Mort Silverstein, who was known for having a passion for hard-hitting news practices. They made a follow-up documentary to

Edward R. Murrow Edward Roscoe Murrow (born Egbert Roscoe Murrow; April 25, 1908 – April 27, 1965) was an American broadcast journalist and war correspondent. He first gained prominence during World War II with a series of live radio broadcasts from Europe f ...

's ''

Harvest of Shame ''Harvest of Shame'' was a 1960 television documentary presented by broadcast journalist Edward R. Murrow on CBS that showed the plight of American migrant agricultural workers. It was Murrow's final documentary for the network; he left CBS at ...

'', titled ''What Harvest for the Reaper''. She made several award-winning documentary shorts, including ''The Matter of Kenneth'' (1973). Her most notable short documentary film was ''Number Our Days'' (1976), based on the field work of anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff; this film received an Academy Award in 1977. Littman was one of the

Original Six The Original Six () are the teams that comprised the National Hockey League (NHL) between 1942 and 1967. The six teams are the Boston Bruins, Chicago Black Hawks, Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, New York Rangers, and Toronto Maple Leaf ...

, a group of women directors who created the Women's Steering Committee of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

, to protest against gender discrimination in Hollywood. Littman's first feature film was '' Testament'' (1983), about a family struggling to survive after a nuclear fallout. The film is based on a short story titled "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen. Littman had been reading the story with her son when she had the idea to adapt it. Many had wanted to obtain the film; however, Littman had managed to secure the rights first. She immediately went about trying to find money for the film. Eventually, a producer at PBS'

American Playhouse ''American Playhouse'' is an American anthology television series periodically broadcast by Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Overview It premiered on January 12, 1982, with ''The Shady Hill Kidnapping'', written and narrated by John Cheever an ...

gave her $500,000 for a 60-minute movie that would involve no studio interference. However, the budget had to be expanded to $750,000 when the screenwriter turned in a script for a 90-minute film that was well received by all involved. Littman stated how proud she was that the film was completed under budget, yet the editing process had taken five months longer than the standard television film. The film was a success upon release and garnered an Academy Award nomination for its lead actress

Jane Alexander Jane Alexander (née Quigley; born October 28, 1939) is an American actress and author. She is the recipient of two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Tony Award, and nominations for four Academy Awards, and three Golden Globe Awards. From 1993 to 19 ...

. Following ''Testament'', Littman made films infrequently. In 1999, she made two films: ''Freak City'', and ''Having Our Say'', which were aired on television on the same day and in the same time-slot.

Personal life

Littman was married to

Taylor Hackford Taylor Edwin Hackford (born December 31, 1944) is an American film director and former president of the Directors Guild of America. He won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film for '' Teenage Father'' (1979). Hackford went on to direct ...

from 1977 to 1987. She has one child, Alexander Hackford, as well as a stepson,

Rio Hackford Rio Del Valle Hackford (June 28, 1970 – April 14, 2022) was an American film and television actor. He was known for playing the recurring role of Toby in the American drama television series '' Treme''. Life and career Hackford was born in ...

. In 1985 she took a ten-year hiatus from film making to raise her child. During the 1980s and 1990s Littman served on the advisory board of the

National Student Film Institute The National Student Film Institute (NSFI), formerly the Los Angeles Student Film Institute (LASFI), was founded in 1978 by Brenda Norman, Dave Master, Jutti Marsh and Ralph Rogers as a festival for films made by children from kindergarten through n ...

Filmography

* ''In the Matter of Kenneth'' (1973) * ''Number Our Days'' (1976) * ''Once a Daughter'' (1980) * '' Testament'' (1983) * ''In Her Own Time'' (1985) * ''Cagney & Lacey: True Convictions'' (1996) * ''Freak City'' (1999) * ''Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years'' (1999) * ''Testament at 20'' (2003)

Awards and nominations

Littman has won or has been nominated for multiple awards for both her theatrical and television movies. These include winning an Academy Award for Best Short Documentary in 1977 for ''Number Our Days''. She has also four Los Angeles Emmy Awards, from 1972 to 1974, and in 1977. As well four Cine Golden Eagle nominations for ''Running My Way'' (1982) and ''In Her Own Time'' (1985).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Littman, Lynne 1941 births The High School of Music & Art alumni Living people Sarah Lawrence College alumni University of Paris alumni Film directors from New York City