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Marc Levin is an American independent film producer and director. He is best known for his ''
Brick City Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Peabody award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
and was nominated for an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking and his dramatic feature film, '' Slam'', which won the Grand Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
and the
Caméra d'Or The Caméra d'Or ("''Golden Camera''") is an award of the Cannes Film Festival for the best first feature film presented in one of the Cannes' selections (Official Selection, Directors' Fortnight or International Critics' Week). The prize, cre ...
at
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ci ...
in 1998. He also has received three
Emmy Awards The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
(1988, 1989, 1999) and the 1997 DuPont-Columbia Award.


Early life

Levin was born January 31, 1951 in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
and raised in Elizabeth and
Maplewood, New Jersey Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's popula ...
, the son of documentary filmmaker Alan Levin. He attended
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the c ...
(class of 1973), and has described the university as key in shaping his career in film. Marc was raised Jewish.


Career


1980s

In 1982, Levin and his father, Al, teamed up on ''Portrait of an American Zealot'' which was made part of the
Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street (Manhattan), 53rd Street between Fifth Avenue, Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, ...
's permanent film collection. In 1984, he made ''Inside Story: Fall River Spectacle'' for PBS which won the Cine Golden Eagle Award. In 1985, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary for the WCBS TV Special ''The Wall Street Connection''. In 1989, Levin was awarded a writing Emmy for the WCBS TV Special ''New York Non-Stop'' as well as a nomination for Outstanding Magazine Show (Non-News).


1990s

''Blowback'' was released in 1991. In this black comedy, an insane scientist, Dr. Krack, creates an orgasm-inducing O-bomb and threatens to detonate it. The only ones who can stop him are a drug-dealing ex-CIA agent and the woman he meets in a rehab center. In 1992, Levin directed Robert Downey, Jr. in '' The Last Party'', a gonzo look at the Presidential campaign, weaving together the personal and the political fortunes of Downey and
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (Birth name, né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 ...
. In 1997, Levin was awarded the prestigious duPont-Columbia award for ''CIA: America's Secret Warriors'', a three-part series that aired on the
Discovery Channel Discovery Channel (known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery) is an American cable channel owned by Warner Bros. Discovery, a publicly traded company run by CEO David Zaslav. , Discovery Chan ...
. In the late nineties Levin created a hip-hop trilogy beginning with '' Slam'', a searing prison drama, which starred
Saul Williams Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, musician, poet, writer, and actor. He is known for his blend of poetry and alternative hip hop, and for his lead roles in the 1998 independent film '' Slam ...
,
Sonja Sohn Sonja Denise Plack (' Williams; born May 9, 1964), known professionally as Sonja Sohn, is an American actress, activist and filmmaker, best known for portraying Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). She i ...
, and Bonz Malone. Followed in 1999 by '' Brooklyn Babylon'', a fable inspired by the “ Song of Songs,” starred
Tariq Trotter Tariq Luqmaan Trotter (born October 3, 1973), better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, actor and the lead MC of the Philadelphia-based hip hop group the Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove (Ahmir Thompson). Regarded ...
, Bonz Malone, and featured music by
The Roots The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's '' The Tonight Show Starring Jimm ...
. In 2000, Levin directed '' Whiteboyz'', a comedy about white kids who want to be black rappers, starred Danny Hoch, Dash Mihok, Mark Webber, and Piper Perabo.


2000s

In ''Twilight Los Angeles'',an adaptation of
Anna Deavere Smith Anna Deavere Smith is an American actress, playwright, and professor. She is known for her roles as National Security Advisor Dr. Nancy McNally in ''The West Wing'' (2000–06), hospital administrator Gloria Akalitus in the Showtime series '' Nu ...
's one-woman show, Levin fused a Broadway play with a documentary look at the LA riots. ''Twilight'' premiered at the Sundance 2000 Film Festival and was selected as the opening film of the International Human Rights Film Festival at Lincoln Center. Levin's ''Street Time'', a 2002 television series produced by Columbia/Tristar for Showtime, received critical acclaim for its authenticity and
cinéma vérité Cinéma vérité (, , ; "truthful cinema") is a style of documentary filmmaking developed by Edgar Morin and Jean Rouch, inspired by Dziga Vertov's theory about Kino-Pravda. It combines improvisation with use of the camera to unveil truth or hi ...
style. Levin executive produced the series and directed 10 episodes. The show stars Rob Morrow, Scott Cohen, Erica Alexander and
Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor. Having his first major roles in the 1995 films '' Dead Presidents'' and '' Mr. Holland's Opus'', Howard broke into the mainstream with a succession of television and cinema role ...
. Levin's documentary feature, '' The Blues: Godfathers and Sons'' (2003), was part of the highly regarded
Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November 17, 1942) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. Scorsese emerged as one of the major figures of the New Hollywood era. He is the recipient of many major accolades, incl ...
PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...
series, '' The Blues''. Scorsese recruited an international team of directors with both feature and documentary experience - Charles Burnett,
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the " Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "'' D ...
, Mike Figgis, Richard Pearce and
Wim Wenders Ernst Wilhelm "Wim" Wenders (; born 14 August 1945) is a German filmmaker, playwright, author, and photographer. He is a major figure in New German Cinema. Among many honors, he has received three nominations for the Academy Award for Best Doc ...
. Levin made his on-camera debut in ''Protocols of Zion'', his street level look at the rise of
anti-Semitism Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism. Ant ...
since 9/11 and the renewed popularity of the anti-Semitic text,
The Protocols of the Elders of Zion ''The Protocols of the Elders of Zion'' () or ''The Protocols of the Meetings of the Learned Elders of Zion'' is a fabricated antisemitic text purporting to describe a Jewish plan for global domination. The hoax was plagiarized from several ...
. The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...
, was released theatrically in the fall of 2005 and on HBO the spring of 2006. ''Mr. Untouchable'', the story of Nicky Barnes, was released in theatres in 2007. It tells the true-life story of a real American Gangster from the point of view of law enforcement, associates, and Nicky Barnes, who appears for the first time in over a quarter century. In 2008 Levin was executive producer alongside
Beyoncé Knowles Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
on '' Cadillac Records'', the
Chess Records Chess Records was an American record company established in 1950 in Chicago, specializing in blues and rhythm and blues. It was the successor to Aristocrat Records, founded in 1947. It expanded into soul music, gospel music, early rock and r ...
story starring Jeffrey Wright,
Adrien Brody Adrien Nicholas Brody (born April 14, 1973) is an American actor. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring as Władysław Szpilman in Roman Polanski's '' The Pianist'' (2002), for which he won the Academy Award for Best Ac ...
, and Beyoncé. In the same year he executive produced the indie feature documentary ''Captured'', the story of artist activist Clayton Patterson, the man who videotaped the 1988
Tompkins Square Park Tompkins Square Park is a public park in the Alphabet City portion of East Village, Manhattan, New York City. The square-shaped park, bounded on the north by East 10th Street, on the east by Avenue B, on the south by East 7th Street, and o ...
Riot and who has dedicated his life to documenting the final era of raw creativity and lawlessness in New York City's
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Traditionally ...
, a neighborhood famed for art, music and revolutionary minds. Levin executive produced a follow-up feature in 2010, ''Dirty Old Town'' by his son Daniel B. Levin, Jenner Furst and Julia Nason. Levin's ''
Brick City Newark ( , ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the seat of Essex County and the second largest city within the New York metropolitan area.Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat, seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County and the second largest city within the New Yo ...
, its mayor,
Cory Booker Cory Anthony Booker (born April 27, 1969) is an American politician and attorney who has served as the junior United States senator from New Jersey since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Booker is the first African-American U.S. sen ...
, and the people on the frontlines of a city struggling to change. Executive produced with Forest Whitaker, the 5-hour series aired its first
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...
winning season on the Sundance Channel in September 2009. The show also received a 2010 Golden Eagle Cine Award and was nominated for both an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking and a
NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...
Image Award. The second season premiered on January 30, 2011. Levin also periodically directed episodes of the classic TV series, '' Law and Order''.


Work with Bill Moyers

From the mid-seventies through the eighties he teamed up with one of America's most respected journalists,
Bill Moyers Bill Moyers (born Billy Don Moyers, June 5, 1934) is an American journalist and political commentator. Under the Johnson administration he served from 1965 to 1967 as the eleventh White House Press Secretary. He was a director of the Counci ...
. In 1988 Levin won a national Emmy award as a producer/editor of Moyers' The Secret Government - The Constitution in Crisis. He directed The Home Front with Bill Moyers, which was honored with the duPont-Columbia Gold Baton Award in 1992.


Work with Daphne Pinkerson

Levin and his documentary film partner, Daphne Pinkerson, have produced 11 films for HBO's documentary film division, including ''Triangle: Remembering the Fire'', ''Schmatta: Rags to Riches to Rags'', ''Mob Stories'', ''Prisoners of the War on Drugs'', ''The Execution Machine: Texas Death Row'', ''Soldiers in the Army of God'', and ''Gladiator Days'' (see "
Troy Kell Troy Michael Kell (born June 13, 1968) is an inmate on death row in Utah. Kell was sentenced to life in prison by the State of Nevada for the 1986 murder of James "Cotton" Kelly. He was transferred to the Utah State Prison as part of a prisoner e ...
"). ''Thug Life in D.C.'' won the 1999 National Emmy for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special. ''Gang War: Bangin' in Little Rock'' won the
CableACE The CableACE Award (earlier known as the ACE Awards; ACE was an acronym for "Award for Cable Excellence") is a defunct award that was given by what was then the National Cable Television Association from 1978 to 1997 to honor excellence in Am ...
Award for Best Documentary Special of 1994. The sequel, ''Back in the Hood'', premiered on HBO ten years later. They also produced ''Heir to an Execution'', a documentary feature following Ivy Meeropol’s journey on the 50th anniversary of the execution of her grandparents,
Julius and Ethel Rosenberg Julius Rosenberg (May 12, 1918 – June 19, 1953) and Ethel Rosenberg (; September 28, 1915 – June 19, 1953) were American citizens who were convicted of spying on behalf of the Soviet Union. The couple were convicted of providing top-secret i ...
. ''Heir'' was in competition at the Sundance film festival and aired on HBO.


Latest work

Levin continued his 20-year working relationship with HBO: ''Hard Times: Lost on Long Island'' in 2011, ''Prayer for a Perfect Season'' in 2012 and '' Class Divide'' in 2015. He also co-produced the 2017 documentary ''
Baltimore Rising ''Baltimore Rising'' is a 2017 documentary on the protests in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray. It was created, directed, and produced by actor and filmmaker Sonja Sohn and HBO Films. It covers the death of Freddie Gray, the protests a ...
'' directed by
Sonja Sohn Sonja Denise Plack (' Williams; born May 9, 1964), known professionally as Sonja Sohn, is an American actress, activist and filmmaker, best known for portraying Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the HBO drama ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). She i ...
.


References


External links

* http://www.blowbackproductions.com/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Levin, Marc Film producers from New York (state) People from Maplewood, New Jersey Living people Wesleyan University alumni Film directors from New York City Film directors from New Jersey Film producers from New Jersey Year of birth missing (living people) Directors of Caméra d'Or winners