New article on some of last years work on the ICQuartely. The article sites me with a producer credit on Splitting Hairs, which is inaccurate and is of course the ever-awesome Stone Roberts, but thanks for telling some of my tales!“At IC, Jesse Zook Mann ’02 and other students worked on a documentary about Ithaca’s Southside Community Center with former cinema professor Simon Tarr. Mann still finds neighborhoods intriguing as subject matter: “My primary focus,” he says, “is on community storytelling and making short fundraising documentaries for nonprofits.” Of the latter, he has shot about 10.

Last year Mann finished a 23-minute film on the Samish Indian Nation in Anacoutes, Washington, which in the 1970s had lost its recognition as an Indian nation—meaning that its members were stripped of their fishing rights, autonomous governance, and land rights—and was only recently re-recognized by the federal government. Members of the nation are dispersed throughout the United States, so the goal of the film was to tell the politically-charged story and introduce their culture to viewers.

Mann followed up the film with another on the cooking rituals of the Samish people. Fundraising trailers for nonprofits include Angels without Wings, on a successful gang rescue program in Allentown, Pennsylvania, that Mann is now working to make into his first feature-length film. He likes to do political and cultural docs, and the nonprofits for which he has worked reflect those interests: Long Island Free Space, a community center for radical politics that offers free education; and the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network.”read more here at ithaca.edu.

Hello Friends!

Though glazed over sleep-deprived eyes I write you upon my stateside return from an adventure of a lifetime in Germany, shooting for the film “Splitting Hairs” the story of the World Beard and Mustache Championships. The shoot was a great success that brought me through 4 countries, many Medieval towns, ending with the perhaps the most seductively bizarre event I’ve ever attended.

Those news savvy Seattleites have already caught the cover story for our movie Paul Alien in the business section in the Seattle PI this past Monday but for those in the dark a direct link can be found at:

PA PI Article
PA PI Article 2

November tenth the Wonderland Project will air on PBS (KCTS Seattle) at 9pm. That was the one where I desperately tried to run after two insane world class runners breaking the record running around Mount Rainer. Lots of good drama and unreal athleticism from this Riley Morton production should keep you tuned.

I hope to see all you locals at the Trial reunion tomorrow night at Neumo’s to pay respect to Seattle’s best hardcore band of all time. I can’t wait to hang out will all of the NY kids who flew out for the show.

Thanks everyone, Until next time, I hope all your dreams come true, Save one, Big Love,

Jesse

“Pratap Chatterjee’s cameraman spots his prey: two well-dressed men sitting on a bench, eating ice cream by the Brooklyn waterfront. Mr. Chatterjee pounces. He approaches the men and convinces them to do a quick television interview…” Check out a fair use screen shot here. For educational use only.