Howl

Rob Epstein, also credited as Robert P. Epstein , is an American director, producer, writer and editor. Epstein has won two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature, for the films The Times of Harvey Milk and Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. In making the transition to scripted narrative,... Epstein wrote, directed, and produced , the feature film Howl, starring James Franco as young Allen Ginsberg. Howl was the opening night film of the 2010 Sundance Film Festival, and in the official competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. Howl won the 2010 Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. Epstein is the recipient of numerous other awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the International Documentary Association's Pioneer Award for his contributions to the field, as well as the Outfest Achievement Award and the Frameline Film Festival Award. As a child, Epstein had a painting studio set up in the basement of his suburban New Jersey home, but it was not until he discovered filmmaking that he found his artistic career.
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Jeffrey Friedman is a non-fiction filmmaker, director, producer, writer and editor. Friedman has won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for the film Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt. Friedman has been making films with Rob Epstein since 1987, when they formed the production... company Telling Pictures in San Francisco, California. Together they wrote, directed, and co-produced HOWL , starring James Franco as the poet Allen Ginsberg, featuring Jon Hamm, David Strathairn, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeff Daniels, Alessandro Nivola, Treat Williams, and Bob Balaban. HOWL, which was executive produced by Gus Van Sant, premiered on opening night at the Sundance Film Festival, followed by the Berlin and London International Film Festivals. It was released theatrically and on home video by Oscilloscope Laboratories in the U.S. and internationally by The Match Factory. HOWL received a 2011 Freedom of Expression Award from the National Board of Review. Friedman & Epstein's first film together was Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt, inspired by the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt.
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