Tamar Halpern

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Tamar Halpern is a writer and director living in Los Angeles. She holds an M.F.A. degree from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.[1]

Career

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Halpern has written and directed ten feature films, including the documentary Llyn Foulkes One Man Band, co-directed with Chris Quilty. Halpern met Foulkes when they were neighbors in Los Angeles, and after becoming friends she cast him in her previous feature film, Your Name Here.[2][3] Llyn Foulkes One Man Band screened in competition at L.A. Film Festival, had an Oscar qualifying theatrical run, and streamed on Netflix[4] for two years before going to Amazon Prime.

Shot over seven years as Foulkes struggles to find acknowledgement in the international art world, The Hollywood Reporter said, "Foulkes is a joy to watch",[5] and Variety compared the film to Searching for Sugar Man and Cutie and the Boxer.[6] With commentary by Dennis Hopper, Johnny Carson, Paul Schimmel and George Herms, the documentary chronicles the execution of two Foulkes paintings The Lost Frontier (1997-2004) and Deliverance (2004-2007). The film also features extended interviews and musical performances of Foulkes' one-man band contraption called "The Machine".

Previous work includes Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life which Halpern adapted from the children's book of the same name by Wendy Mass,[7] starring Mira Sorvino, Joe Pantoliano, Ryan Simpkins, and Michael Urie, with music by Edie Brickell and Sing-Sing. Halpern's feature Shelf Life starred Betsy Brandt of Breaking Bad and was called a "whip-smart film that taps into a fresh source for American comedy" by Variety.[8] Halpern's short comedy Death, Taxes and Apple Juice was invited to 40+ festivals, winning 16 awards including Boston Women in Comedy[9] and L.A. Short Film Festival.[10] Halpern has written and directed five features for Lifetime Network.

Halpern sold her first novel to Diogenes Press in Zurich, which will release in 2023. Called RAD, it is about a teen girl living in the San Fernando Valley and the Bay Area in the 1980’s. Halpern's short story, "The House Where the Grifters Squat," was written during a funded writing residency at Hedgebrook,[11] and was first published in Joyland before winning the Sundress Publications' Best of the Net Award.[12] Halpern is also a contributor to the Huffington Post.[13]

A nominated Film Expert for American Film Showcase[14] and the US Dept. of Education, Halpern has taught directing, screenwriting and documentary filmmaking in Amman, Jordan to locals as well as Syrian refugees and is a visiting screenwriting professor at USC. She has written and directed commercials and digital campaigns for Amazon, DPS, Visa, EventBrite, Pepsi, YSL and Armani, among others, has a background in interactive multimedia and is a founder of the internet startup CitySearch. She holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism and an MFA in Film Production, both from USC. Her son is the composer Jordan Halpern Schwartz and her mother is the artist Abigail Gumbiner.

Personal life

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Halpern is Jewish, and her grandfather was a rabbi who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and was arrested twice for marching.[15]

References

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  15. ^ "Wake Up White Writers! When underlying racism sneaks into our work" Halpern, Tamar. Huffington Post. Published January 19, 2016. Updatede January 17, 2017. Accessed March 20, 2022.
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