Eric Daniel Metzgar is a filmmaker who lives and works in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...
.
Metzgar's documentary titled ''
Reporter'' (2009) chronicles New York Times journalist
Nick Kristof's 2007 voyage to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film includes an interview with former Congolese rebel leader
Laurent Nkunda
Laurent Nkunda (or Laurent Nkundabatware Mihigo (birth name), or Laurent Nkunda Batware, or as he prefers to be called The Chairman; born February 2, 1967) is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is ...
and other key players in the Congolese power struggle. ''Reporter'' premiered at the 2009
Sundance Film Festival. It was broadcast on
HBO and nominated for an
Emmy Award in the category of "Outstanding Informational Programming -- Long Form". He shot and edited the film as well. Actor
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...
was one of a few producers.
Metzgar's second documentary film, ''
Life. Support. Music.'', premiered at the 2008
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. ''Life. Support. Music.'' tells the story of Jason Crigler, a New York-based guitarist who in 2004 suffered a brain injury, and tracks his recovery. The film features interviews with
Norah Jones
Norah Jones (born Geethali Norah Jones Shankar; March 30, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. She has won several awards for her music and as of 2012, has sold more than 50 million records worldwide. ''Billboard'' named her the ...
,
Marshall Crenshaw
Marshall Howard Crenshaw (born November 11, 1953) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and guitarist best known for hit songs such as " Someday, Someway," a US top 40 hit in 1982, " Cynical Girl," and " Whenever You're on My Mind." He ...
,
Teddy Thompson
Teddy Thompson (born 19 February 1976) is an English folk and rock musician. He is the son of folk rock musicians Richard and Linda Thompson and brother of singer Kamila Thompson. He released his first album in 2000.
Biography
Teddy Thompson ...
and others. ''Life. Support. Music.'' won many awards on the film festival circuit, including the Enel Cuore Award for Best Social Documentary at the 2008 Rome International Film Festival, and the Audience Choice award at the 2008
Independent Film Festival of Boston
The Independent Film Festival Boston is a not for profit film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.
History
The Independent Film Festival Boston (also known as IFFBoston or IFFB) was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization the Independent ...
. The film was broadcast as part of the
P.O.V.
''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''.
''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...
series on
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 educat ...
. Metzgar edited and shot the film as well.
Metzgar's debut film, a
documentary entitled ''
The Chances of the World Changing'', which he directed, produced, shot and edited, premiered at the 2006
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The film documents two years in the life of Richard Ogust, a man struggling to save over a thousand endangered turtles and tortoises from extinction. ''The Chances of the World Changing'' screened at film festivals, won several awards and was nominated for a 2007
Independent Spirit Award
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
in the
"Axium Truer than Fiction" category. It also aired on
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 educat ...
as part of the
P.O.V.
''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''.
''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...
series in 2007.
Metzgar edited and executive produced ''Give Up Tomorrow'', directed by Michael Collins and produced by Marty Syjuco. ''Give Up Tomorrow'' won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
. It also won a Special Jury Prize at the festival for Best New Director and was nominated for an
Emmy Award for Best Investigative Journalism in 2013. The film also won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest), short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival (SIDF), is an international documentary festival and Marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England.
The Festival includes film sc ...
. The film was broadcast on
POV in 2012.
Metzgar produced and edited ''Crime + Punishment'' (directed by Stephen Maing). The film tracks whistleblower cops in the NYPD. It premiered at the 2018
Sundance Film Festival, winning the Grand Jury Award for “Social Impact". The film was broadcast on
Hulu and won an
Emmy Award for “Outstanding Social Issue Documentary". The film made the “shortlist” for the Academy Awards.
Metzgar co-edited ''
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...
'' with director
David Osit
David Osit (born May 6, 1987) is an American documentary filmmaker, editor and composer. His documentaries include ''Mayor'' and ''Thank You for Playing''.
Life and career
Osit was raised in the suburbs of New York City in Tuckahoe (village), ...
. The film follows
Musa Hadid, the Christian mayor of
Ramallah in Palestine, during his second term in office. The film premiered at the 2020
True/False Film Festival. It was named one of the best films of 2020 by The New York Times, IndieWire, The Boston Globe, Vulture, Paste, Vox and The Playlist.
Metzgar also directed, shot and edited ''A Film about Animals (for my children to watch when they are older),'' a short documentary about the illegal wildlife trade in Cambodia. The film won Best Short at the
International Wildlife Film Festival The International Wildlife Film Festival is a film festival held annually at the Roxy Theater in Missoula, Montana
Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a ...
, Best Short at the
Planet in Focus Environmental Film Festival, and Best Short at the Animal Film Festival.
In 2008, Metzgar completed a short first-person documentary titled ''Beholder'', as part of the International Documentary Challenge. The film won the Documentary Challenge's "Original Vision Award," and also won "Best Writing" and "Best Use of First Person".
Metzgar also writes screenplays and directs music videos. In 2015, Metzgar completed his fictional feature debut, titled "For the Coyotes,"
which he wrote and directed. The film stars
James Carpenter and Josh Schell.
References
External links
*
Merigold Moving Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzgar, Eric Daniel
Living people
American film directors
American film producers
American male screenwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)