Alfred Geist Zantzinger (April 6, 1936 – February 16, 2007) was an American documentary filmmaker specializing in documentaries about traditional musics of the world. He directed and produced films about the musics of

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi ...

Zimbabwe Zimbabwe (), officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country located in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the south-west, Zambia to the north, and ...

, Cape Verde, Lesotho,

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

, and

Brittany Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica during the period ...

. He was the grandson of noted Philadelphia architect

Clarence C. Zantzinger Clarence Clark Zantzinger (1872-1954) was an architect and public servant in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Life Clarence was born in Philadelphia, the son of Alfred Zantzinger (1839-1873) and Sarah Crawford Clark. Alfred was a medical doctor who was ...

. He graduated from

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its capita ...

and earned bachelor's and master's degrees in folklore and anthropology from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universitie ...

. Zantzinger began making films in southern Africa in 1966, while a Ph.D. candidate in the folklore/folklife program at the University of Pennsylvania. He studied film with

Sol Worth Sol Worth (August 19, 1922 in New York City – August 29, 1977) was a painter, photography and visual communication scholar. His parents, Ida and Jacob Wishnepolsky, were Russian immigrants who worked in the garment industry and were active membe ...

at the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School of Communications. Zantzinger also worked as a record producer. He lived in Devault,

Chester County, Pennsylvania Chester County (Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Tscheschter Kaundi''), colloquially known as Chesco, is a county in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is located in the Delaware Valley region of the state. As of the 2020 census, the population was 53 ...

, where his production company, Constant Spring Productions, was based. He died of

leukemia Leukemia ( also spelled leukaemia and pronounced ) is a group of blood cancers that usually begin in the bone marrow and result in high numbers of abnormal blood cells. These blood cells are not fully developed and are called ''blasts'' or ...

on February 16, 2007, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. His memorial service was held at the University of Pennsylvania Museum at 6 p.m. on April 6, 2007.Alfred Geist "Gei" Zantzinger
(obituary). Legacy.com, retrieved online February 23, 2019.

Filmography (includes country filmed in)

* 1971 - ''KUR'' * 1973 - ''MADA'' (Mozambique) * 1973 - ''DEIVIS QDE LAINA'' (Mozambique) * 1973 - ''ONE PIECE 4EVA'' * 1974 - ''

Ola Belle Reed Ola Belle Reed (August 18, 1916 – August 16, 2002) was an American folk singer, songwriter and banjo player. Early life Reed was born Ola Wave Campbell in the unincorporated town of Grassy Creek, Ashe County, North Carolina, to Arthur Camp ...

: Memories'' * 1978 - ''Urban and Rural Ceremonies '' (Zimbabwe) * 1978 - ''Matepe dza Mhondoro: A Musical Healing Party'' (Zimbabwe) * 1978 - ''Dambatsoko: An Old Cult Center'' (Zimbabwe) * 1978 - ''Karanga Songs in Christian Ceremonies'' (Zimbabwe) * 1978 - ''The Technique of the Mbira dza Vadzimu'' (Zimbabwe) * 1978 - ''Religion at the Family Level'' (Zimbabwe) * 1980 - ''The Chopi Timbila Dance'' (Mozambique) * 1980 - ''Ndando Yawusiwana'' * 1981 - ''Audrey Bronson'' * 1984 - ''Songs of the Badius'' (Cape Verde) * 1985 - ''Songs of the Adventurers'' (Lesotho) *1990 - ''SUSUMU - A Tone Poem in Three Movements'' *1994 - ''A Spirit Here Today: A Scrapbook of Chopi Village Music'' (Mozambique; filmed in 1973 but not edited until 1994) *1999 - ''Of Pipers & Wrens/De Souffle et de Roseau'' (Brittany)

Notes

External links

Gei Zantzinger obituary
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zantzinger, Gei 1936 births 2007 deaths American documentary filmmakers Deaths from leukemia University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences alumni Deaths from cancer in Pennsylvania Westminster School (Connecticut) alumni Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania alumni