James Wentzy is known as an
AIDS activist and documentary filmmaker associated with
ACT UP throughout the 1990s.
Biography
Wentzy was born October 21, 1952, in
Brookings, South Dakota
Brookings is a city in Brookings County, South Dakota, United States. Brookings is South Dakota's fourth largest city, with a population of 23,377 at the 2020 census. It is the county seat of Brookings County, and home to South Dakota State Un ...
, and moved to
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
after graduating the Southern Illinois University film program in 1976.
Early on in his New York life Wentzy worked as a film cinematographer for the porn industry, then later as a printer for various photographers. In 1990 he was diagnosed with HIV. That year he joined
ACT UP. His participation in ACT UP consists of angry, raw, and thorough coverage mostly consisting of unedited shots with addition of activist interviews who cover the topics discussed in the show.
He has been a producer and director for
DIVA TV
Diva TV was a British TV channel owned by Universal Networks International, which launched on Sky in the UK and Ireland on channel 269 at midday on 1 October 2007.
Despite having quite a varied schedule upon launch, the channel's programming de ...
since 1991, and is also a video archivist
for the Estate Project's AIDS Activist Video Preservation Project for the
New York Public Library. ''
Fight Back, Fight AIDS'' was his first feature-length documentary.
[ Wentzy's goal within DIVA TV was to create a "national media network devoted to reflecting the struggles, needs and state of mind of people affected by AIDS."
He served as cinematographer on the 2012 documentary film about ACT UP, '' United in Anger: A History of ACT UP''.]
References
External links
James Wentzy papers
Manuscripts and Archives Division, The New York Public Library.
Southern Illinois University alumni
1952 births
HIV/AIDS activists
Living people
People from Brookings, South Dakota
American documentary filmmakers
Film directors from New York City
People with HIV/AIDS
Film directors from South Dakota
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