Lance Oppenheim
Lance Oppenheim (born January 26, 1996) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and producer from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He is known for blending cinematic genres to explore the lives of people who create homes in unconventional spaces and places. His debut feature Some Kind of Heaven (2020) was an Official Selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.[1] The film was produced by Darren Aronofsky[2] and The New York Times[3] He is one of the youngest contributors to The New York Times and The Atlantic.[4] [5] [6]
Lance Oppenheim | |
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![]() Oppenheim at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival. | |
Born | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. | January 26, 1996
Alma mater | |
Occupation | Filmmaker |
Years active | 2013–present |
Life
Oppenheim was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and grew up in Southwest Ranches, Florida.
Career
While in high-school, Oppenheim directed several short documentaries, one of which was distributed by PBS.[7] He studied filmmaking in the Visual and Environmental Studies department at Harvard University[8] and graduated in 2019. [9] At Harvard, he lived in Adams House (Harvard College) and directed three acclaimed short documentaries that were distributed by The New York Times Op-Docs. His short The Happiest Guy in the World premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018.[10] Oppenheim was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2019.[9] In his senior year at college, Oppenheim began directing his debut feature Some Kind of Heaven, a documentary exploring life inside The Villages, Florida, as part of his senior thesis.[11] The film premiered a year later at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam to critical acclaim.[12][13] [14]
Filmography
Year | Film | Subject Matter | Comments |
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2012 | The Dogmatic | Animal rescue group-turned-vigilantes | Short documentary |
2013 | Quicksand | Dementia | Short documentary |
2014 | The Off Season | Kahlil Bell, NFL Free Agent | Short documentary |
2016 | Long Term Parking | LAX Parking Lot that is home to airline employees | Short documentary, The New York Times Op-Doc |
2017 | No Jail Time: The Movie | Sentencing videos | Short documentary, The New York Times Op-Doc |
2018 | The Happiest Guy in the World | Mario Salcedo, resident of Royal Caribbean cruises for 20 years | Short documentary, The New York Times Op-Doc, Tribeca Film Festival |
2020 | Some Kind of Heaven | The Villages, Florida | Feature-length documentary; 2020 Sundance Film Festival |
References
- "some-kind-of-heaven". www.sundance.org.
- Carey, Matthew; Carey, Matthew (January 28, 2020). "Darren Aronofsky Returns To Sundance With 'Some Kind Of Heaven', Directed By Gifted Young Protégé With "Tremendous Potential"".
- Setoodeh, Ramin; Setoodeh, Ramin (January 21, 2020). "Why the New York Times Is Getting Into the Documentary Films Business (Exclusive)".
- O’Brien, Kathleen A. (September 7, 2018). "Opinion | Weekend Reads: Spotlight on Our Youngest Contributors" – via NYTimes.com.
- Buder, Emily. "'No Jail Time: The Movie,' Lance Oppenheim: Doug Passon and Sentencing Mitigation Videos - The Atlantic". www.theatlantic.com.
- "The Short List: Lance Oppenheim Interview | Short of the Week".
- https://www.sun-sentinel.com/health/fl-xpm-2013-10-17-fl-southwest-ranches-teen-alzheimer-film-20131017-story.html
- "Harvard filmmaker's documentary in Tribeca spotlight". April 20, 2018.
- Rizov, Vadim. "Lance Oppenheim".
- "Tool Director Lance Oppenheim In Cruise Control At Tribeca". SHOOTonline.
- "Student and alumnus have films premiering at Sundance". January 21, 2020.
- "10 Stunning Feature Debuts That Shook Sundance".
- "'Some Kind of Heaven': Film Review | Sundance 2020". The Hollywood Reporter.
- Harvey, Dennis; Harvey, Dennis (January 31, 2020). "'Some Kind of Heaven': Film Review".