Hollywood's Mermaid: The Esther Williams Story

Team

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  Brian Gersten

  

  Director & Producer

  Team

  

  Brian Gersten

  Director & Producer

  Brian Gersten is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, editor, and teacher based in the Hudson Valley. His films have gone on to screen in ten different countries and at dozens of notable film festivals around the globe. Much of Brian's work can... Read More

  Brian Gersten is an award-winning documentary filmmaker, editor, and teacher based in the Hudson Valley. His films have gone on to screen in ten different countries and at dozens of notable film festivals around the globe. Much of Brian's work can be seen on the likes of PBS, Amazon Prime, Kanopy, and The Atlantic. His films have been written about and featured in Forbes, Film Inquiry, CBS Sunday Morning, and The AV Club. Aside from making films, Brian has also taught filmmaking courses and workshops at Rutgers University, Northwestern University, and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. Show Less

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  Michaela Owens

  Producer & Archival Researcher

  Team

  

  Michaela Owens

  Producer & Archival Researcher

  For most of her life, Michaela Owens has been dedicated to researching, sharing, and watching classic Hollywood cinema. After receiving a BA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University, Michaela went on to earn her master’s, specializing

  ... Read More

  For most of her life, Michaela Owens has been dedicated to researching, sharing, and watching classic Hollywood cinema. After receiving a BA in Communication and Culture from Indiana University, Michaela went on to earn her master’s, specializing in Cinema and Media Studies with a thesis on the star text and career of champion swimmer-turned-movie star Esther Williams. Encompassing such materials as Williams's films and TV work, fan magazines, interviews, and various ephemera, the thesis is a rare deep dive into the entirety of the actress's career and argues for why Williams was such a destabilizing force on and off the screen.

  
  
  

  In addition to her work on Williams, Michaela is the programming and audience development manager for Indiana University Cinema, one of the most prestigious arthouse cinemas in the nation. She was the internal project manager and editor for the book Indiana University Cinema: The New Model—a lavishly illustrated look at the history of the cinema that also features exclusive interviews with such filmmakers as Roger Corman, Meryl Streep, Kevin Kline, and John Waters, plus an afterword from actor Jonathan Banks—and has published over 70 articles for IU Cinema's blog Establishing Shot, as well as a piece on directors Dorothy Arzner and Ida Lupino for the Ryder Magazine.

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