Oscar Nominated Gilbert Returns as Visiting Filmmaker
Documentary filmmaker Peter Gilbert first came to the DI as a visiting filmmaker in October of 2006, and much like his films, he was a hit with the students. The overwhelmingly positive reviews earned him a return engagement.
On March 19, DI students will, once again, welcome the chance to meet and learn from distinguished director, producer and cinematographer. Gilbert produced and served as director of photography on the Oscar-nominated Hoop Dreams, a landmark film that revolutionized the documentary scene.
In addition to meeting with DI students, Gilbert will host a public screening of his latest film At the Death House Door.
The screening, which is sponsored by Film in Florida, will take place on Friday, March 20 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. in Gannett Auditorium.
The film is a personal and intimate look at the death penalty in the state of Texas through the eyes of Pastor Carroll Pickett, who served 15 years as the death house chaplain to the infamous “Walls” prison unit in Huntsville and presided over 95 executions, including the world’s first lethal injection.
The film also focuses on the story of Carlos De Luna, a convict Pickett counseled and whose execution troubled him more than any other. Pickett firmly believed De Luna was innocent and the film tracks the investigative efforts of the Chicago Tribune reporters who turned up evidence that strongly supports he was wrongly executed. At the Death House Door is co-directed and co-produced by Gilbert and Hoop Dreams partner Steve James.
Gilbert has had a distinguished career in producing, directing, and photographing documentaries, feature films, commercials, and music videos. In 2004, he premiered the Emmy-nominated With All Deliberate Speed, the first work in the new series “Discovery Docs,” which he co-founded with the Discovery Network. He also recently executive produced the Sundance Festival Grand Jury and Audience award-winning film, The Gods Tired of Us(2005); executive produced the award-winning Deadline (2004), broadcast in prime-time on NBC; and produced and directed A Time for Dancing (2003). His earlier work includes All the Rage(1999); the Emmy Award-winning documentary Vietnam: Long Time Coming (1998)—for which he also won the Directors Guild of America Award for Best Directing—Prefontaine (1997), as cinematographer and producer; Stevie (2002), as co-cinematographer and co-producer; and Married in America (2002), as principal photographer. His cinematography work also includes American Dream(1991). He is a director with Workhorse Media, in Los Angeles; Maysles Films and a member of Kartemquin Films, in Chicago.
