Q&A: A filmmaker who loves well-trained dogs and Batkid

CONNECT WITH

Become a Facebook fan facebook.com/jewishsf Follow us on Twitter @jewishsf Follow us on Instagram jewishnews_sf Visit our website jweekly.com

THE JEWISH NEWS of Northern California

Happy Hanukkah

TEMPLE BETH HILLEL

TORAH • LIFE • COMMUNITY

801 Park Central (Hilltop exit off I-80) Richmond, CA 94803 510.223.2560 www.tbhrichmond.org

The only synagogue in West Contra Costa

Join us for Hanukkah candle lighting via Zoom at 5:30pm, December 13, 2020 Check our vibrant online activities at tbhrichmond.org

Q&A: A filmmaker who loves well-trained dogs and Batkid

TALKING WITH LIZ HARRIS | CORRESPONDENT

NAME: Dana Nachman AGE: 48 CITY: Los Altos JOB: Filmmaker study. I took Hebrew and I really loved Israel; I had gone there the summer of my freshman year. I finished my majors in my senior year and began taking creative-writing courses, but didn’t know what I could do with that. I became a TV producer on kind of a lark: My dad had a friend who worked at CBS News and I went there and was impressed by a producer. But it was very stressful work. I moved into special projects, investigations and documentaries.

Did you grow up in a religious household?

We lived near Rye, New York, and went to a Reform temple. It was similar to how we are in my current household. My father was involved with United Jewish Appeal and the

Anti-Defamation League, doing a lot of work with refuseniks. We marched a lot.

What temple do you belong to now?

We belong to Congregation Beth Am. One of my kids just had a virtual bar mitzvah on Zoom. It was really lovely. We had a Torah at our house; you go and pick it up [from the synagogue]. That was pretty cool.

Filmmaker Dana Nachman has dived into some heavy topics. The documentaries she has written, directed and produced since 2008 include unflinching accounts of wrongful conviction, families ripped apart by terrorism and individuals fighting companies that produce harmful chemicals. But she began to show a softer side with “Batkid Begins,” an 87-minute, feelgood documentary about a 5-year-old cancer patient who had his wish come true in San Francisco: meeting Batman.

Her 2018 film “Pick of the Litter” is the tale of a litter of pups birthed and trained at Guide Dogs for the Blind in Dana Nachman on the film set of “Pick of the Litter.” San Rafael, following them on their 20-month-quest to become service dogs. The film led to a six-episode docuseries currently available on Disney Plus.

J.: What inspired you to make “Pick of the Litter”?

Dana Nachman: My mom, a retired journalist in New York, had written a newspaper series on guide dogs. In the back of my mind I thought that would make an amazing film. After I made “Batkid Begins,” which is about philanthropy and people coming together to grant this boy his wish, I realized that these kinds of family-positive, inspirational movies were much easier to make in every sense.

What do you think makes “Pick of the Litter,” which has won several film fest awards, so appealing?

It is about disabilities, yet packaged in a film about cuddly dogs. It is also a competition film: Which dogs will make it?

You majored in Middle East studies and international relations in college, and got your master’s degree in broadcast journalism. What led you to filmmaking?

I just thought they were interesting subjects to

Your next film is set for streaming and release in theaters on Dec. 4. “Dear Santa” sounds like a Christmas movie.

I don’t celebrate Christmas, but I like it. “Dear Santa” is about Operation Santa, run by the U.S. Postal Service. The film is about the letters that get sent to Santa Claus every year and what happens to them. At its heart, it delves into poverty in America. I think it’s relevant for anyone to watch.

My movies do have serious underpinnings. My goal? I feel like if I can make you laugh, cry and get chills in one film, then I’m doing the right thing. n