5Q: DANIEL KRAUS / PROFESSOR
Posted by CQ Central
Daniel Kraus
1Q: Tell us a little about the origins of PROFESSOR, from concept to financing.
PROFESSOR is the third film in the Work Series (www.workseries.com), a cycle of cinema verite documentaries about working in America. After making SHERIFF and MUSICIAN, I wanted to do a movie about the labor of the mind, so I tracked down the University of Iowa’s Rabbi Jay Holstein. I remembered him from my undergrad days as angry, hilarious, foul-mouthed, and brilliant. I was pleased to find that not only was he still teaching at age 69, but he had lost none of the fire.
2Q: This is the first festival for your film, and your first audience; how has it been received? Are you looking forward to any other festivals?
I was caught off-guard by the response. Three packed houses (including one that had a lengthy unplanned intermission when a popcorn machine in the lobby caught on fire) and an added Audience Award screening. My documentaries are typically patient, studious affairs that are not everyone’s cup of tea, so it was a lot of fun to see how Holstein’s personality transcended that and exploded the appeal factor. Read more