Abby Ginzberg

What I do

I have been a member of the Board of Directors of the Berkeley Film Foundation since its inception in 2009. I have been producing and directing award-winning documentary films since 1983. My work has focused on character-driven stories, racial and gender discrimination and social justice issues, and has been shown in film/video festivals and broadcast on public television networks nationally and internationally.

Have you been involved with film in your work? If so, how and what was your role?

I produced and directed a one-hour documentary, sponsored by Latino Public Broadcasting entitled CRUZ REYNOSO: SOWING THE SEEDS OF JUSTICE, which is airing on public television this fall. I have been a Consulting Producer on THE BARBER OF BIRMINGHAM, which premiered at Sundance in 2011 and has screened at numerous other festivals and won several best short doc awards. My film, SOUL OF JUSTICE: Thelton Henderson%u2019s American Journey is an award winning documentary which has been featured at film festivals around the country and broadcast on public television stations nationally.

Other recent films include A TALE OF TWO CITIES which won a CINE Golden Eagle award and OPPORTUNITY OF A LIFETIME. Ginzberg has produced numerous award-winning films documenting the successes of programs for at-risk and under served youth that deserve, but rarely get public attention. These films, whose %u201Cstars%u201D include college bound low income students (VANGUARD IN THE VANGUARD), graduates of successful drug court programs(recovering lives, uncovering dreams), and AmeriCorps members (EVERYDAY HEROES). Without her sensitivity and her tenacity, these compelling stories would never be told.


My interest in justice and her efforts to shine a spotlight on important legal themes stems from having started my career as an attorney. After practicing law for 10 years, I switched careers and has produced over 30 films. I have captured the stories of trailblazing women and minority judges and has made more than 10 films about discrimination in the legal profession. I was selected as a 2008 Gerbode Foundation Fellow.

How would you like to work with film in future?

I continue to be interested in film as a tool for social change
and expect to be involved in making and supporting films that seek to remedy inequities, raise consciousness about reconciliation rather than vengeance and serve to inspire younger generations to seek lives committed to the pursuit of social justice.

3 things you've worked on that have done real good in the world

By profiling unsung heroes of the legal profession such as Cruz Reynoso and Thelton Henderson and Mr. James Armstrong, the Barber of Birmingham, I am committed to trying to use film as a means of engaging audiences to become more active in the pursuit of justice in their own lives. All three of these men stood up under difficult circumstances and put their lives on the line for justice. It is my goal that by sharing their stories we encourage others to follow in their footsteps. In addition, in my role on the Berkeley Film Foundation, I have sought to fund important documentaries that will go onto have a positive impact .

People I work with

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  Abby Ginzberg

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