Films

SUZANNE  BAUMAN Director – Producer – Writer – Editor

Selected Filmography:

AGAINST WIND AND TIDE: A CUBAN ODYSSEY Producer, Editor

Documentary feature tracing the Mariel boatlift from Cuba to Florida, and capturing the epic proportions of the event. Academy Award Nomination, Columbia DuPont Award

LA BELLE ÉPOQUE  Producer, Director, Writer

Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Diana Vreeland, Barbara Cartland, Erte, Lord Carnarvon and others provide a witty history of a time when people believed the “beautiful era” would last forever, until the myth was shattered by World War I. Produced for ABC and The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Academy Award of Special Merit.  70 minutes

LIGHT OF THE GODS  Producer, Director, Writer

Evolution of art and thought in ancient Greece from the Dark Age following the Trojan War to the Golden Age of Pericles. Narrated by Colleen Dewhurst. Produced for the National Gallery of Art. Golden Athena, Athens Film Festival

SPIRIT CATCHER: THE ART OF BETYE SAAR  Producer, Director, Editor

The assemblages and collages of California artist Betye Saar have the power of spiritual awakening and strong political commentary. 
American Film Festival, CINE Golden Eagle

THE EIGHTEENTH CENTURY WOMAN  Producer, Director

“Women reigned then – the revolution dethroned them.” Women of the ruling class in Europe held a degree of power not seen again until modern times. Produced by ABC Arts and Entertainment and The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

THE WOMEN OF SUMMER  Producer, Director, Writer

Feature documentary about Bryn Mawr Summer School for Women Workers, whose students share a vision of hope for social progress through education. Features folksingers Holly Near and Ronnie Gilbert. NEH Grant Award Film.  San Francisco Festival First Prize, Melbourne Festival

SULEYMAN THE MAGNIFICENT  Producer, Director, Writer

Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire. Narrated by Sir Ian McKellen. Produced for The Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. World wide multi-award winner.

SHADOW OF AFGHANISTAN  Producer, Co-Director, Editor

Epic history of a country ravaged by war, from the Soviet invasion in 1979 to the present, while throughout the tragedy the Afghan people maintain an indomitable will to survive.

Premiered Tribeca Film Festival, IDFA, New Zealand   101 minutes.

WATER WARS Producer, Writer, Editor

Water Wars: When Drought, Flood and Greed Collide tells the story of this land at war with not only rising seas, but devastating floods and droughts — from India’s dams dumping their excess in the wet season and siphoning off river water in the dry season. And as Bangladesh sees less and less river water during the dry season, it is forced to dig deeper for more wells, encountering arsenic poisoning that is filling hospitals and graveyards.

MERCHANTS AND MASTERPIECES  Producer, Director, Writer

Epic chronicle tracing the journeys of legendary American collectors – J.P.Morgan, Havemeyer, the Rockefellers – whose collections are at the core of The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s holdings. Filmed on location in France, Spain, Mexico, Egypt and the U.S.  90 minutes.

THE ARTIST WAS A WOMAN  Producer, Director, Writer

A rediscovery of women painters from the Renaissance to modern times. Narrated by Jane Alexander. National Endowment for Humanities Grant Award Film, National Women in Radio and Television Award, American Film Festival.  One hour.

ART OF THE WESTERN WORLD: IN OUR OWN TIME Producer, Director, Writer

Concluding program on the history of western art, from World War II to the present. Filmed in Europe and the U.S. for PBS and England’s Channel 4. Hosted by Michael Wood.

CUBA IN THE SHADOW OF DOUBT  Producer, Writer, Editor  

History of Cuban-American relations features exclusive interview with Fidel Castro who provides insight into the evolution of his political thought. Narrated by Raul Julia. CPB award, PBS premiere.Golden Hugo Award winner Chicago Film Festival.

JACK HANNA’S ANIMAL ADVENTURES  Executive Producer, Director – 65 Episodes

Nationally syndicated documentary series on animals and conservation, filmed around the world, on location in the USA, Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia, and South America. Hosted by America’s favorite zookeeper.

JACKIE: BEHIND THE MYTH  Producer, Director, Writer

Highly acclaimed documentary special about the life and accomplishments of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. PBS. International best-seller. Two hours.

JOHN F. KENNEDY Supervising Editor

The definitive biography of the President produced by Guggenheim Productions for the Kennedy Memorial Library. Footage gathered from around the world.

MAYA  Director, Writer

In creating a portrait of MAYA, Hindu Goddess of Illusion, using a beautiful young model, a middle-aged sculptor provokes the wrath of his mentally unstable wife and is forced to face the illusions of his own life. Stars Alison Elliot.  AFI Directing Workshop for Women.

THE FATHER  Producer, Editor

Chekhov adaptation set in New York City, about an old man who can’t find anyone to tell that his son has just died. Stars Burgess Meredith, Bruce Davison.  AFI Grant. Atlanta Festival, Chicago Festival, American Film Festival awards.

THE VEVER AFFAIR  Producer, Director, Writer

Stacy Keach tells the detective story of a great collection of Islamic art lost in World War II, rediscovered fifty years later in a New York warehouse. Filmed in New York, London, Paris and the U.S. for Smithsonian World and PBS.  One hour.

THE WAY OF THE WARRIOR  Producer, Director, Editor

A father takes his son on a journey to rediscover their Native American roots in the desert southwest near Mesa Verde, where a shaman helps him face his fears of a vision quest. One hour.

THE WRITING CODE Supervising Producer, Director

Landmark miniseries on the nature and history of writing from cuneiform to the internet, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the National Science Foundation. “The Greatest Invention,” “The Art and the Craft,” “The Literate Society” premiered on PBS. 3 hours.

MALIBU THEATER-BY-THE-SEA Producer, Director

Supervised development of the theater company.  Presented “Prisoners of War,” a new play by George Wolfe; Shakespeare’s “Othello;” Norman Krasna’s “Bunny;” and Orson Welles’ “Moby Dick Rehearsed.”

SHORTS: 

BUTTON BUTTON, THE CABINET, PORTRAIT OF PAREJA, IN VOGUE

AWARDS and FESTIVALS:

  • Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary Feature
  • Academy Award of Special Merit for Documentary Feature
  • American Film Festival Blue Ribbon, Red Ribbon
  • Golden Athena, Athens Film Festival
  • Gold Hugo Award, Chicago Film Festival
  • First Prize, Nyon Film Festival
  • International Documentary Festival of Amsterdam
  • Chris Awards
  • American Women in Radio and Television Award
  • Women at Work Broadcast Award
  • Women In Film Award
  • Atlanta Film Festival
  • London Film Festival
  • Melbourne Film Festival
  • New Zealand Documentary Festival
  • Sydney Film Festival
  • San Francisco Film Festival
  • Tribeca Film Festival
  • New York International Film Festival
  • CINE Golden Eagle awards

EDUCATION: 

  • B.A. Vassar College, Phi Beta Kappa, Magna Cum Laude
  • M.F.A. New York University Tisch School of the Arts
  • American Film Institute Directing Workshop for Women

MEMBER:     

  • Directors Guild of America
  • Writers Guild of America
  • Women In Film

CONTACT US HERE!