Lynne Littman
| Lynne Littman | |
|---|---|
| Born |
June 26, 1941 New York City, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Film director, producer |
| Spouse(s) | Taylor Hackford (m. 1977–87) |
| Children | 1 |
Lynne Littman (born June 26, 1941) is an American film and television director and producer.
Her best known work is Testament (1985) and she has won several awards including an Academy Award for her documentary short film Number Our Days (1976).
Littman was born June 26, 1941 in New York City. She attended Music & Art High School) and Sarah Lawrence College, and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. She also studied at The Sorbonne, Paris, from 1960 to 1961.
Littman began her career in the industry by working as a secretary for WNET (New York). In the following years she worked at a number of freelance jobs in different areas of film. It was until the 1970s when she began working for National Education Television. It is here that she began to explore her future in of film journalism.
Commonly she worked with Mort Silverstein, who was known for having a passion for hard hitting news practices. Together they made a follow up documentary to Edward R. Murrow’s Harvest of Shame, named What Harvest for the Reaper. She would go on to make several award winning documentary shorts including The Matter of Kenneth (1973). Her most notable short documentary film was Number Our Days (1983), which was based on the field work of anthropologist Barbara Myerhoff, this film would win her an Academy Award in 1977.
Littman’s first feature film was Testament (1985), about a family struggling to survive after a nuclear fallout. The film is based on a short story called "The Last Testament" by Carol Amen. Littman had been reading the story with her son, when she had the idea to adapt it. Many had wanted to obtain the film, however Littman had managed to secure the rights first. She immediately went about trying to find money for the film. Eventually, a producer at PBS’ American Playhouse gave her $500,000 for a 60-minute movie that would involve no studio interference. However the budget had to be expanded to $750,000 when the screenwriter turned a script for a 90-minute film which was well-received by all involved. Littman stated how proud she was that the film was completed under budget, yet the editing process had taken five months longer than the standard television film. The film was a success upon release and garnered an Academy Award nomination for the lead actress, Jane Alexander.
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