MICHAEL BLACKWOOD

BLACKWOOD--Michael. Documentary filmmaker Michael Blackwood died peacefully at his home in Manhattan on February 24 at the age of 88. He began his prolific career at NBC television in 1957 and founded his own company, now called Michael Blackwood Productions, nine years later. Pursuing his goal to create a permanent record of significant cultural figures in their own lifetimes, he produced and directed over 150 films. Rooted in a tradition of no frills, American cinema verite, Michael graciously emboldened his subjects to speak for themselves, with scant if any narration or extraneous music as embellishments. His timing and prescient choice of subjects were often well in advance of their broader public recognition. Garnering numerous awards and honors, his body of work mirrored the qualities that Michael so elegantly embodied: intelligence, modesty, and discretion. He has left behind a rich legacy of invaluable primary source material, now managed by his son, Benjamin. Among his many and diverse subjects were visual artists Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston, Roy Lichtenstein and Andy Warhol, composers, choreographers performing artists Laurie Anderson, Philip Glass, Tania Leon and Thelonious Monk, and architects Tadao Ando, Frank Gehry and Zaha Hadid. A refugee from Nazi Germany, Michael, whose family name was originally Schwarzwald, was born in 1934 in Breslau, today Wroclaw, Poland. Two years later, the family moved to Berlin. Thanks to the determination of his mother, he and his younger brother Christian (1942-1992), as well as their father, all survived the war, finally securing papers and immigrating to New York City in 1949. In addition to his son Benjamin, he is survived by his wife of 45 years, Nancy Rosen, as well as two children from his previous marriage, Daniel and Katherine, and six grandchildren. Anyone wishing to make a donation in Michael's honor consider the Harvard Film Archive, President & Fellows of Harvard College - note Harvard Film Archive Gift Fund - by mail at Harvard University, PO Box 419209, Boston, MA 02241-9209, or the Mark Morris Dance for PD (https://danceforparkinsons org/support-us/).