Bio:
JONATHAN KALAFER (director, producer, educator) A respected and innovative educator,
he developed and teaches a digital music and video production program at Dickinson High
School in Jersey City, New Jersey. An advocate for the digital arts in education his work
has served as a model for other teachers and he has set up digital media labs and
workshops in half a dozen schools and youth organizations in New York and New Jersey
and have been acknowledged by the George Lucas Educational Foundation in their
magazine Edutopia. These digital media labs run curriculum that he has designed that use
audio and video production software as a means to engage at-risk students in a creative
way, develop literacy skills, and serve as a springboard for study across the curriculum.
Examples of his students’ work can be seen at www.vimeo.com/njpictures
He makes film for the same reason he teaches to perpetuate the learning/teaching cycle
and effect change in the world. He entered the documentary film world in 2004 as an
intern on the Academy Award® nominated Sister Rose''''''''s Passion (2004). Sister Rose''''''''s
Passion won the Best Documentary Short award at the Tribeca Film Festival®. Jonathan
produced the documentary "Diary of Immaculee" (2006) which made the official shortlist
for an Academy Award® nomination and was part of the One X One program at The
Toronto International Film Festival®. Jonathan moved into the director''''''''s chair for "We Love
You" (2009) a documentary about a large counter-culture group known as The Rainbow
Family of Living Light. Jonathan is Steve Kalafer''''''''s eldest son.
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