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Joshua Seftel More at IMDb Pro »

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Joshua Seftel's filmmaking has brought him to Romania, Bosnia, South Africa, Costa Rica, Iceland, and across the United States. At age 22, he received his first Emmy nomination for his documentary film Lost and Found (1991) about the plight of Romania's 120,000 orphaned and abandoned children. Made for $2,000, Lost and Found helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars and spurred American adoptions of hundreds of Romanian orphans. Seftel's subsequent films include Old Warrior (1994), Taking on the Kennedys (1996) chosen by Time Magazine as one the ten "Best of the Year," and the HBO film Ennis' Gift (2001), made in memory of Bill Cosby's late son, Ennis. His work has also appeared on Ira Glass' This American Life program, both on public radio and on Showtime. Seftel's award-winning narrative film debut was the sharp, satirical short Breaking the Mold (2003), a success on the American festival circuit that gained him notice as a director of scripted work. His feature film political satire, War, Inc., starring John Cusack, Marisa Tomei, Ben Kingsley, Hilary Duff, and Joan Cusack, was selected to premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival.

Trivia

Attended Tufts University

His stories have appeared on Ira Glass' This American Life and Showtime's This American Life television program.

Writes essays for NPR and Salon.com.

Was TV news producer for Bryant Gumbel, Dan Rather, Steve Hartman, Harry Smith, and Alison Stewart.

Has delivered babies with his obstetrician father, Dr. Lee Seftel.

Was nominated for an Emmy Award at age 22 for his documentary film about Romanian orphans, Lost and Found (1992).

Is NPR fan and made film comedy about the life of NPR librarian Kee Malesky called Breaking the Mold: The Kee Malesky Story (2003).

Made documentary film with Bill Cosby in memory of Cosby's late son Ennis.

His documentary Taking on the Kennedys (1996) was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the ten "Best Television Programs of 1996.".

Alexander Payne, after seeing Seftel's short film comedy Breaking the Mold (2003) at a Seattle film festival, championed Seftel as a feature director.

Lived in Romanian orphanage for weeks to make his documentary film Lost and Found (1992).

Worked in a morgue during college.

Is cousin of children's book author Judy Blume.

The PBS broadcast of his documentary Lost and Found (1992) spurred hundreds of American adoptions of Romanian orphans.

Personal Quotes

On directing John Cusack in War, Inc.: When he would do a scene, he'd nail it in one or two takes, and he'd give me two or three more takes that were slightly different. There was such precision to it, how they were different: Here's one that's slightly funnier; here's one that's slightly more serious; here's one that's slightly more concerned. He had such control over his instrument, his body.

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