David Fenster Plus

User Bio

I make all kinds of films, but lately I have been making a lot of documentary portraits, inspired in part by the writings of Studs Terkel and John McPhee:

Studs
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Studs_Terkel
McPhee
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_mcphee

These documentary portraits are generally about work, or an intense enthusiasm for a particular endeavor, or a mixture of the two. “Wood”, the first portrait I made in 2006, is about the men who work at a sawmill in Oregon, “The Livelong Day” is about a model railroad club in San Diego.

"Wood"
vimeo.com/9388444
"The Livelong Day"
vimeo.com/9346165

I decided this past summer that instead of seeking out subjects for these videos, I would rely on chance encounters. When I came across a person or place that evoked my curiosity, I would ask to spend a couple days with them, recording what they do as well as our conversations. I see this as an ongoing project, documenting individuals and locations that are portals to a more interesting and mysterious world than the one I already know.

"Smog Check"
vimeo.com/9396263
"Dr.Bob Cummings"
vimeo.com/8826474
"Art Foundry"
vimeo.com/4540382

While I was a graduate student at the California Institute of the Arts, I made a feature length fiction film called "Trona", that you can't watch here but you can watch on demand at iTunes or Netflix or Amazon.

Thanks for watching my films and please let me know what you think of them.