Directed by Joyce Chopra
8 Episodes
Focused on pivotal moments in the lives of women, the films of trailblazing feminist director Joyce Chopra were among the first in American cinema to give authentic expression to the intimate experiences of female adolescence, sexual awakening, and motherhood. Presented in conjunction with the release of Chopra’s candid autobiography “Lady Director: Adventures in Hollywood, Television and Beyond,” this program brings together Chopra’s pioneering work in both documentary and fiction, including the landmark self-portrait JOYCE AT 34 and her unforgettable feature debut, SMOOTH TALK, starring a revelatory Laura Dern in her breakthrough role.
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17:06Episode 1Joyce Chopra Interview
Episode 1
This interview with director Joyce Chopra was recorded in 2020.
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Martha Clarke Light & Dark: A Dancer’s Journal
Episode 2
Directed by Joyce Chopra • 1980 • United States
Starring Félix Blaska, Martha Clarke, Philip GrausmanJoyce Chopra traces one year in the artistic evolution of celebrated choreographer Martha Clarke, offering an intimate window into Clarke’s creative process as she sets out to redefine the bound...
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1:31:53Episode 3Smooth Talk
Episode 3
Directed by Joyce Chopra • 1985 • United States
Starring Laura Dern, Treat Williams, Mary Kay PlaceSuspended between carefree youth and the harsh realities of the adult world, a teenage girl experiences an unsettling awakening in this haunting vision of innocence lost. Based on Joyce Carol Oate...
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51:16Episode 4Gramercy Stories
Episode 4
Directed by Joyce Chopra • 2008 • United States
GRAMERCY STORIES is an inspiring look inside a unique residence in Manhattan that provides a safe home for twenty-five gay and transgender teenagers who have experienced violence at home and on the streets. Told from their candid, often witty persp...
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26:04Episode 5Happy Mother’s Day
Episode 5
Directed by Joyce Chopra and Richard Leacock • 1963 • United States
September 23, 1963, was a happy mother’s day for Mary Ann Fischer when she gave birth to quintuplets in Aberdeen, South Dakota. Only the third such delivery, five babies all at once, medical history in America’s heartland—what b...
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27:53Episode 6Joyce at 34
Episode 6
Directed by Joyce Chopra and Claudia Weill • 1972 • United States
Starring Joyce ChopraIn feminist filmmaker Joyce Chopra’s JOYCE AT 34 (codirected with Claudia Weill, who would later direct the great unsung GIRLFRIENDS), Chopra examines the demands of juggling a baby and a professional career.
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36:53Episode 7Clorae and Albie
Episode 7
Made by Joyce Chopra in 1976 for the Education Development Center in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the program The Role of Women in American Society, CLORAE AND ALBIE focuses on two young Black women who have been best friends since childhood but whose lives are taking different paths.
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30:07Episode 8Girls at 12
Episode 8
Made by Joyce Chopra in 1975 for the Education Development Center in Newton, Massachusetts, as part of the program The Role of Women in American Society, GIRLS AT 12 looks at the lives of three girls growing up near Boston in order to show the complexities of becoming a teenager in the midseventi...
