Tony Zierra, also known as Tony Zierah, is an American director, writer, and producer. He first launched his career in the film industry in 1996 when he directed his first film ‘Invisible Temptation’. He is best-known for directing the 2009 documentary style film ‘My Big Break’, for which he is also credited as a writer. It is about the consequences of fame and the darker side of celebrity. It has received praise for analyzing the effects of stardom on rising stars in Hollywood. Since then, he has continued to make a name for himself as an independent filmmaker. Here are five more things you might not know about Tony Zierra.
1. He Wanted to be a Filmmaker from a Young Age
Just like many others who work in the film industry, Tony Zierra decided he wanted to make films from a young age. To learn various aspects of the film industry, he studied film studies courses at several establishments, including UCLA, New York University, and Texas A & M.
2. He Has Appeared in Three of His Own Films
Although he is best-known as a director, he has actually appeared in three of his own movies. In 2001, he appeared as himself in the documentary film ‘Carving Out Our Name’. He made his next documentary in 2003 and once again appeared as himself. The final film of his own in which he appears is the award-winning documentary ‘My Big Break’.
3. He Has Made a Movie About Stanley Kubrick’s Assistant
His most recent work is a documentary called ‘Filmworker’. This 2017 film is about Leon Vitali who was once a successful British actor. He played the role of Lord Bullingdon in the movie ‘Barry Lyndon’. This was directed by the legendary director Stanley Kubrick. Leon Vitali chose to end his acting career to become the long-term assistant of Kubrick. Tony Zierra had been working on a film called ‘SK13′, which is about Stanley Kubrick’when he met Leon Vitali and decided that his life story should be told in the film ‘Filmworker’.
4. Elizabeth Yoffe is His Producing Partner
Elizabeth Yoffe is Tony Zierra’s producing partner. She is also the head of production for True Story Media. Alongside Zierra, she produced the award-winning documentary ‘My Big Break’. She was also the producer for another of Tony Zierra’s films ‘USA the Movie’. Inspired by her involvement with ‘My Big Break’ and the issues that are covered in this film, she created a website called ‘Yoffe’s Guide to My Big Break’. She is the writer for this site and talks about her observations of fame.
5. He Made a Film Inspired the September 11 Attacks
The events of September 11, 2001, rocked not only America but also the rest of the world. Tony Zierra went on the road to capture the reaction of America to the terrorist attacks that took place and this inspired him to explore further the nature of violence and retaliation. He merged reality with fiction and the resulting work is called ‘USA the Movie’ It was released on video in 2005 and was described as thought-provoking by critics.
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