Allie Light
2021In the Shadow of the Stars
Irving Saraf, Allie Light
A hilarious and affectionate look at the path to stardom inside the competitive world of opera. Filmmakers Allie Light and Irving Saraf relegate the divas to the background and focus on a limelight-craving group of "choristers" -- the seldom-noticed singers who stand behind the soloists portraying peasants, soldiers and slaves.
In the Shadow of the Stars
Possum Trot - The Life and Work of Calvin Black 1903-1972
Irving Saraf, Allie Light
Calvin Black was a folk artist who lived in California's Mojave Desert and created more than 80 life-size female dolls, each with its own personality, function, and costume. He also built the "Bird Cage Theater," where the dolls perform and sing in voices recorded by the artist. The film works on two levels. One is the documentation of the artist's legacy and commentary on women: grotesque female figures moving in the desert wind and the theater with its frozen "actresses," protected by his widow from a world she views as hostile. The other is the re-creation of the artist's vision through the magic of film, as the camera enables the dolls to move and sing and brings theater to life as the artist imagined it.
Possum Trot - The Life and Work of Calvin Black 1903-1972
The Sermons of Sister Jane: Believing the Unbelievable
Irving Saraf, Allie Light
When Sister Jane Kelly discovers sexual molestation and thievery, she carries her battle all the way to Rome creating a scandal; this leads her to debunk church teachings on birth control, homosexuality, married priests and virgin birth and become a champion for the poor. Her courage, wit and humanity shine throughout the film.
The Sermons of Sister Jane: Believing the Unbelievable
The Angel That Stands By Me
Allie Light
Minnie Evans is the embodiment of the visionary artist. She is an African American painter of Wilmington, N.C., who has created a world of mythical animals, religious symbols and natural beauty. The film explores the sources of Minnie Evans' art--Airlie Garden, with its magnificent azaleas and swans, where Minnie worked as a gate keeper for 27 years and where she did most of her paintings. Angel That Stands By Me is part of the "Visions of Paradise" series on contemporary folk artists directed and produced by Irving Saraf and Allie Light.
The Angel That Stands By Me
