about

Daniel J. Chalfen

Daniel J. Chalfen is a New York-based producer, specializing in documentary films that give voices to the unheard and images to the unseen. He produces and consults for provocative, compelling, socially conscious, and visually powerful non-fiction features, television series and specials, educational programs, news and current affairs programs, and digital media content.

Chalfen's latest documentaries include the feature-length films Meeting Resistance (A Nine Lives Documentary Films Production, distributed by First Run Features); Encounter Point (A Just Vision Production, distributed by Typecast Releasing); 39 Pounds of Love (An HBO Cinemax/Hey Jude Production, distributed by Goldcrest International); and Pulled from the Rubble (A Beguiled Eye Production); and the television series Ordinary People (A Radical Media/Noga Communications Production, distributed by Solid Entertainment & Cinephil) and Happy France (An Arte/Camera Lucida Production). He has also produced and directed programming for NGOs, including Ability Awareness and the Natural Resources Defense Council and online videos for georgesoros.com, amandacongdon.com, and environmentalcountdown.org

Chalfen's films have been shown in festivals across the globe, have been theatrically released and broadcast worldwide (including on HBO, CBC, Al Arabiyya, ARTE and ZDF), have featured on CNN, ABC, PBS, and Al Jazeera, and have received a multitude of awards and accolades.

Chalfen endeavors to combine his filmmaking with political and social action. His films have been screened at the United Nations (New York); the UNHCR Headquarters (Geneva); the Frontline Club (London); the Royal College of Defense Studies (London), the War Crimes Tribunal (The Hague); the United States Institute of Peace (Washington, DC); for Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and on University campuses across the US. Chalfen also lectures about making films that can make a difference.

Chalfen has also worked in positions including Producer, Line Producer, Location Producer and Production Manager on travel series, behind-the-scenes shows, and news and current affairs programs.

Chalfen is a founder of Cine-Peace Film Festival, Los Angeles; an Advisory Committee Member of the Other Israel Film Festival, NY; and a member of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). He has also consulted on development, media and outreach for many international NGOs and non-profits including the Spirit of Youth Foundation, the Center for Jewish Arab Economic Development, Parents' Circle (The Association of Bereaved Parents in the Middle East), the Southern California Israel Chamber of Commerce, and Creativity for Peace.

Chalfen is a graduate of UCLA's School of Cinema, Television, and Theater, Los Angeles, (Professional Certificate in Producing); the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel (MA Israeli Politics and Society); and the University of Leeds, England (BA (Honours) Politics and Religious Studies).