Grace Paley: Collected Shorts

Lilly Rivlin’s (Gimme a Kiss, SFJFF 2002) intimate documentary is a rich, inspiring portrait of Jewish writer and activist Grace Paley, who passed away in 2007. Paley’s acclaimed first short story collection, The Little Disturbances of Man, established her reputation with its brilliantly sad and funny chronicles of Jewish American urban females much like herself. Paley’s New York tales, filled with an emotional and sexual frankness especially bold at the tail end of the frightened 1950s, soon became classics of the short fiction form. Not content to rest on her laurels, however, Paley combined her evolving literary career with passionate pursuit of her political concerns through the 1960s, 70s and 80s. “Art is too long and life is too short,” wrote the outspoken Paley, “There’s a lot more to do in life than writing.” Indeed, she spent the rest of her life on the front lines of the anti-war and women’s movements, where she endured being arrested time and again. Rivlin’s film confidently juggles all aspects of Paley’s extraordinary story, told in candid recollections and passionate readings by Paley herself, along with fond remembrances by literary critics, family and writer-friends Allan Gurganas and Alice Walker. Throughout, Grace Paley: Collected Shorts casts an important and penetrating light on a brilliant and highly principled woman who constantly reinvented both her life and art.

Lilly Rivlin, a seventh generation Jerusalemite, trained as a plitical scientist at the University of California, Berkeley. She has worked as a consultant, journalist, writer, filmmaker both internationally and in the U.S. FILMMAKING Rivlin's film credits include writer/director/producer of three independent documentaries, GIMME A KISS (2000), MIRIAM'S DAUGHTER'S NOW (1986) and THE TRIBE (1984), shown on PBS, and Israeli and Italian TV; WE'RE STILL HERE !- The Jews of Russian and Ukraine (1999). I BELONG ELSEWHERE, TAMIR, A ONE WOMAN PLAY (1987) Her other credits include Associate Producer of EXPULSION AND MEMORY, a Canadian production about the Secret Jews, (1995) and FULL CIRCLE, a film about women on kibbutzim. (1995) She was Associate Producer/writer/resercher of IF NOT NOW WHEN, PEACE NOW, (1998) and producer/interviewer of several segments of Israel T.V.'s 18-part series on the historyof Zionism, PILLARS OF FIRE. (1983) She developed/researched/wrote, THE JEWS, a 13-part TV series, for David Puttnam and Sandy Lieberson, in London. (1970-72). Consultant, research and interview credits include ISRAEL: A NATION IS BORN, a 5-part series on Israel with Abba Eban (1990) and JEWS & THE DIASPORA, a BBC film. Co-editor and contributor, WHICH LITITH? FEMINIST WRITERS RE-CREATE THE WORLD'S FIRST WOMAN, Jason Aronson, 1998. WHEN WILL THE FIGHTING STOP? A Child's View of Jerusalem, a photographic essay, Athenaeum, NY, 1990. Author, WELCOME TO ISRAEL, (a children's book) Behrman House Press, 2000. Her writing and reserch credits include principle researcher on the best seller O JERUSALEM by Larry Collins and Dominque Lapierre, Simon and Schuster, 1972. Among the publications she has written for are NEWSWEEK, MS. MAGAZINE, THE WASHINGTON POST, LEAR'S and US Magazine. SCRITP WTITING NO TIES, a feature film, finalist in the Sundance Institute and the Eugene O'Neill Playwright Conference, twice optioned to Hollywood producers. (1984-86) revised, 1998 PUSHING THROUGH, a play which toured U.S. and England. Dramaturg and dialougue. (1991-94) FEELING GOOD, a feature film. Belle Starr Productions. (1976) MYSHKIN, a feature film. Commissioned by Dawasaki-Dronge. (1973) CONSULTANT and VISTING PRESENTER Arab-Israeli co-existence projects; Gender issues; Socio Drama/Conflict Resolution