{{Short description|American film director and writer}} {{Infobox person | name = Tamar Halpern | birth_date = | birth_place = | occupation = Writer, film director | education = University of Southern California (BA, MFA) | known_for = ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'', ''Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life'', ''Shelf Life'' | children = Jordan Halpern Schwartz }} '''Tamar Halpern''' is a writer and director living in Los Angeles. She holds an M.F.A. degree from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://cinema.usc.edu/events/event.cfm?id=14774 |title = USC Visions & Voices}}</ref>
==Career==
Halpern has written and directed ten feature films, including the documentary ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'', co-directed with Chris Quilty. Halpern met Foulkes when they were neighbors in Los Angeles, and after becoming friends she cast him in her previous feature film, ''Your Name Here''.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117938156?refcatid=31 |work = Variety |title=Your Name Here|date = 2 September 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url = http://gawker.com/tamar-halpern/ |work = Gawker| title =Your Name Here}}</ref> ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'' screened in competition at L.A. Film Festival, had an Oscar qualifying theatrical run, and streamed on Netflix<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.netflix.com/title/70285605 |work = Watch on Netflix|title=Llyn Foulkes One Man Band}}</ref> for two years before going to Amazon Prime.
Shot over seven years as Foulkes struggles to find acknowledgement in the international art world, The Hollywood Reporter said, "Foulkes is a joy to watch",<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/llyn-foulkes-one-man-band-573411 |work = Hollywood Reporter |title=Llyn Foulkes One Man Band LAFF Review|date = 21 June 2013 }}</ref> and ''Variety'' compared the film to ''Searching for Sugar Man'' and ''Cutie and the Boxer''.<ref>{{cite web |url =https://variety.com/2013/film/reviews/film-review-llyn-foulkes-one-man-band-1200561200/ |work = Variety |title=Llyn Foulkes One Man Band Film Review|date = 12 July 2013 }}</ref> With commentary by Dennis Hopper, Johnny Carson, Paul Schimmel and George Herms, the documentary chronicles the execution of two Foulkes paintings ''The Lost Frontier'' (1997-2004) and ''Deliverance'' (2004-2007). The film also features extended interviews and musical performances of Foulkes' one-man band contraption called "The Machine".
Previous work includes ''Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life'' which Halpern adapted from the children's book of the same name by Wendy Mass,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://wendymass.com/2011/10/todays-the-day-and-premiere-news/ |first = Wendy|last=Mass|title= Blog}}</ref> starring Mira Sorvino, Joe Pantoliano, Ryan Simpkins, and Michael Urie, with music by Edie Brickell and Sing-Sing. Halpern's feature ''Shelf Life'' starred Betsy Brandt of Breaking Bad and was called a "whip-smart film that taps into a fresh source for American comedy" by Variety.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.variety.com/review/VE1117927303 |work = Variety|title=Shelf Life|date = 4 June 2005}}</ref> Halpern's short comedy ''Death, Taxes and Apple Juice'' was invited to 40+ festivals, winning 16 awards including Boston Women in Comedy<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.brattlefilm.org/2015/04/22/women-in-comedy-festival-film-night/ |work = Brattle Theatre Women in Comedy Festival Film Night| title=Death, Taxes and Apple Juice| date=23 April 2015 }}</ref> and L.A. Short Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web | url = https://www.onedayu.com/events/detail/210 |work = One Day University: Eight Short Films Every Movie Lover Should See| title = Death, Taxes and Apple Juice}}</ref> Halpern has written and directed five features for Lifetime Network.
Halpern sold her first novel to Diogenes Press in Zurich, which will release in 2023. Called RAD, it is about a teen girl living in the San Fernando Valley and the Bay Area in the 1980’s. Halpern's short story, "The House Where the Grifters Squat," was written during a funded writing residency at Hedgebrook,<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.hedgebrook.org/alumnae.php |title = Hedgebrook Alumnae |url-status = dead |archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20120726003056/http://www.hedgebrook.org/alumnae.php |archivedate = 2012-07-26 }}</ref> and was first published in Joyland before winning the Sundress Publications' Best of the Net Award.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.sundresspublications.com/bestof/2010/contributors.htm |title = Best of the Net 2010}}</ref> Halpern is also a contributor to the Huffington Post.<ref>{{cite web |url = https://www.huffingtonpost.com/tamar-halpern/ |title = Huffington Post|website = HuffPost}}</ref>
A nominated Film Expert for American Film Showcase<ref>{{cite web | url = http://americanfilmshowcase.com/tamar-halpern/| work=American Film Showcase| title=Tamar Halpern}}</ref> and the US Dept. of Education, Halpern has taught directing, screenwriting and documentary filmmaking in Amman, Jordan to locals as well as Syrian refugees and is a visiting screenwriting professor at USC. She has written and directed commercials and digital campaigns for Amazon, DPS, Visa, EventBrite, Pepsi, YSL and Armani, among others, has a background in interactive multimedia and is a founder of the internet startup CitySearch. She holds a BA in Broadcast Journalism and an MFA in Film Production, both from USC. Her son is the composer [https://www.goodsoupmusic.com/about Jordan Halpern Schwartz] and her mother is the artist Abigail Gumbiner.
==Personal life== Halpern is Jewish, and her grandfather was a rabbi who marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and was arrested twice for marching.<ref>[https://www.huffpost.com/entry/wake-up-white-writers-whe_b_9004684 "Wake Up White Writers! When underlying racism sneaks into our work"] Halpern, Tamar. ''Huffington Post.'' Published January 19, 2016. Updatede January 17, 2017. Accessed March 20, 2022.</ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|0356968}} * [https://www.tamarolandpictures.com: Tamaroland Pictures Website] * [https://www.filmneweurope.com/news/serbia-news/item/113826-production-missing-in-europe-wraps-production-in-serbia Film New Europe: Production ''Missing In Europe'' Wraps Production in Serbia] * [https://lookwhatshedid.com/videos/tamar-halpern-on-nellie-bly/ Look What She Did: Tamar Halpern on Nellie Bly] * [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/tv/la-xpm-2013-jun-21-la-et-mn-llyn-foulkes--20130621-story.html LA Times: L.A. Film Fest: ''Llyn Foulkes: One Man Band'' goes inside the artists' studio] * [https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-et-cm-llyn-foulkes-one-man-band-20140520-story.html LA Times: Maverick Llyn Foulkes is finally inside the art world — at age 79] * [http://americanfilmshowcase.com/tamar-halpern/ American Film Showcase: Tamar Halpern bio] * [https://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/07/movies/llyn-foulkes-one-man-band-a-documentary.html New York Times review: ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'', A Documentary] * [https://www.filmindependent.org/blog/almost-10-questions-tamar-halpern-chris-quilty-of-llyn-foulkes-one-man-band/ Film Independent: 10 Questions with Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty of ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band''] * [http://moveablefest.com/tamar-halpern-chris-quilty-llyn-foulkes/ Moveablefest: Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty on Orchestrating ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band''] * [https://www.vimooz.com/2013/06/19/tamar-halpern-chris-quilty-documentary-llyn-foulkes-one-man-band-la-film-festival/ VIMOOZ: Interview with Tamar Halpern and Chris Quilty, Documentary ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'' to Premiere at LA Film Festival] * [https://news.usc.edu/74922/documentary-profiles-consistently-inconsistent-llyn-foulkes/ USC News Film Review: Documentary Profiles Consistently Inconsistent Llyn Foulkes] * [https://www.scpr.org/programs/offramp/2013/06/04/32096/artist-llyn-foulkes-once-neglected-young-turk-star/ Offramp: Artist Llyn Foulkes Once Neglected Young Turk Star] * [http://www.lamag.com/mickey-mouse-dead-cats-and-one-man-bands-the-llyn-foulkes-documentary-1/ Los Angeles Magazine: Mickey Mouse, Dead Cats, and One Man Bands: The Llyn Foulkes Documentary] * [http://www.filmleaf.net/showthread.php?3737-LLYN-FOULKES-ONE-MAN-BAND-(Tamar-Halpern-Chris-Quilty-2013) Filmleaf review: ''Llyn Foulkes One Man Band'' (Tamar Halpern, Chris Quilty, 2013)] * [http://www.artnews.com/2013/07/16/thats-all-foulkes-2/ Artnews: Thats All, Foulkes] * [http://www.bbc.com/culture/story/20130822-the-art-worlds-one-man-band BBC culture story: Llyn Foulkes: The art world's one-man-band] * [http://www.ptfilmfest.com/Festivals/Women&Film/W&F-Current-Program.html Port Townsend Film Festival - Women & Film Current Program, Tamar Halpern bio] * [http://voyagela.com/interview/meet-tamar-halpern-tamaroland-pictures-eastside/ Voyage L.A. Interview: Meet Tamar Halpern of Tamaroland Pictures in Eastside] * [https://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/47040/ Film Threat Review]: ''Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life'' * [http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/_48JPq5Fevk/Jeremy+Fink+Meaning+Life+New+York+Premiere/Jr2ndtz3_KH/Tamar+Halpern Director Tamar Halpern with Actress Mira Sorvino at NYC Premiere of ''Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life''] * [https://newenglandfilm.com/magazine/2014/09/an-interview-with-filmmaker-tamar-halpern New England Film: An Interview with Filmmaker Tamar Halpern] * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz48XeYD1TE Correatown]: Music video directed by Tamar Halpern * [http://moviemagg.blogspot.com/2017/06/my-daughter-is-missing-marvista.html Movie Magg Film Review: ''My Daughter Is Missing''] * [https://www.deuxiemepage.fr/2016/05/11/interview-tamar-halpern/ Deuxiéme Page: Interview with Tamar Halpern] * [http://www.comediva.com/boss-lady-tamar-halpern Comediva interview] * {{cite web |url = http://www.joylandmagazine.com/stories/san_francisco/house_where_grifters_squat |work=Joyland |title = The House Where The Grifters Squat |first= Tamar|last=Halpern|authorlink=Tamar Halpern}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Halpern, Tamar}} Category:21st-century American women Category:American women short story writers Category:American short story writers Category:American Jews Category:Film directors from Los Angeles Category:Living people Category:Writers from Los Angeles Category:USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Category:Year of birth missing (living people)