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Filmmaker, Joshua Seftel, discusses his career to date, from his first documentary about orphans in Romania to his latest film, an exploration into fear of death. He relays how his purpose evolved over the years from saving children, to making meaningful and entertaining work. We discuss how seduction from the finer things in life can detract from purpose, while focus on craft can enhance purpose, bringing him closer to his mom and allowing him to provide for his family.
Highlights:
- How he got started and launched his filmmaking career
- How he helped get thousands of orphans adopted
- Big breaks, like Queer Eye for the Straight Guy
- Working with Hollywood A-Listers
- The seduction of working in entertainment
- Making his mom famous with the web series, My Mom on Movies
Biography
Joshua Seftel began his career at 22 with an Emmy nomination for his first film: the award-winning Lost and Found, a documentary film about Romania’s orphaned and abandoned children. He followed this with many acclaimed independent films, including Taking on the Kennedys — one of TIME Magazine’s “ten best of the year” — Ennis’ Gift (HBO), The Many Sad Fates of Mr. Toledano (Tribeca 2015), and It’s the Hard Knock Life (PBS), which the New York Times called “delightful.” He also directed the feature film War Inc., starring John Cusack, Ben Kingsley, Joan Cusack, and Marisa Tomei, which had its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. His stories have appeared on This American Life, and his essays have appeared on NPR, The New York Times, and CBS Sunday Morning.
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