Lance Oppenheim

Lance Oppenheim (born January 26, 1996) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and producer from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. His work blends cinematic genres to explore the lives of people who create homes in unconventional spaces and places. His debut feature Some Kind of Heaven (2020) was an Official Selection at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.[1] He is one of the youngest active contributors to The New York Times.[2]

Lance Oppenheim
Oppenheim at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.
Born (1996-01-26) January 26, 1996
Fort Lauderdale, Florida, U.S.
Alma mater
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2013–present
Websitelanceoppenheim.com

Life

Oppenheim was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the son of attorneys Roy and Ellen Oppenheim, and raised in Southwest Ranches, Florida. Oppenheim attended Pine Crest School from 2010 to 2014. He graduated from Harvard University in 2019 with a degree in Visual and Environmental Studies.[3] While at Harvard, Oppenheim studied under filmmakers Ross McElwee and Robb Moss and lived in Adams House where he was roommates with musician and artist Austin Weber.[4]

Career

In high-school, Oppenheim directed several short documentaries, one of which was distributed nationwide by PBS.[5] He would send documentary pitches to the New York Times Op-Docs' open submission portal, documenting “crazy things happening in [his] backyard," which the New York Times would "politely reject."[6]

He broke through to the New York Times while studying at Harvard's undergraduate Visual and Environmental Studies program. While in college, Oppenheim directed three short documentaries that were acquired and distributed by The New York Times Op-Docs. His short The Happiest Guy in the World premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018.[6]

Oppenheim directed and produced his debut feature Some Kind of Heaven, a documentary exploring life inside The Villages, Florida, as part of his undergraduate senior thesis.[7] Specifically, Oppenheim follows four seniors living in The Villages and how they cope with later adult life. The film was produced by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and The New York Times, one of the paper's first feature-length productions.[8][9] The film premiered a year later at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam to critical acclaim, and was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures.[10]

Filmography
  • The Dogmatic (2012)
  • Quicksand (2013)[11]
  • The Off Season (2014)[12]
  • Long Term Parking (2016)[13]
  • No Jail Time: The Movie (2017)[14]
  • The Happiest Guy in the World (2018)[15]
  • Some Kind of Heaven (2020)

References
  1. "some-kind-of-heaven". www.sundance.org.
  2. O’Brien, Kathleen A. (September 7, 2018). "Opinion | Weekend Reads: Spotlight on Our Youngest Contributors" – via NYTimes.com.
  3. "Student and alumnus have films premiering at Sundance". January 21, 2020.
  4. "Harvard filmmaker's documentary in Tribeca spotlight". April 20, 2018.
  5. Diaz, Johnny. "Teen filmmaker focuses on grandfather's lost memories". Sun-Sentinel.com.
  6. Rizov, Vadim. "Lance Oppenheim".
  7. Willman, Thomas K. Arnold,Jem Aswad,Randee Dawn,Diane Garrett,Shirley Halperin,Paula Hendrickson,Steven J. Horowitz,Carole Horst,Todd Longwell,Brooke Mazurek,Addie Morfoot,Jenelle Riley,Chris; Arnold, Thomas K.; Aswad, Jem; Dawn, Randee; Garrett, Diane; Halperin, Shirley; Hendrickson, Paula; Horowitz, Steven J.; Horst, Carole; Longwell, Todd; Mazurek, Brooke; Morfoot, Addie; Riley, Jenelle; Willman, Chris (August 5, 2020). "Variety's Power of Young Hollywood List 2020".
  8. Carey, Matthew; Carey, Matthew (January 28, 2020). "Darren Aronofsky Returns To Sundance With 'Some Kind Of Heaven', Directed By Gifted Young Protégé With "Tremendous Potential"".
  9. Setoodeh, Ramin (January 21, 2020). "Why the New York Times Is Getting Into the Documentary Films Business (EXCLUSIVE)".
  10. Ramos, Dino-Ray (August 17, 2020). "Magnolia Pictures Acquires Darren Aronofsky-Produced Sundance Docu 'Some Kind Of Heaven'".
  11. "Quicksand". Short of the Week. 2013-08-01. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  12. "The Off Season". Short of the Week. 2014-12-22. Retrieved 2021-01-15.
  13. Oppenheim, Lance (September 6, 2016). "Opinion | Home Is Where the Parking Lot Is (Published 2016)" – via NYTimes.com.
  14. Oppenheim, Lance (December 5, 2017). "Opinion | No Jail Time: The Movie (Published 2017)" – via NYTimes.com.
  15. Oppenheim, Lance (May 1, 2018). "Opinion | The Happiest Guy in the World (Published 2018)" – via NYTimes.com.
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