Edward Landler biography

An independent producer, writer and director, Edward Landler received his Bachelor of Arts degree cum laude with a Special Major in Literature and Film under the tutelage of film historian Jay Leyda at Yale University in 1971.  He got his practical film training through experience with Satyajit Ray in India, Luis Bunuel in France, and work on independent feature films in the United States.  His experimental short film, "Pharaoh's Dream", shot in Calcutta and Los Angeles, has been shown in a number of film festivals.  He has just completed his first feature-length film, "I Build the Tower", the definitive documentary on the monumental work of architectural sculpture known as the Watts Towers in South Central Los Angeles, partially funded by the National Endowment for the Arts.  

Edward Landler is a founder and former president of the Independent Feature Project/Los Angeles, the country's largest non-profit support organization for independent filmmakers.  As an instructor for the International Documentary Association's Outreach Program, he has supervised award-winning student documentary projects at various Los Angeles-area high schools.  He also teaches courses on film in twentieth-century culture and directorial style at California State University, Northridge, and U.C.L.A. Extension, and is writing a cultural history of film.  

As Mr. Ed the Storyteller, he has worked with Inside Out Community Arts and the Performing Tree and has presented storytelling and story-writing workshops in schools, libraries and recreation and arts centers throughout Los Angeles and Orange counties.  He serves as a founding member of the Board of Directors of the annual Los Angeles Storytelling Festival.

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