Daniel Raim - Filmmaker Bio
Daniel Raim, an alumnus of the American Film Institute, has carved a unique niche in documentary cinema, shining a spotlight on the artistry and stories of some of cinema's greatest masters and unsung heroes. Raim's work, celebrated for its emotional depth and rare archival treasures, has been hailed by Filmmaker Magazine as embodying a "powerfully moving and richly complex" approach to storytelling. Raim's journey began with his acclaimed documentary, The Man on Lincoln's Nose (2000), which earned an Academy Award nomination and paid tribute to Robert F. Boyle, the legendary production designer behind many of Alfred Hitchcock's masterpieces.
In the 2009 documentary Something's Gonna Live, Raim explores the lives of veteran Hollywood production designers Robert Boyle, Henry Bumstead, Albert Nozaki, Harold Michelson, and cinematographers Haskell Wexler and Conrad Hall. The film weaves together their personal stories, artistic philosophies, and their lasting impact on film. Something's Gonna Live received widespread acclaim upon its release in theaters and on Netflix, with Kenneth Turan of the LA Times and Karina Longworth of IndieWire praising it as an essential, insightful look into Hollywood's artistic legacy.
In 2015, Raim's documentary Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story premiered at the Cannes Film Festival to widespread acclaim. Nominated for The Golden Eye (L’Œil d'Or), Cannes' prestigious documentary prize, the film delves into the lives of Harold Michelson, a storyboard artist and production designer, and his wife Lillian, a film researcher. Their significant, though often uncredited, contributions to the film industry are explored, with personal insights from industry icons like Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, and Mel Brooks. This heartwarming film captivated audiences worldwide, leading to its distribution by Zeitgeist Films, Kino Lorber, Netflix, and TCM. The story's impact continues to grow, with a Broadway musical adaptation now in development.
Raim's commitment to exploring film history further manifested in his production and direction of thirty documentaries about cinema's masters for the Criterion Collection and the Criterion Channel, including In Search of Ozu, Marvel Mon Amour, and Time Travelers: Uncovering Old LA in Keaton Comedies.
His work continued with Image Makers: The Adventures of America's Pioneer Cinematographers (2019). This TCM Original Documentary feature film celebrates the innovators of early cinematography, shedding light on their foundational contributions to the visual language of cinema.
In 2022, Raim released Fiddler's Journey to the Big Screen, a feature documentary narrated by Jeff Goldblum that enjoyed an international theatrical release. This film, distributed theatrically by Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber and now streaming on Paramount+, chronicles director Norman Jewison's adaptation of the beloved musical Fiddler on the Roof into a widescreen epic, exploring its cultural impact and the challenges of bringing such an iconic story to the big screen.
Raim's latest project, The Ozu Diaries, produced in collaboration with Shochiku and TCM, embarks on a compelling journey to unveil the life and lasting influence of Yasujiro Ozu, one of Japan's most esteemed directors.
Raim has screened his films and lectured at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, ILM, AFI Conservatory: Harold Lloyd Master Seminar, Canadian Film Centre, Disney, Pixar, DreamWorks, and Sony Animation Studios.
Raim has a passion for education. In 2016, he embarked on an academic tour through India, where he screened his films and lectured on the art and craft of documentary filmmaking. In 2017, Raim partnered with Desktop-Documentaries.com and created an online course entitled Documentary Storytelling and Scriptwriting.
