Watch the Trailer Here
A Fine Line explores why less than 7% of head chefs and restaurant owners are women, when traditionally women have always held the central role in the kitchen.
Hearing perspectives and experiences from world-renowned chefs, including: World’s Best Female Chef Dominique Crenn, Emmy Award Winning TV Host Lidia Bastianich, Two Michelin-starred Chef April Bloomfield, One of Time Magazine’s Most Influential People Barbara Lynch, First Female Iron Chef Cat Cora, World’s Best Chef Daniel Humm and many more…
Meanwhile, getting to the heart of what is needed to empower women across all industries, by following the personal story of a small town restaurateur with a larger than life personality Valerie James. A single mother on a mission to do what she loves, while raising two kids and the odds stacked against her. An uplifting American success story about perseverance, family, and food.
A Fine Line grapples with themes sparking national conversations right now, including workplace harassment, equal pay, paid parental leave and career advancement.
The Filmmakers
Joanna James (Director/Producer/Editor) is a multi-award winning filmmaker and founder and CEO of AMZ Productions, which has produced Vanity Fair's Best Documentary by a first time filmmaker A Fine Line, a short series and multiple corporate productions. She is a women’s rights activist who founded the not-for-profit 501c3 MAPP to empower more women into leadership through mentorship and advocacy, hosting a national conference with women from nearly every state gathered to share their voices. Joanna has built partnerships with companies like PepsiCo, Marriott and BMW and has spoken for Fortune 500 companies on women leadership and equity like Google, Chevron and Compass, to universities including Harvard and the Culinary Institute of America. Having a passion for storytelling as a director, producer and writer her work has been featured on PBS, The O Magazine, NPR, Forbes, The Boston Globe, Food and Wine, The James Beard Foundation and many other media. Joanna hosted a special screening engagement on Capitol Hill with the National Partnership for Women and Families with congresswomen and Fortune 500 female executives in attendance. Prior to filmmaking, Joanna was a newspaper reporter interning at The Boston Globe, was awarded Best Environmental Reporting from the New England Press Association and covered the 2004 Summer Olympic Games in Athens. Joanna has three little girls who inspire all her work and a life partner who brings it all together.
Katy Jordan
(Producer)
Katy Jordan is a producer, cinematographer, writer and editor living in Boston. She primarily works in media and documentary film. A former print reporter for the Boston Herald, she is an award-winning multimedia journalist whose stories have ranged from crime to lifestyle. She has covered local and national political races, including the 2012 presidential campaign. Her work has been featured on national media, including the Christian Science Monitor, Huffington Post and Storyhunter.
Russell Greene
(Editor)
Russell Greene is a film editor and director based in Brooklyn, NY. From 2004 to 2012, he was editing partner with veteran documentary film editor, Angelo Corraro. Russell has edited eight feature films, including an Oscar nomination, as well as numerous short films, commercials, web series and branded content films. He also edited all 60 episodes of the acclaimed web series MADE HERE about New York performing art and artists.
Select feature film credits as Editor:
- Newtown (2016, Sundance)
* The Witness (2015, New York Film Festival)
- Famous Nathan (2014 Tribeca Film Festival, Best Film Award Coney Island FF)
- Harry Dean Stanton: Partly Fiction (Venice FF, SXSW, LA FF, IDFA, Edinburgh FF, 92% on rottentomatoes.com)
- Ordinary Miracles (Directed by Academy Award nominee Nina Rosenblum, 83% on rottentomatoes.com)
- Hungry is the Tiger (Indonesian film about the world hunger crisis)
- Patti Smith: Dream of Life (Sundance Award for Cinematography, Emmy nominee)
- Nerakhoon: The Betrayal (Emmy Award, Academy Award nominee)
Robert Featherstone
(Director of Photography)
Rob Featherstone has served as director of photography on several award-winning films and shows for the Discovery and History networks. Brotherhood, a portrait of the FDNY, and Seamless were both official selections of the Tribeca Film Festival. Rob photographed vignettes for The Devil in Daniel Johnston, which won the directing award at Sundance. Recently both Requiem for the American Dream and Indian Point premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He has also shot commercials for Target, Macy's, Garnier.
Petros Klampanis
(Composer)
Petros is an acclaimed musician who just released his third album, Chroma to rave reviews. As the film’s lead composer, he brings his talent and vast experience to provide an eclectic score steeped in jazz. To achieve such a striking score that resonates with the film, Klampanis gathered a group of master musicians, each adding their own distinctive tint to the composer’s panorama: guitarist Gilad Hekselman and pianist Shai Maestro (both originally from Israel), drummer John Hadfield (a native of Missouri), and Japanese-born percussionist Keita Ogawa make up the core group, which is joined by an accomplished eight-piece string ensemble.
Petros grew up on the Greek island of Zakynthos, surrounded by the confluence of Mediterranean and Balkan folk music. He completed his formal studies at the Aaron Copland School of Music in New York, 2008. Since moving to New York City, Petros has performed alongside some of the city’s renowned jazz musicians, including saxophonist Greg Osby, pianist Jean-Michel Pilc, and drummer Ari Hoenig. He has performed at stried venues including: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center and the North Sea Jazz Festival and Palatia Jazz Festival.
S. Morris
(Founder of Jazz N Pop Co)
Jazz N Pop Co., is a New York City based collective of artist managers, curators and lifestyle bloggers, providing a wide range of services. Covering everything from music consulting & music booking for live events, to music supervision for film & tv projects. Jazz N Pop Co.,is very proud to be a part of this documentary and looks forward to sharing this very necessary message worldwide for years to come.