Mary Mazzio

Mary Mazzio is an American award-winning documentary filmmaker, attorney, and a rower for the United States in the 1992 Olympics. She founded the independent film company 50 Eggs.[1]

Mazzio received a B.A. in philosophy and political science from Mount Holyoke College in 1983 and a J.D. from Georgetown University in 1987. She studied film production as a graduate student at Boston University.[2] She is a former partner with the law firm of Brown, Rudnick, Freed, and Gesmer.

Films

A Hero For Daisy (1999)

Her 1999 film, A Hero for Daisy,,[3] called "a landmark film" by The New York Times,[4] is about Title IX pioneer and two-time Olympian Chris Ernst, who (in 1976) led her Yale University rowing team in a protest that increased athletic opportunities for women. This film, which won a Gracie and a Women's Foundation Journalism Award, aired nationwide on ESPN, Oxygen, and WTSN (Canada), was invited to screen at The Smithsonian, and is in thousands of classrooms across the nation.[5]

Apple Pie (2002)

Mazzio followed up with Apple Pie in 2002, featuring Drew Bledsoe, Mia Hamm, Shaquille O'Neal, Grant Hill, Kenny Lofton, and other athletes, which was called "illuminating... told with deftness and emotion...priceless" by The New York Times.

Lemonade Stories (2004)

She produced Lemonade Stories,[6] featuring Richard Branson, Arthur Blank, Russell Simmons, Tom Scott and other entrepreneurs, which was the subject of a USA Today cover story and is being shown throughout the world on television and in classrooms, board rooms, business schools, and consulting firms.[7] [8] [9]

Ten9Eight: Shoot for the Moon (2009)

Mazzio's TEN9EIGHT tells the inspirational stories of several inner city teens who discover the power of entrepreneurship and compete in a national business plan competition. The title, TEN9EIGHT, refers to the fact that every 9 seconds a teen drops out of a U.S. high school. TEN9EIGHT was released in the fall of 2009 in a first-of-its-kind partnership with AMC Theatres in New York, LA, Washington DC, Boston, Chicago, Atlanta, Miami and Kansas City. BET and CENTRIC networks broadcast TEN9EIGHT initially on February 7, 2010 as part of Viacom’s GET SCHOOLED initiative with the Gates Foundation. The broadcast coincided with a special screening at the White House Summit hosted by the US Department of Education and the Library of Congress, as well as the release of a companion book to the film, Teens Blast Off, published by Scholastic. New York Times columnist Tom Friedman said this about TEN9EIGHT: “Obama should arrange for this movie to be shown in every classroom in America. It is the most inspirational, heartwarming film you will ever see.” The film was also called “inspiring… should be compulsory viewing in high schools around the country” (Lael Lowenstein, Variety), “very well made” (Mike Hale, The New York Times) and “important,” (Marshall Fine, Huffington Post).

The Apple Pushers (2011)

The Apple Pushers, written and directed by Mary Mazzio, narrated by Academy Award nominee Edward Norton, and underwritten by the Laurie M. Tisch Illumination Fund, follows immigrant street vendors who are rolling fresh fruits and vegetables into the inner cities of New York (where finding a fresh red ripe apple can be a serious challenge). These pushcart vendors, who have immigrated here from all parts of the world for different reasons, and who all have sacrificed so much to come to this country (a near fatal crossing of the Mexican border, as an example) – are now part of a new experiment in New York to help solve the food crisis and skyrocketing obesity rates in the inner city.

The film had a special screening at the Aspen Ideas Festival where thought leaders and policy makers, including Robin Schepper (the head of Mrs. Obama's "Let's Move" campaign), discussed the film and the issues of how to tackle the obesity crisis in low-income neighborhoods across the country. In January, Kathleen Merrigan, Deputy Secretary of the USDA, hosted a special screening of The Apple Pushers at the Motion Picture Association in Washington DC for policy leaders, heads of federal agencies, and others who are in a position to help spread the message of the film - which is to think creatively about pushing back the borders of these food deserts. The room lit up after the event.

The film not only addresses the issue of food deserts where low income residents have little access to fresh fruits and vegetables – but also the issue of immigrants and what they do for our country.

The Apple Pushers, which is at the intersection of food access, immigration, and entrepreneurship, is produced by Mary Mazzio along with Tom Scott (founder of Nantucket Nectars and CEO of PLUM TV) and Christine Vachon (producer of Mildred Pierce and the Academy Award-winning Boys Don't Cry). Executive Producer – Laurie Tisch.

Awards

References

  1. ↑ 50 Eggs Productions website
  2. ↑ FOCUS newsletter - March 2000
  3. ↑ A Hero for Daisy
  4. ↑ Years later, Maker of a Landmark Film Still Stands up for Title IX - reprint of article in The New York Times
  5. ↑ Girls can look up to A Hero for Daisy - Harvard Gazette
  6. ↑ Lemonade Stories :: a 50eggs production
  7. ↑ Review of Lemonade Stories - Forbes
  8. ↑ Cover story on Lemonade Stories - USA Today
  9. ↑ On Lemonade Stories - NPR

External links