Gaylen Ross
- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Gaylen Ross was born as Gail Rosenblum in Indianapolis, Indiana. She
was managing editor of the poetry journal, "Antaeus" and Ecco Press
from 1975 to 1977. Ross was an actress for brief 4 years only, making
an impressive film debut as the heroine "Francine" in
George Romero's outstanding
Dawn of the Dead (1978),
followed by her portrayal of
Leslie Nielsen's adulterous wife
"Becky Vickers" in the George Romero and
Stephen King's "Something to Tide
You Over" segment of the hugely enjoyable horror
anthology,Creepshow (1982). For the
past two decades Gaylen has been a documentary filmmaker making
acclaimed and award-winning documentaries that have been broadcast on
PBS, BBC, A&E Television, The Learning Channel, UK's Channel 4, and
Israeli networks. Her films have premiered at many international film
festivals among them Berlin Film Festival, Toronto International Film
Festival, Hamptons International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival,
Haifa Film Festival, Nyon Documentary Festival, Cleveland International
Film Festival, The Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on
Human Rights, and Margaret Mead Film Festival among others. Her film
Dealers Among Dealers (1995)
won a Gold Plaque at the Chicago Film Festival and was named "Best of
Fest" at the Edinburgh Film Festival. She co-produced and wrote
Blood Money: Switzerland's Nazi Gold (1997)
which won an Emmy Award. Her film
Killing Kasztner (2008) about
the Jewish rescuer Rezso Kasztner who negotiated with Adolf Eichmann
for the lives of thousands during the war, has been seen in theaters
and festivals in more than 11 countries, named by the Los Angeles Times
as one of the best documentary films of 2010. and won Best Documentary
of both Boston Jewish Film Festival and Minneapolis Jewish Film
Festival. Her most recent documentary is
Caris' Peace (2011) about the
actress Caris Corfman who lost her short
term memory after a brain tumor, yet made a triumphant return to the
stage. The film features friends and colleagues of Caris including
Kate Burton,
Tony Shalhoub , and
Lewis Black. Her others films and television
projects have covered such diverse subjects as cabaret and Broadway
Theater star Laurie Beechman
Listen to Her Heart: The Life and Music of Laurie Beechman (2003),
bank fraud, gambling in America, and Russian mail-order brides. She has
also directed productions for both "The Jewish Foundation for the
Righteous" and the "UJA Federations of North America".
