Distinguished filmmaker and Colgate alumnus Joe Berlinger ’83 will spend the week of October 23 at Colgate.The Department of Art and Art History recently added a Film and Media minor; this week will give students a chance to learn about filmmaking and consider the idea of pursuing careers in the field.

Students have a unique opportunity this week to witness the work of a highly acclaimed documentary filmmaker. They will have the chance to see his work and ask him about the process of making documentaries. Each night he will present one of his works and on the Tuesday and the Thursday he will conduct master classes in Golden Auditorium at 2:45 p.m.

Outrageous Taxi Stories, the first film Berlinger produced and directed, and Brother’s Keeper will be shown on Sunday at 7 p.m.

Outrageous Taxi Stories is a humorous look at wild and character-esque New York City taxi drivers. The film won 10 major awards and is a part of the Museum of Modern Art’s permanent collection.

Brother’s Keeper is the story of the Ward brothers, four illiterate dairy farmers from Munnsville, New York. The film looks at what happens to the family after one brother is accused of another’s murder. It was named “Best Documentary” by the Director’s Guild of America and the National Board of Review, and won the Sundance Audience Award in 1992.

Another of Belinger’s films, Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills, examines the year in which three teenagers are wrongfully convicted of murdering three eight-year old boys in a small Arkansas town. Berlinger investigates the possibility that these three innocent teenagers were targeted because they were offbeat and easily singled out.

The sequel, Paradise Lost 2, will also screen this week.

Berlinger will read from his book Metallica: This Monster Lives, The Inside Story of Some Kind of Monster. The book chronicles the period of two and half years that he spent with the band while they endured problems of personal and professional struggles, group therapy, and their reunion.

His feature documentary Metallica: This Monster Lives will also be screened this week.

Associate Professor of Art and Art History Lynn Schwarzer admires Berlinger’s ability to not only make his audience understand the people whose lives he documents and the problems they face, but impassion his viewers so that they contemplate and care about the subjects’ issus.

“[Berlinger’s work shows a combination of] highly skilled investigatory work and film editing ability,” Schwarzer said.

In the spirit of a true documentary filmmaker, Berlinger works to unearth the truth no matter how gritty or somber. Berlinger typically examines serious matters and brings them to the public attention.

Gray Matter is the story of Berlinger’s search for a Dr. Heinrich Gross, a former Nazi who lived freely in Austria after allegedly killing hundreds of handicapped children and then continuing to experiment on their remains well after World War II.

Berlinger’s residency is a part of Art Mix 2005-2006, a larger initiative at Colgate that will bring many creative events related to the performing arts to campus this year. With these events, several academic departments aim to raise awareness of the creative process, expose more of the student body to the arts, and create a buzz that will help the arts attain a more solid presence on campus.

All screenings will be located in Golden Auditorium in Little Hall. They are free of charge and are open to the public.