By Jessica Davis, JTNews Correspondent
For local filmmaker Ann Coppel, Jewish vocalist and composer Debbie Friedman is an inspiration.
Her current documentary film project, “A Journey of Spirit,” explores Friedman and a story of community building, spirituality and healing, as well as overcoming personal and professional obstacles along the way.
“She has had a great influence on my life,” says Coppel. “Her music is what I listened to when I needed comfort.”
Friedman has recorded 19 albums in her 30-plus year career. She was influenced by American folk music of the 1960s and ‘70s, such as Peter, Paul and Mary. She has integrated contemporary melody with Jewish liturgy to transform Jewish sacred music, making the text accessible to a large and diverse audience.
Coppel first encountered Friedman in 1971 at a youth group gathering in Oconomowoc, Wis., sponsored by the Northern Federation of Temple Youth. Coppel was 14 and liked to sing, and Friedman was her song leader. Friedman said she loved to watch Coppel sing because of the big smile on the girl’s face. The two have kept in touch with each other ever since.
Coppel started as a pre-veterinary student at the University of Wisconsin, but ended up changing her major to Communication Arts for her last two years of college. Her first job out of college was for an insurance company, where her first assignment was to produce motorcycle safety announcements. As a still photographer in high school and college, Coppel realized she was a storyteller at heart, and decided to follow that path. She moved to Seattle in 1981.
Now a writer, producer and director, Coppel has been directing documentaries, business communications programs and feature-length films for more than 25 years. In 1985, she formed Ann Coppel Productions, LLC, a full-service film and video production company. She has won three Cine Golden Eagle Awards, seven Telly Awards and five New York Festival Awards for her documentary work. Her programs have aired on the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, PBS and the Hallmark Channel. In January of this year, she premiered the sixth show in a series of half-hour arts documentaries called, “Living Treasures.”
After Friedman’s Carnegie Hall debut in 1996, Coppel decided to tell the performer’s story on film. “A Journey of Spirit” is about getting people to see their own beauty, says Coppel.
Many cantors have a hard time accepting Friedman’s music, as it strays from the musical mode in which they are trained to sing. Her music is often dismissed as camp music with its heavy reliance on audience participation, but it continues to attract many people to synagogues and influences young singers and songwriters.
“She is one of the preeminent Jewish artists in the U.S.,” says Coppel, adding that Friedman is one of the top-selling Jewish artists in the country.
“[She] has the ability to create community wherever she goes,” Coppel adds.
Friedman’s message is one of making people feel connected. “I feel that that’s something everyone can benefit from.”
Coppel started shooting for the film in March 1997, at a Friedman concert that took place at Herzl Ner-Tamid. “It was a very vibrant, exciting evening,” Coppel said.
In 2001, she filmed Friedman’s concert at Benaroya Hall. The concert video, “Debbie Friedman Live in Concert,” became an offshoot of the documentary and will air on public television station KCTS on May 14. Both VHS and DVDs of the program will be available for sale during the broadcast. The performance includes 16 of Friedman’s songs, notably “And The Youth Shall See Visions,” “Not By Might,” “Mi Shebeirach,” “God My Shield,” “The Water In The Well,” “Devorah’s Song” and “L’chi Lach.”
“I’m thrilled to have an air date for this,” says Coppel. “I think it’s a great community event.”
The total footage Coppel has shot for the documentary comes out to about 200, 30-minute tapes. Footage was shot in Seattle, Los Angeles, New York City and surrounding areas, Wisconsin and Arizona.
All of the principal photography for the project has been completed. But, Coppel says, she still needs $50,000-$60,000 in tax-deductible donations to complete the editing process and finish the film.
When will “A Journey of Spirit” be finished? “A lot depends on funding,” says Coppel. “Ideally I’d like to have a rough cut done this summer.”
“It’s been a long haul, but I’m close,” she adds.
For more information on “A Journey of Spirit,” visit http://www.ajourneyofspirit.com/. For more information on Ann Coppel, visit http://www.anncoppelproductions.com/, and to find out more about Debbie Friedman, visit http://www.debbiefriedman.com/. KCTS Channel 9 will air the Friedman concert on May 14 at 10 p.m.