Mornings with O’Keeffe | “Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light”

Hear from filmmakers Paul and Ellen Wagner as they discuss their newly-released documentary Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light.

Featuring Claire Danes as the voice of O’Keeffe, and narrated by Hugh Dancy, Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light traces the life and legacy of Georgia O’Keeffe, from her early years and rise in New York’s vibrant art world to her later life in the New Mexican desert. Interviews with O’Keeffe scholars and friends provide further insight into the artist’s life and work. 

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This talk was recorded as part of our free ‘Mornings With O’Keeffe’ lecture series on the first Wednesday of every month.

About the Speakers

In 1989, one year after they got married, Paul and Ellen Wagner formed American Focus, their non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of documentary films about America and her people. Since then, they have released over thirty films, including several feature films broadcast nationally on public television: Out of Ireland, about the history of Irish emigration to America; Good Work, about master craftsmen in the building arts; and Black in Blue, about the four football players at the University of Kentucky who broke the color line in the Southeastern Conference.

In 1999, Paul and Ellen released Windhorse, their award-winning dramatic feature film about young Tibetans and their struggle for freedom under the Chinese communist regime, filmed secretly in China and Nepal.

As a team, Ellen is the president of American Focus and assumes the producing duties, while Paul serves as the writer and director of their films. Prior to their formation of American Focus, Ellen worked as a producer for WETA, the public television station in Washington, DC., and Paul was an independent filmmaker, winning an Oscar and several Emmy Awards for his documentary work. Their most recent documentary is Georgia O’Keeffe: the Brightness of Light.