Steven Cantor

Steven Cantor (born November 1, 1967) is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy Award winning American film and television director and producer. Notable works include the films “What Remains”(2006), “loudQUIETloud”(2006), ""Devil's Playground" (film)" and “Blood Ties”(1994). Cantor has also directed and executively produced the HBO series “Family Bonds”(2003), and has executive produced "Amish in the City" (2005 UPN), “#1 Single”(2006 E! Network), and “”(2007 Style Channel). He is a founding partner in Stick Figure Productions.

Bio

Cantor was born November 1, 1967, and graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television. He is married to Sonya Gauthier, a French-Canadian born jewelry designer.

Film

"Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann" (1994) Director/Producer: Nominated for a 1994 Academy Award in the category of Best Short Subject Documentary; examines the pictures of her children taken by renowned photographer, Sally Mann.

"What Remains" (2005) Director/Producer: Studies a further project of Mann’s, a provocative photo series exploring the way in which nature assimilates the body once life has left it, directly confronting American attitudes towards death. The film screened first at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006 before premiering on HBO. In her New York Times review, Ginia Bellafante wrote of the film, "It is one of the most exquisitely intimate portraits not only of an artist’s process, but also of a marriage and a life, to appear on television in recent memory."

"Devil’s Playground" (2002) Director/Producer: Nominated for an Emmy; explores the supposed tradition in Amish culture called Rumspringa; the film follows several Amish teenagers who leave their communities to explore the non-Amish world (widely but erroneously believed a normative practice among the Amish). At some point they must decide whether to commit to the strict rules of the Amish Church, or leave their families behind to join "English" society. The film spawned a reality series, "Amish in the City", which Cantor's Stick Figure banner executive produced, as well as a non-fiction book, "Rumspringa" by Tom Shachtman (Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2007).

"loudQUIETloud" (2006) Director/Producer: follows the ups and downs of alternative music group The Pixies in their unexpected reformation and the reunion tour. In a Rolling Stone interview, Radiohead cited the film as one of their secret influences.

Television

"Family Bonds" (2004) Director, Executive Producer: explores the lives of the Evangelistas, a family of bail bondsmen and bounty hunters in Long Isalnd.

"#1 Single" (2006) Executive Producer: documents the dating life of singer Lisa Loeb.

"Kimora Life in the Fab Lane" (2007-2008) Executive Producer: Documents the life and Baby Phat fashion empire of former model Kimora Lee Simmons.

Other Work

Cantor has directed commercials for such clients as Porsche, NFL/United Way, Dasani, and David Barton Gym.

Filmography

1) Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane: 2007-2008 (executive producer)

2) I am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA: 2007 (producer)

3) James Blunt in Kosovo: 2007 (director/producer)

4) loudQUIETloud: A film about the Pixies: 2006 (director/producer)

5) #1 Single: 2006 (executive producer)

6) The Biz: 2005 (executive producer)

7) What Remains: 2005 (director/producer)

8) Family Bonds: 2004 (executive producer)

9) Amish in the City: 2004 (executive producer)

10) Slasher: 2004 (producer)

11) The AMC Project: 2003 (executive producer)

12) Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving: 2002 (director/producer)

13) Devil’s Playground: 2002 (producer)

14) Crossover: 2001 (producer)

15) Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope: 2000 (director/producer)

16) Recon: 1996 (director/producer)

17) Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann: 1994 (director/producer)