Alan Dater began his film career in New York City in 1966 working on documentaries as a freelance soundman and later as a director/cameraman. Many of these documentaries were broadcast on the major U.S. networks and include two Emmy Award-winning documentary series: LIFELINE for NBC and THE BODY HUMAN for CBS, as well as National Geographic Specials. He gained broad experience in film and video from working on productions as wide-ranging as the feature film HI MOM, directed by Brian De Palma starring Robert De Niro, to a documentary about the country singer Johnny Cash, JOHNNY CASH: THE MAN, HIS WORLD, HIS MUSIC.

After moving to Vermont in the late ’60s, Dater continued his free-lance career and began producing independent productions. Most of these films document aspects of the community of southern Vermont. Often they focused on the arts. They include: THE STUFF OF DREAMS, the story of a community theater group’s original production of Shakespeare’s The Tempest; and BLANCHE, a portrait of the Bach choral conductor, Blanche Honegger Moyse.

In 1989, Dater began collaborating on productions with Lisa Merton. A former designer/weaver and English teacher, Merton brought her interest in education, language, and culture as well as her skill as a craftsman to the filmmaking process. Together, Merton and Dater have collaborated on: HOME TO TIBET; BRIDGE OF FIRE; MICHELLE HOLZAPFEL: WOODTURNER and CARVER; three films about the American landscape painter, WOLF KAHN; THE WORLD IN CLAIRE’S CLASSROOM; TAKING ROOT: THE VISION OF WANGARI MAATHAI, and BURNED: ARE TREES THE NEW COAL?

---