The MJCCA "In Your Living Room Live" Series: Barry Sonnenfeld - Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother Virtual Event

The MJCCA "In Your Living Room Live" Series: Barry Sonnenfeld - Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother Virtual Event

Thursday, Jul 09, 2020 8:00 PM

Location:
Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta on Zoom

Film and television director Barry Sonnenfeld’s outrageous and hilarious memoir traces his idiosyncratic upbringing in New York City, his breaking into film as a cinematographer with the Coen brothers, and his unexpected career as the director behind such huge film franchises as “The Addams Family” and “Men in Black,” and beloved work like “Get Shorty,” “Pushing Daises,” and “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”

Sonnenfeld will join our partner, the Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta, for a Zoom Live event to discuss “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother” with CNN journalist Holly Firfer. 

This free author program is presented in partnership with the JCCs of Cherry Hill, Dallas, Indianapolis, Miami, Rochester, and Seattle, and A Cappella Books. Registration is required.

A Cappella Books will have copies of “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother” available after the event. At checkout, choose between the local delivery, curbside pick-up or shipping options. Curbside pick-up and shipping are available to all customers. Local delivery is available to in-town Atlanta neighborhoods only: 30303, 30305, 30306, 30307, 30308, 30309, 30310, 30313, 30316, 30317, 30324, 30030, 30032, 30033, 30002.

About the Book

Barry Sonnenfeld’s philosophy is, “Regret the Past. Fear the Present. Dread the Future.” Told in his unmistakable voice, “Barry Sonnenfeld, Call Your Mother” is a laugh-out-loud memoir about coming of age. Constantly threatened with suicide by his over-protective mother, disillusioned by the father he worshiped, and abused by a demonic relative, Sonnenfeld somehow went on to become one of Hollywood’s most successful producers and directors.

Written with poignant insight and real-life irony, the book follows Sonnenfeld from childhood as a French horn player through graduate film school at NYU, where he developed his talent for cinematography. His first job after graduating was shooting nine feature length pornos in nine days. From that humble entrée, he went on to form a friendship with the Coen Brothers, launching his career shooting their first three films.

Though Sonnenfeld had no ambition to direct, Scott Rudin convinced him to be the director of “The Addams Family.” It was a successful career move. He went on to direct many more films and television shows. Will Smith once joked that he wanted to take Sonnenfeld to Philadelphia public schools and say, “If this guy could end up as a successful film director on big budget films, anyone can.” This book is a fascinating and hilarious roadmap for anyone who thinks they can’t succeed in life because of a rough beginning.

About the Author

Barry Sonnenfeld is a filmmaker and writer who broke into the film industry as the cinematographer on the Coen Brothers’ first three films: “Blood Simple,” “Raising Arizona,” and “Miller’s Crossing.” He also was the director of photography on “Throw Mamma from the Train,” “Big,” “When Harry Met Sally,” and “Misery.” Sonnenfeld made his directorial debut with “The Addams Family” in 1991, and has gone on to direct a number of films including “Addams Family Values,” “Get Shorty,” and the first three “Men in Blacks.” His television credits include “Pushing Daisies,” for which he won an Emmy, and most recently Netflix’s “A Series of Unfortunate Events.”