GME Notes with Sadness the Passing of Filmmaker and Friend Nancy Buirski

FILMMAKER NANCY BUIRSKI, PICTURED HERE WITH (L-R): FILMMAKER JOHN SCHLESINGER’S NEPHEW IAN BURUMA, NEW PLAZA CINEMA CURATOR GARY PALMUCCI, AND GME’S JON GARTENBERG, AT THE JULY 16th, 2023, NEW PLAZA CINEMA SCREENING OF BUIRSKI’S DOCUMENTARY DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY, AND THE LEGEND OF ‘MIDNIGHT COWBOY’, FOR WHICH GME PROVIDED ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE.

Gartenberg Media Enterprises notes with sadness the sudden passing of filmmaker and friend Nancy Buirski, on August 30th, 2023, at the age of 78. Augusta Films shared the news of her death in a statement, writing, “Nancy’s extensive and rich body of work delved into a wide range of social, cultural and historical issues with keen insight, humanity and above all, artistry. The film and creative community mourns this great loss and will remember her indefatigable energy, optimism, passion, and her devotion to her art, family, friends, and collaborators.”

GME was thrilled to collaborate with Buirski on her final film, the documentary DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY, AND THE LEGEND OF ‘MIDNIGHT COWBOY’, which premiered at the Telluride and Venice Film Festivals last year, and opened theatrically in the United States this summer. For the documentary, GME provided scenes from Jonas Mekas’ film REPORT FROM MILLBROOK (1965-1966) and SCENES FROM THE LIFE OF ANDY WARHOL (1990, from THE SIXTIES QUARTET, 1990-1999).

A graduate of Adelphi University, Buirski worked for years as a picture editor and photographer for the New York Times; her work won the publication its first Pulitzer Prize for feature photo reporting. In 1998, Buirski transitioned into a film career, and founded the Full Frame Film Festival, which highlighted the work of independent documentary filmmakers. She was the director of the festival for 10 years.

In 2011, Buirski made her first documentary, THE LOVING STORY, about the struggles faced by interracial couple Mildred and Richard Loving in 1960s America. The film won an Emmy Award and was the basis for the 2016 Oscar-nominated narrative film LOVING (which Buirski co-produced). Her work was consistently topical and heartfelt and dealt with the struggles and complexities of the human condition. For instance, her 2017 documentary THE RAPE OF RECY TAYLOR explored the 1944 kidnapping and rape of a Black woman from Alabama whose attackers were never charged; it later won the Human Rights Nights Prize at the Venice International Film Festival.

Pictured above is GME President Jon Gartenberg with Buirski, New Plaza Cinema curator Gary Palmucci (third from left), and MIDNIGHT COWBOY director John Schlesinger’s nephew, Ian Buruma (far left), at a July 16th, 2023, New Plaza Cinema screening of DESPERATE SOULS, DARK CITY, AND THE LEGEND OF ‘MIDNIGHT COWBOY’.