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Legendary Cinematographer, Director Haskell Wexler Dies at 93

HeadlineDec 28, 2015

And the legendary cinematographer and director Haskell Wexler has died at the age of 93. Perhaps best known for his 1969 film, “Medium Cool,” which captures the upheaval surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Wexler won two Academy Awards for cinematography in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?” and “Bound for Glory,” about folk singer Woody Guthrie. His documentaries tackled political issues including the Southern Freedom Riders of the 1960s, the U.S. government’s destabilization of Nicaragua, U.S. atrocities in Vietnam, and torture under the U.S.-backed junta in Brazil. In October, Haskell Wexler visited the Democracy Now! studio, and I asked him about his advice for young filmmakers.

Haskell Wexler: “I shot a film in L.A. called 'Bus Rider's Union.’ And on and off for four years, I rode with people on buses, and I got to know what’s important in their life. I realized that there’s a whole world right there in my own city that was going on. And fortunately, the film was very well received, the 'Bus Rider's Union,’ not in a conventional meaning. But I can’t give any advice to young people, except just don’t arbitrarily take the system to be—to realize that if you want to be an artist, you to learn, you have to be in touch. You can’t measure success on just how much money you make or how famous you are.”

Haskell Wexler died on Sunday at the age of 93. We’ll have more on Haskell Wexler’s legacy later in the broadcast.

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