Gregory Ruzzin

Biography

Gregory Ruzzin believes that telling stories (and listening carefully to them) is how we learn about ourselves, about other people, and about the world around us. Ruzzin teaches courses in documentary and fiction film directing in the School of Film and Television. He earned his MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts and his Bachelor of General Studies degree from the University of Michigan. He fell in love with the movies while sitting in the dark listening to Jean-Michel Jarre on his Walkman, drinking Guinness beer, and watching the silent Russian classics in one of his first film classes. Helping his younger sister Alyssa who lives with epilepsy and a developmental disability tell her story in their documentary feature film “LOST CHILD?” marked a turning point in his career, leading him from fiction into non-fiction and interactive storytelling explorations. A committed cyclist and bike commuter in a city known for its car-centric culture, he can often be found with his camera and his bike, meditating over the miles.

Education (2)

University of Southern California: MFA, Cinema Production 1989

University of Michigan: BGS, Theater, Film, and Literature 1986

Social

Areas of Expertise (6)

Directing (Narrative and Documentary)

Directing as a Design Medium

Documentary Filmmaking

Teaching Filmmaking

Short Films

Storyboarding for Live Action

Industry Expertise (5)

Education/Learning

Research

Training and Development

Media Production

Motion Pictures and Film

Links (3)

• THE MAGIC CHAIR Project
• Lost Child - The Movie
• Picture Sequence

Research Grants (1)

Guggenheim Fellowship

John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation 

2022-04-10

With the support of a 2022 John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation Fellowship, I will soon be traveling to Japan with my family to make a series of short films under the umbrella title "SMALL WORLD THIS: Cycling, Climate Change and Japan."

view more