(Runtime: 29 mins)
ESTHER JULIE-ANNE SHUBINSKI (Editor) Esther’s sensitivity is shaped by her French and Native American heritage. Most recently, she edited the feature documentary, Sundays, which premiered in competition at the 2020 Thessaloniki Documentary Festival. She edited the YouTube Originals series, Defying Gravity: The Untold Story of Women’s Gymnastics, directed by two-time Oscar-nominee Lucy Walker. Esther’s documentary Out of Love premiered at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival. She also edited The Art of Observing Life, a documentary by her mentor and veteran Russian filmmaker, Marina Goldovskaya, which premiered at IDFA. Esther received her BA from UC Berkeley and holds an MFA in Film Production & Directing at UCLA, where she has also taught Documentary Production. Visit Esther's website to learn more.
Set in remote mountains along the Tibetan Plateau, WINTER WORM SUMMER GRASS is an intimate portrait of a family who lives in a tent and forages the meadow for medicinal caterpillar fungus. When an American filmmaker stumbles upon them during a summer blizzard, they offer shelter and friendship.
JUSTIN PERKINSON (Director, Producer, Cinematographer) Justin is a multilingual filmmaker who has made documentaries around the world for the United Nations Foundation, PBS, VICE, and others. Raised in Virginia and Jamaica, he is passionate about telling global stories and building cultural bridges through filmmaking. Justin’s work has been featured in American Cinematographer Magazine, broadcasted on national television, screened at various festivals worldwide, and viewed millions of times online. Justin holds a dual MFA in film Directing and Cinematography from UCLA and a BA from Davidson College. He is a former U.S. Fulbright Arts Grantee to China, where he lived and filmed WINTER WORM SUMMER GRASS. Justin is currently an Assistant Professor of Cinema at Virginia Tech. Visit justinperkinson.com to learn more.