Jonathan Oppenheim, editor of 'Paris Is Burning', dies at 67

Jonathan Oppenheim the documentary editor behind the seminal ball culture film Paris Is Burning died on Thursday in New York City following a battle with brain cancer according to The Hollywood Reporter He was 67Oppenheim was born in 1952 in New York City to Oscarwinning actor Judy Holliday and clarinettist television producer and academic David Oppenheim He began his working life as a painter before making his editing debut with the 1980s Simon which starred Alan ArkinAfter working as an apprentice editor on Simon Oppenheim moved up to the assistant film editor position with the 1980s The Pilot 1981s Arthur and 1984s The Muppets Take Manhattan The same year as Muppets Streetwise a documentary on which Oppenheim was an associate editor was nominated for 1985s Academy Award for best documentary featuresOppenheim earned his first topbilled editor credit on the 1990s Paris Is Burning which documented New York Citys diverse ball culture scene over the course of several years and has become an iconic LGBTQ filmIn the years following Paris Is Burning he gravitated toward documentaries again and again working on 1993s Hookers Hustlers Pimps and Their Johns about prostitution in New York 1997s Arguing the World which profiled intellectuals Daniel Bell Nathan Glazer Irving Howe and Irving Kristol 2001s Oscarnominated Children Underground which examined homeless children in Romania and 2002s DGA nominee Sister Helen regarding a nun who opened a rehabilitation facility for addictsLater in the 2000s Oppenheim tackled schizophrenia Out of the Shadow 2004 a bad marriage Phyllis and Harold 2008 pop star Youssou Ndour Youssou Ndour I Bring What I Love 2008 citizen reporting High Tech Low Life 2012 entrepreneur William Kamkwamba William and the Windmill 2013 Venezuelas El Sistema Crescendo The Power of Music 2014 Indian cinema lorries The Cinema Travelers 2016 and a Middle Eastern retreat bringing together Palestinians and Jews In the Land of Pomegranates 2018He also worked with Laura Poitras on her 2010 911 documentary The Oath and edited the Andre Gregory film Andre Gregory Before and After Dinner 2013 and criminal justice documentary Blowin Up 2018 Oppenheim additionally consulted on films including How to Survive a Plague 2012 Ai Weiwei Never Sorry 2012 and Risk 2017Oppenheims wife Josie said in a statement Jonathan began his life in the arts as a painter which informed his sensibility in film He was a talented and highly original painter but the documentary film was his chosen medium The collaborative dynamic while not always peaceful was one aspect of the work that Jonathan loved But he found an outlet for his intellectual and artistic talents in all aspects of documentary film I can say as well that the film community was profoundly important to him and served as a nurturing soil allowing his very great talents to come into flower But the community was important to us both really friendships he forged became our friendships and our daughters family became our community as we moved through our lives togetherOppenheim is survived by Josie and daughter Netalia His family plans to announce plans to memorialise his life in the near futureCatch up on all the latest entertainment news and gossip here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever