Jan Oxenberg (born 1950) is an American film producer, director, editor, and screenwriter. She is known for her work in lesbian feminist films and in television.
Career Oxenberg was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1950.
She attended Barnard College for two years where she was active in the experimental college, a collaborative, co-living, and self-directed schooling experiment between Barnard and Columbia University starting in 1968. Oxenberg transferred to California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) and initially she studied feminist art with Judy Chicago and Miriam Shapiro, but later transferring into the CalArts film school. In 1972, Oxenberg was one of the many participants in Womanhouse, the first feminist art installation and performance art (specifically within the art pieces - Three Women, Birth Trilogy, Necco Wafers).
In the 1970s, she was involved with ELF (education liberation front), a traveling educational resource, carrying information and books on liberation movements, racism, ecology and more. Around 1974, she was active in producing a radio series called "Lesbian Sisters" on KPFK Los Angeles.
She has also worked as a producer and writer on Pretty Little Liars. Other credits include Nothing Sacred, Cold Case, Kidnapped, In Plain Sight, and Chicago Hope.
Since 2013, Oxenberg has been adapting James Ellroy's memoir, My Dark Places for a screenplay and film production by Myriad Pictures.
Personal life Oxenberg is Jewish, and openly lesbian. Oxenberg has been out as a lesbian since the early portion of the second wave feminist movement. For many years, she dated musician Sonia Wieder-Atherton.
Filmography +FilmYearTitleTypeRoleNotes1973Home Movieshort filmfilm directorThis film is regarded as one of the first feminist lesbian films and was shown at the Womanspace Gallery in 1973. It revisits old home movies but with a queer narrative.1974I'm Not One of 'Emshort filmfilm director1975A Comedy in Six Unnatural Actsfilm producer, film director, film editor1975Films by Jan Oxenberg short filmfilm director, film editor1975Woman to Womandocumentarysound1986Rate It X documentarysound1992Thank You and Good Night documentaryfilm producer, film directorThis documentary film is centered around a portrait of Oxenberg's dying grandmother, and about facing death. +TelevisionYear(s)TitleTypeRoleNotes1997Relativitytelevision series dramawriterOxenberg wrote the 1997 Relativity episode that featured the first kiss between two lesbian characters on American primetime television.1998–1999Chicago Hope television series dramafilm producer(3 episodes)1999–2001Once and Againtelevision series dramafilm producer, writer(43 episodes) She wrote for Once and Again, which had a pioneering storyline of a lesbian teenage couple.2001The Education of Max Bickfordfilm producer2002Robbery Homicide Divisionfilm producer2003Mister Sterlingfilm producer(3 episodes)2003–2004Cold Case television series police proceduralfilm producer(22 episodes)2006–2007Kidnapped film producer(12 episodes)2008Long Island Confidential film producer2011In Plain Sight film producer(2 episodes)2013Pretty Little Liars film producer(3 episodes)
See also List of female film and television directors List of lesbian filmmakers List of LGBT-related films directed by women
References
External links
Jan Oxenberg at Writers Guild of America West Jan Oxenberg at BFI