THE FILMMAKERS
Jane C. Wagner & Tina DiFeliciantonio
Directors and producers of Transcendence a project to which they have dedicated over eight years of filming more than 200 hours of footage, as well as decades of expertise.
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From cinema vérité to impressionistic documentaries, DiFeliciantonio and Wagner’s critically acclaimed films have been screened and broadcast throughout the world. Their wide-ranging work — wartime rape, AIDS, child abuse, social justice, teenage sexuality, civil rights, art, science, ethics, and sustainable energy — has garnered dozens of top honors, such as two National Emmy Awards and two Sundance Film Festival Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary.
DiFeliciantonio and Wagner began their professional careers after graduating from Stanford University’s M.A. Film Program, where DiFeliciantonio made her directorial debut with the student Academy Award-winning LIVING WITH AIDS, which was the first film on the subject to be broadcast nationally on PBS.
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Over the course of 35 years, DiFeliciantonio and Wagner’s intellectual and creative collaboration continues to be sustained by a shared vision and passion for storytelling.
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They have produced in countries worldwide, including Hungary, Senegal, Abu Dhabi, Bangladesh, India, Japan, Australia, Jamaica, China, England, Mexico, and Turkey. Their work has been seen on HBO, Sundance Channel, Showtime, New York Times television, MTV, SyFy, U.S.A. Networks, and foreign television.
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They have participated on numerous juries and moderated panels for the Sundance Film Festival, International Documentary Association, New York Women in Film & Television, and P.O.V./PBS, among others. DiFeliciantonio and Wagner also serve(d) on the Board of Directors of such organizations as ITVS, Women Make Movies, Frameline, and Independent Filmworks Inc. DiFeliciantonio, in particular, is exceptionally committed to public service in the New York metropolitan area.
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Wagner holds an M.Sc. in Political Sociology and a B.Sc. in Political Science/Economics from the London School of Economics. DiFeliciantonio holds a B.S. in Humanities and a B.S. in Business from Drexel University. Each graduated from Stanford University with an M.A. in Communication.
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On a personal level, DiFeliciantonio has also felt the long-term impact of torture in her own family. During WWII, soldiers beat and gang-raped her aunt and grandmother. Witnessing how the trauma of these corrosive events reverberate through her family many years later, DiFeliciantonio has a deep interest in the recuperation of survivors.