Brent Joseph is an award-winning writer, director & editor who makes documentaries, fiction and experimental films.
DOCUMENTARIES
His three documentaries about Louisiana reveal hidden histories and offer personal accounts of living through cataclysmic events.
Beirut on the Bayou tells the story of his family who left Lebanon during the fall of the Ottoman empire and became peddlers in South Louisiana’s Cajun communities. The film was commissioned by the Consulate General of Lebanon in New York and features an Arabic version of the Cajun classic “La Danse de Mardi Gras.”
Holdout and A Loud Color document New Orleans in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They offer a window into residents' deep connection to home and history.
EXPERIMENTAL
Brent's writing and directing work also includes several experimental films. Mirza the Miraculous, is a lo-fi sci-fi movie shot in the mountains along the U.S.-Mexico border. The film incorporates a cosmos constructed out of abstract paintings by Iva Gueorguieva as well as Dustbusters repurposed as spaceships. It features an original analog electronic score by organist-inventor Quintron.
With Bullfrogs, he directed a transgressive re-telling of the damsel-in-distress story that veers into the macabre as it depicts a sacred land filled with both wonder and sacrificial offerings. The film stars Paul Soileau AKA Christeene and features an original score by Curtis Heath. It screened at several festivals including NewFest, New York's oldest and largest LGBTQ festival.
EDITING
Brent’s work includes many collaborations as a film editor. He learned his craft by assisting in the cutting rooms of David Fincher, Larry Clark, and Seth Rogen as well as numerous independent films before graduating to lead editor on features, television and brand films.
Branded content includes: “Bounce Meets Vogue,” a short for Microsoft produced by Court 13 (Beasts of the Southern Wild) and teaser trailers for American Horror Story.
Feature film & television credits include: Queen of Paradis (Excellence in Editing Award, Ashland Film Festival). Five Time Champion (SXSW) and MTV's True Life: I'm Living in Iraq (Edward R. Murrow award for Best TV News Documentary).
Several of his collaborations focus on race and class in his hometown of New Orleans. He co-wrote and edited, Shell Shocked, a film about youth violence which aired nationally on PBS. For the The Welcome Table, he worked closely with the office of mayor, Mitch Landrieu.