Biography for
Brenda Brkusic More at IMDbPro »

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Filmmaker, activist, humanitarian, dancer and model, Brenda Brkusic was born in Chicago and moved to Los Angeles on an academic scholarship from Chapman University, where she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and graduated with highest honors in Film and Television Writing and Directing. Inspired by her parent's activism as a child, Brenda always knew it was her calling to film the stories of others who were suffering around the world. Beginning as a production intern for filmmaker Bruce Schwartz while studying at Marymount College, Brenda gained experience as a script supervisor and dance choreographer on various short films. At age 20 she wrote, produced, directed and edited a short documentary called My Croatia which was nominated for a Best Documentary award at Chapman School of Film. Recognizing her efforts, Chapman awarded her its Marion Knott Scholarship, which afforded her the opportunity to work one on one with Academy Award® winning filmmaker David S. Ward. At age 22 she wrote, produced, directed and edited her multi-award winning feature documentary Freedom from Despair, shooting in the US and Croatia and utilizing such talents as Michael York, John Savage, Beata Pozniak and US Congressman Dennis Kucinich. By creatively blending interviews, narrative recreations, and stock footage to illuminate the human experience, hidden political agendas, and global responsibility, Brenda Brkusic has gained a reputation as an important new voice in the documentary field. Her film has won a dozen awards at film festivals, from Hollywood to New York to Croatia including a coveted CINE Golden Eagle Award (previously won by Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Ken Burns). The highest honor of all, Brenda was invited by the International Documentary Associatian to be considered for a prestigious Jacqueline Donnet Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award and Freedom from Despair was also nominated for a David L. Wolper Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award in the 2005 IDA Awards Gala. Brenda's film has received critical acclaim from the international press, and in June of 2005, her hard work on Freedom from Despair was recognized by US Congress and she was honored on the Congressional Record of the US House of Representatives. The Croatian National Foundation has agreed to be her fiscal sponsor, and Amnesty International, the largest human rights organization in the world, officially endorses her film for its strong human rights advocacy. Another human rights organization, The Anti-Defamation League, has named the film a Finalist in their competition. Brenda produces her own tours with the film across the US, Canada, Europe and Australia. In this grass roots effort to screen the film in churches, cultural clubs, and film festivals, she has generated a fan base of hundreds of thousands of people. Brenda has also been invited by Colleges, Universities and top PR Firms to speak to students about leadership and the documentary filmmaking process and was asked by the International Documentary Association to show her film to high school students in documentary classes sponsored by the IDA. Besides running her own documentary production company, Brenda was asked by Amnesty International and MTV to direct human rights related public service announcements, "interviews with the director" and "behind the scenes" documentary material for the film Innocent Voices directed by Louis Mendoki. Brenda is currently securing international distribution for Freedom from Despair while also working for PBS as a Production Manager. Before taking on the role of Production Manager, she served as a Producer for an Emmy Award winning PBS nightly news program. In her free time she volunteers for the IDA, raises awareness and funding for landmine removal in war torn countries, and is an active supporter of the organizations Adopt-a-Minefield, Roots of Peace, and Artists for Amnesty International. She continues to make her home in Los Angeles.

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