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MARIA PUSATERI
DIRECTOR/PRODUCER

Maria Pusateri is an award-winning director/producer and founder of DreamSlate Productions; Vito Friscia is her brother-in-law.

Although she studied acting and performed, she found her niche behind the camera while working as a field producer for Unblinking Eye, which was shown on Cablevision's MetroChannels. For the show, Pusateri created 40 cultural arts programs covering literary, music and film events in New York City. She also did a short piece after 9/11, in which she interviewed people at the center of memorial activity at Union Square soon after the attacks.

Programs covered a wide-range of subjects from inner-city youth performing slam poetry to celebrity play readings to conversations with independent filmmakers to movie stars. Her work netted a New York Emmy Award nomination in 2002 for Unblinking Eye: Food for Thought — a play reading series featuring Elaine Stritch, Judith Light, John Shea and others. The program also received an OMNI Award and two Communicator Awards.

Pusateri received her first two Communicator Awards for Unblinking Eye: WWOW Radio - the Adventures of Nero Wolfe, a vintage radio show re-creation. She also received an OMNI Award for Unblinking Eye: New York in the Fifties, a half-hour interview with documentary filmmaker Betsey Blakenbaker.

Her filmmaking career was inspired by Vito's experiences and Judith Helfand's critically-acclaimed film, Blue Vinyl. Helfand's film typified Pusateri's vision for her own filmmaking — exploration of people's intimate worlds through the social issues impacting their lives. Witnessing Vito's trauma and health issues impelled her to tell his story and make others aware of the problems faced by 9/11 rescue and recovery workers.

Pusateri is a board member of CineWomen NY, where she is programming director of the organization's monthly screening series at the Pioneer Theater in Manhattan.

She also is a member of New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and other organizations supporting independent filmmakers including Film/Video Arts.