Documentarian profiles locals for PBS series

A Lubec based documentarian, who usually divides his time between Maine, California and Mexico, has provided six video shorts for the ongoing PBS series "American Portrait," which collects stories from across the country to create a national storytelling project. "It was a neat opportunity," says Ethan Bien of the project. There are plenty more stories to be told in the region, and he may provide more if given the green light.
"One of the criteria that was laid out with the mission was to find people who weren't going to participate on their own, who might not have the time to plan out" how to video themselves for the project. Bien's portraits range from a farmer to an activist and capture a rich diversity of voices from way Downeast.
Bien and his partner have been staying at his property in Lubec. "I'm so glad to be here during the pandemic," he says. "Coming back here has been relatively painless. It makes it dearer to be here."
Place is an important part of how he works. "It's important to have connections with the communities I'm working in. I wouldn't feel comfortable parachuting into a place without spending time there."
He illustrates his relationship with Lubec as an example. While he grew up in Maine and has been coming on and off to Lubec since 2010, "it took years to feel somewhat comfortable." He adds with a laugh, "I'll still put my foot in it and will be told very clearly about it."
While in Lubec Bien has also been working on other projects. "A lot of the work I do is in planning, researching, writing grant proposals. I can do that anywhere." One of those projects is a film about the former Soviet Union's animation studio. During its height the program was world renowned. "It won lots of awards and was well regarded," and was a completely non commercial environment, "sort of like 'Sesame Street.'" It was republic wide, with studios all over the country, with "huge mobilization to create cartoons for kids."
With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the program ended and many of its assets were sold off. He notes that the French company Danone, which produces Dannon yogurt, for example, owns some of the cartoon characters. However, recently the Russian government has been interested in resurrecting the program, feeling that Western cartoons, now widely watched, are not reflective of its own culture.
Bien's documentary is focusing on three parts: the old studio under the former Soviet Union; the people who got their start with the old studio and are now continuing with the new; and those who are starting their careers with the new studio.
"The contrast of what they had and what they have now will be a powerful way to emphasize how capitalism can limit and change the way we do art." Because of the pandemic, Bien doesn't expect to get back to Russia for more filming until 2021, but he hopes to wrap the project in 2022.
For more information about the "American Portrait" series, visit PBS.