Lewis
Jacobs

Lewis Jacobs (1904 - 1997) was educated as a painter but wanted to make Soviet-style films. He coedited the 1930s Experimental Cinema, the first American film magazine dealing with art and social issues and wrote the influential book, The Rise of the American Film (1939). With Jo Gerson and Louis Hirshman, Jacobs formed Cinema Crafters of Philadelphia in 1927, thus beginning a life-long filmmaking career. He made his own short films and produced, directed, photographed, and wrote more than 40 experimental, documentary, and educational films. He engaged in what he called “a process of continuous discovery.”