Allen J. Calderaro

Al Calderaro has had a long and varied career in the arts, having worked as a painter, video artist and independent film producer. After graduating from Fairleigh Dickinson University with a B. A. in U. S. History and attending graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University’s School of the Arts, Al moved to New York where he pursued a successful career as a contemporary artist. His work has been exhibited at the Holly Solomon Gallery, Concord Gallery, PS1, Bard College, 1708 Gallery and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Examples of his work are included in The Rutgers University Zimmerli Art Museum, and a number of private collections around the country. In addition, he has taught at VCU and been a guest lecturer at Bard College

After returning to Richmond in 1988, Al pursued a number of artistic ventures including opening Gallery A, a contemporary art gallery located in Richmond’s historic Shockoe Slip. In addition, he has enjoyed a long career appraising commercial real estate and has been a consultant on many of the historic adaptive reuse projects in Richmond’s revitalized downtown. Al has been a certified general real estate appraiser for over 20 years.

His life long interests in history and film, led to an association with documentary filmmaker Robert Griffith, and the founding of The American Documentary Film Fund. Al is the Executive Producer for the American Documentary Film Fund’s current project, The Judge – A Documentary.

Robert J. Griffith

Robert Griffith is an international award-winning filmmaker who has been telling stories on film and video for more than thirty-five years. His early training and experience as a documentary and news cameraman for national networks NBC and CBS, led to his forming Griffith Films as an independent filmmaker, creating films and television commercials for regional and national clients.

For the last decade, Griffith has concentrated on producing long-format documentaries focusing on a variety of compelling social issues. His latest recognition was being awarded the Theresa Pollak Prize for Excellence in the Arts, in the category of Film. Recent documentaries include Seasons With Brian and Julia, which has been screened coast to coast, and Voices of Hope and Recovery, currently being viewed nationwide.

Griffith has won multiple awards, including First Place in the Association of Film Commissioners International Competition in 2006, for Moviemaking in Virginia: Part 2. Griffith served as Director of Photography for the feature length film Lillian, which won a Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Award.