Meet Jude Artenstein | Filmmaker/Founder Doggie Street Festival & Adopt-A-Thon

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jude Artenstein and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jude, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking

If there is a consistent thread in my life it surely would be risk taking. Some of the risks I’ve taken I happily chose, while others were the only option I had at the time. I experienced a challenging childhood and without getting into specifics – I think that taking risks came easily since the “normal” options were not available to me.

Somehow this prepared me perfectly for the career I chose for myself of becoming a filmmaker. Unlike a painter or writer artistic endeavors which can be done solo on a modest budget. Filmmaking is a collaborative effort and an expensive one. So essentially you have to believe in yourself and the story you “must tell” more than anyone else in the room, then beg like crazy for help, then “jump off the cliff” and see where you land, hoping that you will be able to pull your collaborators and the resources required toward you to make it all happen, no hesitation tolerated!

We will fail when we fail to try – so there is the risk.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I went to film school at UCSD in La Jolla. It was a fantastic experience. While in school my night job was as an assistant at the Perfect Pan School of Cooking in San Diego. Pre-food tv, that job exposed me to the amazing world of Chefs from all over the globe who taught classes there. I was fascinated by their knowledge and awareness that food was a bridge to respecting and understanding cultures and traditions other than our own. My first documentary resulted from my meeting Diana Kennedy there and making a documentary with her titled “Diana Kennedy Cuisines of Mexico” it aired on PBS and was nominated for an Emmy. That was quite a launch for a film student. Followed by numerous documentaries and a feature film I directed titled “Love Always”. Needless to say, independent filmmaking is quite the economic challenge, it will test you to your very core. I still have a very long list of stories I’d like to tell and continue to have funding challenges, nonetheless, I remain committed to finding a way!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?

I have always been inspired/encouraged in my work by the women and men who have contributed to improving the lives of those less fortunate here and around the world.

Being in the arts specifically independent film I’ve been influenced by so many people and genres it’s hard to single them out. A few would be Billy Wilder, Jane Champion, Franklin J. Schaffner, Arthur Penn, Guillermo del Toro, George Clooney, Cinema Novo, the Golden Age of Mexican Cinema, the French new wave, Film Noir. Cinema is a difficult career choice and I even for those who have access to the economic resources required to make it happen. am inspired by people who use their resources to tell stories that capture our imagination because they and challenge our perspective.

Last but not least I dedicate my shoutout to Jane Goodall. She is definitely on my inspiration list, her contributions to making us aware of the animals we are fortunate to share this planet with are boundless! In 2008 I had an accident which resulted in me not walking for 6 months, my golden retriever Scout never left my side and was such a comfort to me. In 2009 as my civic duty to him and his furry friends I founded the Annual Doggie Street Festival & Adopt-A-Thon to provide a high visibility platform to increase animal adoption as a first option. Over the years we have had thousands of furballs find new families on Festival Day. Ms. Goodall was surely an inspiration.

Website: doggiestreetfestival.org

Image Credits
Provided By DSF