A influential filmmaker spotlight, highlighting a selection of their films.

“The only thing experience teaches you is what you can’t do. When you start, you think you can do anything. And then you start to get a little tired.” – Elaine May

Elaine May (born 1932)—highly regarded as a comedian, screenwriter, playwright, and actress—had a more tempestuous ride as a film director. Throughout her decades-long career, a through line to her work as an actor, writer, and director is her sense of spontaneity and authenticity, interest in satire, and experimentation with form. May was notorious for filming endless takes of scenes—no doubt in an effort to capture something raw in an actor’s performance. In recent years, May’s contributions as a screenwriter and director have been reevaluated and celebrated. – bampfa.org