George C. Stoney, 1916-2012

Pioneering documentary filmmaker, Pubic Access TV champion and Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MNN) Board member George Stoney passed away July 12 at his home in Greenwich Village.

“As a filmmaker and documentarian, George Stoney was truly a pioneer of the fine art and craft of revealing truth through cinematic and electronic media,” said Dr. Norris Chumley, the Chair of the MNN Board. "The entire MNN community mourns his passing and sends our deepest condolences to his family."

George was widely considered the eminence grise of American documentary film. He wrote, produced or directed more than 50 documentaries and television series, including the award winning “All My Babies” (1953), “How the Myth Was Made” (1978), “Southern Voices” (1985), “How One Painter Sees” (1988), “Images of The Great Depression” (1990), and “The Uprising of'34” (1995).

George taught film at the University of Southern California, City College, Columbia University, Stanford University and most recently as the Paulette Godard Professor of film at New York University. He was the executive producer for the Challenge for Change program at the National Film Board of Canada (1968-1970) and a founding board member of the Alliance for Community Media.

“He inspired and nurtured thousands of students of documentary, cinema and history,” Dr. Chumley added. “He never retired or stopped teaching, even in his final moments. He has several documentaries in his final stages, soon to be released.”

George was also a pioneer in the modern community media movement and a tireless advocate for MNN and Public Access TV nationally. In 1971, he co-founded the Alternate Media Center with Red Burns at New York University, which trained the first general of public access producers and activists.

“George has been a wonderful mentor and role model to several generations of journalists, filmmakers, and free speech advocates,” said Alliance for Community Media Executive Director Sylvia Strobel.  “His loss will be keenly felt by many in the media industry. We express our deepest sympathies to George’s family and friends.” 

MNN will be preempting programming this Sunday, July 15, on MNN1 to run some of George's work, including "The Shepherd of the Night Flock," "The City," and "Paulo Freire at Highlander: A Conversation with Myles Horton." Air times to follow on MNN's web page.

In honor of George’s contributions, MNN recently unveiled the George C. Stoney Community Studio at the MNN El Barrio Firehouse Community Media Center, MNN’s new state-of-the-art satellite facility in Upper Manhattan.