Diana Ginsburg

Diana Ginsburg is a South African, later American, editor, film maker, author and photographer.

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Also known by her married name, Diana Friedberg.

Biography

Has a BA in Drama from the University of Cape Town Drama Department (1967) and a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Cinema from the University of Southern California (1976).

Co-author, with Lori-Jane Coleman of the books Make the Cut: A Guide to Becoming a Successful Assistant Editor in Film and TV (2010). [1] and Jump Cut. How to Jump Start your Career as a Film Editor.

She started out as an editor and director in South Africa (see the next section below) then relocated to Hollywood with her husband and family in 1986. With an MFA from USC in film production Friedberg has edited and produced features, episodic television, animation series and non-fiction productions for companies as diverse as Disney, National Geographic, The History Channel, A&E, Discovery, NBC, USA, Stephen J. Cannell, and Leonard Nimoy Productions.

Married to Lionel Friedberg, she also uses her married name, Diana Friedberg, on occasion.

Contributions to South African theatre, film, media and performance

Editing career

She started working in Cape Town as an Assistant Editor for AKA Productions (doing commercials) (1967 -1968) and similar work as assistant editor with internationally acclaimed director Ashley Lazarus for Audio Kine Africa in 1968 (their clients including the cigarette companies Peter Stuyvesant, Rothmans, Dunhill and Lexington).

In 1969 she worked as an Editing Intern for Universal Pictures MOW on John Blackburn’s 1962 thriller novel The Gaunt Woman (adapted into a television film called Destiny of a Spy, directed by Boris Sagal, starring Rachel Roberts and Lorne Greene, at Pinewood Studios, London, 1969).[2]

On her return to South Africa she became an Assistant Editor, Script Supervisor and and Editor, with companies like Cavalier Films, Capital Films, C-Films and Bevil Films.

Afrikaans and English feature films edited in the period 1970-1974 include: Crazy People, Abashokobezi, Pens En Pootjies, The Virgin Goddess, House Of The Living Dead, Die Spook Van Donkergat (which she also directed), My Broer Se Bril, Die Lewe Sonder Jou, Zebra, A New Life, Vicki, Gold Squad, Die Drie Van Der Merwes, Sien Jou Môre.

Producing and directing career

Legacy – 6 X 30-Minute Shows Portraying The History Of The Jewish People In South Africa And The Social, Political And Economic Contribution Of This Minority Group To The Cultural Life Of South Africa. Astranova Films /Sabc (South African Broadcasting Corporation). Across The Rubicon – Astranova Films/Pbs 90-Minute Docudrama. Performers Of The Dawn – 2 X 1-Hour Documentaries Featuring Colored People Who Were Part Of The Eoan Group, The Earliest Performing Arts Cultural Group Involved In The Production Of Opera In South Africa. Astranova Films/Sabc. Hot Snow – 1-Hour Drama. Astranova Films/Sabc.

Art And About – 13 X 13-Minute Shows Featuring Young People Involved In The Fine And Performing Arts. Sabc’s Contribution To The International Year Of Youth. Astranova Films/Sabc.

From Barter To Banknote – 2 X Half-Hour Shows Dealing With The History Of Money With Reference To South Africa. Astranova Films/Sabc. A Delicate Balance – 6 X 30-Minute Shows Examining The World’s Environmental Problems And The Devastating Impact On South Africa. Astranova Films/Sabc.

She moved from editing to directing when she served as an assistant director and supervising editor on Abashokobezi for C Films and then became one of first women in South Africa to direct a feature film when she did Die Spook van Donkergat for Capital Films (1973).

From there she would go on to produce, direct, and/or edit more than * South African documentaries, dramatic TV shows and -series to between 1977 and 1986.

Among them were:

Marigolds In August, Winners 2, Follow That Rainbow, Makoma, Their Frontier, The Sea, They Came From The East, Then Came The English, Fairest Cape, Putco Buses, The Unbroken Thread, Thabure, Sewer Rats, Parent And Child, Space Cadets, Maripane, Intergalaxy, Dr Kleiman, Maberone, The Sorcerer, The Cape Malays, Coast Watch, Mrs Dumbleby, African Fireside Tales, Mrs Dumbleby 2, Isihogo Sisemhlabeni, Itreyni, Jantjie, Portrait Of Hout Bay,

Among her numerous documentary films, were programmes/films made by Astranova Films to celebrate 50 Years of Civil Aviation in South Africa and the 50th Anniversary of South African Airways, From Barter to Banknote (two Half-hour shows on the history of m), A Delicate Balance (six 30-Minute shows about the world’s environmental problems and the devastating impact it has on South Africa.

For a more complete listing of all her South African and international work, see https://dianafriedberg.com/about/