David Gaynes

Bio

David Gaynes is an independent filmmaker whose work has been presented theatrically around the world and is distinctive for its patience and earnestness. Next Year Jerusalem (2013) is a quiet meditation on the last stage of life and a pilgrimage taken by frail elders from a nursing home. The film was praised by the New York Times and many others upon its release in 2014.  Saving Hubble (2012) is an endearing portrait of everyday people and their desire to keep the iconic Hubble Telescope from becoming space junk. Keeper of the Kohn (2005) won multiple festival awards and tells the story of an autistic man caring for a dying friend. David is an accomplished documentary cinematographer, having photographed the award-winning All Me: The Life and Times of Winfred Rembert (2011) among other films.

Reflection

I have been honored to photograph and interview many people throughout my career – famous, infamous and entirely unknown. One of the great ecstasies of documentary work for me is talking to people who have no room in their lives for pretense. Carolyn Hess lives with the wisdom that the day she’s been granted is a gift, the next day is not promised, and through it comes an opportunity to transform the life of another person and better the world. She had an epiphany revealed to her at the time of her cancer diagnosis: rather than suffering under the weight of the existential crisis that terminal cancer brings, Carolyn could give the burden over to God and perform God’s work on earth while she still has time. I am amazed at the purpose of this woman, who spends much of every day in the same room, the same bed, and yet is alive and engaged in her world and work. I hope our short segment about Carolyn will inspire others – those who ostensibly have more time on earth ahead of them – to consider their earthly responsibilities in a new light.