Solstice (III)

Walter Ungerer was born in New York City. He studied architecture, painting and sculpture at Pratt Institute and Columbia University, receiving a B.F.A. degree from Pratt in 1958, and an M.A. degree from Columbia in 1960.

After working as a freelance cameraman and editor for six years, Ungerer turned to independent production in 1964 with his film THE TASMANIAN DEVIL. He has since completed 14 more films and eight video pieces. In 1976, Ungerer formed Dark Horse Films, Inc. in Montpelier, Vermont, a non-profit production company under which he produced his last four features: THE ANIMAL, THE HOUSE WITHOUT STEPS, THE WINTER THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SNOW, and LEAVING THE HARBOR.

Ungerer’s works have been shown at festivals and competitions throughout the world including the Florence International Film Festival, Florence, Italy; the Tours International Film Festival, Tours, France; the Athens International Film Festival (Best Feature Film for THE ANIMAL and Merit Award for THE HOUSE WITHOUT STEPS); the Houston International Film Festival (Bronze Award for THE WINTER THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SNOW); the Ann Arbor Experimental Film Festival; the San Francisco International Film Festival; the Atlantic Film and Video Festival (Critics’ Choice Award for THE WINTER THERE WAS VERY LITTLE SNOW); and the Black Maria Film Festival (Jurors’ Award for LEAVING THE HARBOR). He has also been honored with special exhibitions at the Museum of Modern Art, New York City; the Everson Museum, Syracuse, New York; Filmmuseum, Amsterdam, Holland; the Athens Film Society, Athens, Greece; the Hong Kong Film Culture Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong; and the Fleming Museum, Burlington, Vermont. Among other grants and awards, he received an American Film Institute Independent Filmmaker grant in 1977, and a National Endowment for the Arts Media grant in 1983. He has also been the recipient of several Vermont Council on the Arts fellowship awards.