We're Shouting Out FLY AWAY, the work of acclaimed film maker Janet Grillo February 23rd as part of the Saugerties Library Cabin Fever series.
Janet lives part time in Saugerties and is an award winning, critically acclaimed filmmaker, Emmy Award winning producer, former Senior VP of Production/East Coast at New Line Cinema, and Professor at NYU Tisch School of the Arts.
Janet directed JACK OF THE RED HEARTS, which was screened in multiple festivals in the US. JACK made its European debut at the Rome Film Festival. It was released in 25 AMC theaters, and was seen by 1 million people on LIFETIME TV.
FLY AWAY, which premiered in 2011 at SXSW Film Festival, was nominated for Best Feature. It won the Special Jury Award for Best Performance at the ARIZONA Intl Film Festival, opening theatrically to excellent reviews in the NEW YORK TIMES, HUFFINGTON POST, NEW YORK OBSERVER and LA TIMES, which sited it as one of four independent films “most overlooked for an Oscar.”
In 2008, Janet won an Emmy as Executive Producer of the HBO documentary AUTISM: THE MUSICAL.
During her tenure at NEW LINE CINEMA, Janet oversaw the HOUSE PARTY series, and Executive Produced David O. Russell’s first feature, SPANKING THE MONKEY, launching his illustrious career.
Janet is the mother of an adult son on the Autism Spectrum, and former board member of CURE AUTISM NOW Foundation, which merged with AUTISM SPEAKS, the leading American advocacy organization.