As a filmmaker, Steven Pressman  has directed and produced 5 documentaries focused on a range of Jewish subject matter.  In 2013, 50 Children: The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus, premiered on HBO and received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Historical Programming. His next film, Holy Silence, premiered on PBS in 2020. Steven’s third film, The Levys of Monticello, has won numerous awards while screening at more than 100 film festivals around the country since its release in 2022. In 2024 he completed Moses Ezekiel: Portrait of a Lost Artist, which has been playing at numerous film festivals and other venues around the world.

Steven’s most recent film Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie, premiered in 2026 at the Toronto Jewish Film Festival and received the Audience Award for Best Documentary at the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival.

In addition to his work as a filmmaker, Steven is the author of 50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple’s Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany.

Steven Pressman was born and raised in Los Angeles and received an undergraduate degree in political science at the University of California, Berkeley.

Presentation Topics 

My Journey as a Jewish filmmaker

I never set out to be a filmmaker. In fact, I spent the first 30-some odd years as an old-school print journalist, working for a variety of newspapers and magazines in Los Angeles, Washington, DC, and San Francisco. But when I finally decided after a long career to leave journalism behind, I somewhat unexpectedly was drawn into the world of documentary filmmaking. More than fifteen years later, I’ve wound up creating a body of work – five films in all – that has focused on telling previously unknown or little- known stories that are all rooted in the American Jewish experience. It’s been a journey of discovery – both for myself and for audiences all across the country.

50 Children – How I came to tell a long-hidden Holocaust rescue story

For me, it all started with a stack of yellowing, old-fashioned onionskin paper tucked away, half-forgotten in a desk drawer at my home in San Francisco. That, along with a plastic bag that contained more than a dozen German passports, each stamped with a menacing Nazi swastika and each bearing the name and photograph of a young girl or boy. Together, they added up to a remarkable story about an improbable children’s rescue mission carried out by a Jewish couple from Philadelphia on the eve of the Holocaust. What’s even more remarkable is that the story had never before been told. So let me tell you how I came to shine a spotlight on the quiet courage of Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus and the lives they saved. And also, how this story wound up on HBO!

Blintzes, bagels and Hanukkah latkes: a Jewish story about Woody Guthrie

For most of us, hearing the name Woody Guthrie brings to mind the iconic American folksinger who famously wrote “This Land Is Your Land,” with those familiar lyrics “from California to the New York Island.” Others might remember him as the guy who championed the plight of the Okies and others who had to flee their homes during the ravages of the disastrous dust bowls during the 1930s. 

But who knew that Woody – born and raised in a tiny town in Oklahoma – would also come to write songs about Hanukkah and Purim, and about everything from blintzes and latkes to hamantaschen and knishes? Here’s a side of Woody Guthrie that you’ve almost certainly never heard about before. And just to toss in a tantalizing teaser. You’re also going to hear about Arlo Guthrie’s bar mitzvah!

Meet the Levys – the Jewish family that saved Monticello

When Thomas Jefferson died in 1826, he left behind a mountain of personal debt, which forced his heirs to sell his beloved Monticello home just outside of Charlottesville, Virginia, along with all of his possessions. 

Only a few years later, Monticello – by then on the verge of completely falling apart – was purchased by a very unlikely buyer – a Jewish naval officer named Uriah Levy who was determined to honor Jefferson’s legacy largely out of appreciation for Jefferson’s strong beliefs in religious liberty. 

As it turned out, members of the Levy family would eventually own Monticello for nearly a century – longer, in fact, than it had been owned by Jefferson and his descendants. The remarkable story of the Levy family also intersects with the rise of antisemitism that runs throughout the course of American history.

Testimonials

Steven is a wonderful speaker… His presentation on Gilbert and Eleanor Kraus and their rescue mission into Nazi Germany was fantastic and heartfelt, and it reminded all of us that each of us can make a positive difference. Steven is also incredibly easy to work with, detail-oriented and well-organized. 

– Caroline Fangman Griego, Public Programs Manager, Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

Steven Pressman is a wonderful speaker and a pleasure to work with. Our audience at the Jewish Film Festival of Dallas was thoroughly engaged by his film Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie and especially enjoyed the conversation that followed. Steve was warm, articulate, and engaging as he responded thoughtfully to questions from both our moderator and the audience, making the discussion feel lively and personal.

This was actually our second opportunity to host Steve. We previously welcomed him to our BookFest with his book 50 Children. On both occasions, he demonstrated an impressive ability to connect with an audience and bring his expertise and storytelling to life. 

– Rachelle Weiss Crane, Director of Israel Engagement & Jewish Living, Aaron Family JCC, Dallas TX

Steven Pressman is far more than a talented documentary filmmaker. He is a captivating storyteller and an engaging speaker. With wit, insight, and a wealth of firsthand experience, Steve brings audiences behind the scenes of his filmmaking journey and shares his unique approach to telling stories rooted in the American Jewish experience. His passion for uncovering the people, history, and personal moments behind each film is infectious, making his conversations as compelling and entertaining as the stories he brings to the screen.

– Hilary Helstein,Executive Director, Los Angeles Jewish Film Festival

… a sold-out audience [for] Steven Pressman’s documentary film Dust Bowls and Jewish Souls: Another Side of Woody Guthrie.  Steve presented an engaging, informative, funny, and thoroughly wonderful conversation about the film and the context.  The audience loved the film and the chance to hear Steve speak and answer questions.

– Lisa Newman, Director of Publishing and Public Programs, Yiddish Book Center, Amherst MA