Daily Inspiration: Meet David Liban

Today we’d like to introduce you to David Liban.

Hi David, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in New York and did some moving about as I was starting my career. I chose the path of being a filmmaker within the world of academia. I received my MFA from Brooklyn College (CUNY) and from there I taught briefly at Savannah College of Art & Design, a stint at the University of Memphis, then George Washington University, and ultimately found my home at CU Denver’s College of Arts & Media.

Throughout the “academic shuffle” I ran a video production business and was an editor and cinematographer. I started at CU Denver as an assistant professor of film in 2004 and was promoted as chairperson for the dept of film & TV about 10 years later.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Smooth? I wouldn’t use that word, but I certainly do feel fortunate for the opportunities and experiences I’ve had.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am a filmmaker as well as an academic. I’ve been making films since the 90s and with each film, the projects got better and better and reached larger audiences. The most recent portion of my career is a shift from documentary films to fictional feature films. In 2010, I made a documentary called Mortal Lessons which won an Emmy award. It is a story about two brave women who are facing cancer at the end of their lives, and they share their experiences on camera.

I made a feature called, A Feral World which is being distributed by Gravitas Ventures and is available internationally. That film is a post-apocalyptic coming-of-age story that we shot over four years. Because of our budget and resources, it was not only necessary to make the film in this manner, but we used it as a story device.

The audience can see our actor’s age over the course of the film. The lead actor, Caleb Liban (my son) was 11 when made the first chapter and 15 when we completed it. That film went on to win numerous awards at film festivals despite its micro-budget. You can see more at www.feralworld.net

More recently, I just completed a feature film called Publish or Perish. This is the largest project I have ever made. I partnered up with a producer by the name of Jonathan Miller who was able to finance the film at a much higher level which allowed us to hire a cast and crew who were equally as committed to the project. Jonathan, who is also the CEO of Parsonex, one of the fastest growing investment firms in the US, has begun his filmmaking adventures with me.  Our plans is that Publish or Perish will be the first of many to come.

This film is a dark comedy about a professor who accidentally kills one of his students and he doesn’t want to let that impact his career so he tries to cover it up. This causes his life to spiral out of control. That film is now done and we’ve submitted it to numerous film festivals. Our plan is to release the movie in early 2023. You can learn more at www.publishperishmovie.com

Let’s talk about our city – what do you love? What do you not love?
I love Denver for many reasons. The weather, the beauty, the creative people, and the lifestyle suit me best and I’ve lived in many cities. What I like least about our city? Nothing comes to mind.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.publishperishmovie.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/publishperishmovie/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/publishperish

Image Credits
Kelly Page-Spencer, Wen Tan, and Cynthia Cazanas Garin