Ricki Stern vs. Joan Rivers

by Ricki Stern
URL: http://www.moviemaker.com/directing/article/joan_rivers_a_piece_of_work_ricki_stern_20100610/
When I start a film, I think about character first. What does my film about Junior Olympic boxers in the South Bronx have in common with my film about Joan Rivers, Joan Rivers: A Piece of Work? Bold characters. Whether it is a scrappy kid living a transitory life in a housing project with dreams of someday being the next great Puerto Rican boxer or an aging comedian living in a scaled down Versailles off Fifth Avenue driving herself to succeed, my films are about people whose passion propels them through obstacles and pain.