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Ben Shahn: Passion for Justice features the artist in rare television and radio interviews recorded before his death in 1969. In addition, multiple interviews were recorded with his widow, Bernarda Bryson Shahn (in 2002 she turned 99). An artist in her own right, Bernarda provided priceless firsthand memories of their life together in New York, Washington, D.C. and Roosevelt, New Jersey, where she still lives. Biographer Howard Greenfeld completed “Ben Shahn: An Artist’s Life” during the production of the film, and gave invaluable assistance throughout.

The documentary was filmed over a period of three years coinciding with the 100th anniversary of Shahn’s birth. The Jewish Museum in New York and Harvard University Art Museums mounted important Shahn exhibits that provided access to many privately held and rarely seen works. The film crew traveled to the sites of several major public works by Shahn, including murals in Washington, D.C. and Roosevelt, New Jersey, and the stained glass windows he created for the Temple Beth Zion in Buffalo, New York. The New Jersey State Museum granted access to its complete collection of Shahn’s graphic works. By showing examples from all the media that Shahn worked in, and from every period of his prolific career, the film gives a sense of the complete span of his accomplishments as an artist.

Ben Shahn: Passion for Justice was shot in 16 mm film, and transferred to digibeta. It was completed on an AVID editing system. Original music was composed by John Hodian.