Marilyn Agrelo
Directing
Biography
Marilyn Agrelo’s directorial debut, Mad Hot Ballroom, enjoyed a theatrical run of over 24 weeks and took its place among the top 10 highest-grossing documentary films. Mad Hot Ballroom is currently in pre-production to become a Broadway show. Marilyn has directed for the Emmy-winning children's series The Electric Company and for Sesame Street and has worked created short films including No Small Parts and Good Muslim Girls. She has made several documentary shorts for the human rights organization Women for Afghan Women and is in her fifth year as an envoy with American Film Showcase, a cultural diplomacy initiative of the US State Dept and the USC School of Cinematic Arts. She has taught workshops in Tajikistan, Bolivia, Panama, Pakistan and during her 2 trips through Iraq. Her work has screened in most major international festivals and has been broadcast on HBO, Showtime and PBS.
Known For
Meet Cody and the Helpsters, a team of vibrant monsters who love to solve problems. Whether it's planning a party, climbing a mountain, or mastering a magic trick, the Helpsters can figure anything out—because everything starts with a plan.
Helpsters
Mona Gray is a 20-year-old loner who, as a child, turned to math for salvation after her father became ill. As an adult, Mona now teaches the subject and must help her students through their own crises.
An Invisible Sign
Take a stroll down Sesame Street and witness the birth of the most influential children's show in television history. From the iconic furry characters to the classic songs you know by heart, learn how a gang of visionary creators changed the world.
Street Gang: How We Got to Sesame Street
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes humorous perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition.
Mad Hot Ballroom
You'll be hard-pressed to find a more unusual circus, or father-daughter performing duo. The Moscow Cat Theater is just that: a traveling show of cats that perform amazing tricks for the owners who love and train them. Everybody in Russia may be used to seeing cats perform tricks, as the theater's manager explains in this funny, charming film, but felines walking tightropes, crossing the stage on giant balls and walking upside down is not a common sight in most countries. As a balalaika and accordion circus score plays in the background, Creative Director Vladimir and his daughter Maria combine their love of cats and stage to create a captivating act and illustrate the tricks of the trade - giving new meaning to the expression 'herding cats'.