• TITLE (ORIGINAL): The Tents
    TITLE (English): The Tents
    DIRECTOR: James Belzer
    COUNTRY: USA
    YEAR: 2012
    LENGTH: 80 min
    FORMAT/COLOR/BW: Digital, Color
    LANGUAGE: English
    CREDITS

    Director: James Belzer
    Producer: James Belzer, Marcus K. Jones
    Executive Producer:
    Cinematography: Marcus K. Jones
    Editor: Marcus K. Jones
    Composer: Elias Constantopedos

    FILM SYNOPSIS
    In the fashion world, "The Tents" are synonymous with the giant white tents erected every spring and fall during NY Fashion Week. It is here where hundreds of designers showcase their latest collections to fashion editors, buyers and celebrities and where legendary designers have made their first big break. Director James Belzer & Cinematographer Marcus K. Jones catalogue the birth of New York Fashion Week, its expansion and finally its move out of Bryant Park, fashion week's home since 1993, to Lincoln Center.

    Told with exclusive behind the scenes footage and intimate interviews with top fashion players such as: Betsey Johnson, Carolina Herrera, Donna Karan, Glenda Bailey, Hal Rubenstein, Tommy Hilfiger and Zac Posen, to name just a few. Great commentaries are also featured with Carson Kressley, Patrick McMullan, Michael Musto and Robert Verdi, adding humor to the mix. The Tents is a tantalizing must-see - a unique chance to see behind the scenes at the fashion industry's biggest event.

    Director's Biography
    James Belzer was born and raised in the Panama Canal Zone.

    Upon graduation from Balboa High School, where he was the senior class president, he set off for New York City to attend NYU. He accomplished his academic endeavors, attending the Tisch School of the Arts as a drama major in the Stella Adler Conservatory of Acting, ultimately earning his B.A in Journalism from NYU.

    Upon realizing that the life of a painter, singer, actor, basically a "starving artist," in New York had serious limitations, Belzer joined Fairchild Publications and began his career in ad sales in the world of fashion magazines. After 7 years at Fairchild working at M Magazine, he went on to work for other national magazines such as Esquire, Spa Finder and most recently, for the past five years as the Business Development Director at Harper's Bazaar.

    Having never given up his creative ambitions, the artistic activities have lived as entrepreneurial efforts right along side his magazine career. From producing parties at a host of NYC nightclubs, to the advent of his music alter ego (Jimmy Beats), to the more recent live theater productions – off Broadway at The Lucille Lortel and at the Cherry Grove theater in Fire Island – Belzer has produced and directed numerous creative projects over the years.

    Belzer is involved with several key film projects, including The Tents – a documentary about the history of New York Fashion Week that was just released. Another film, Make It In Manhattan will come out in September 2012, and The Cherry Grove Invasion – a documentary about the colorful members of the Cherry Grove (Fire Island) community – releases soon.