"Through Ferrini's lens, a gritty, blue-collar mill town is rendered achingly beautiful in the red/blue glow of the intense New England light."
— Marisa Guthrie, Boston Herald

Independent filmmaker Henry Ferrini hails from Gloucester Massachusetts, the vibrant and struggling New England seaport that has, for more than 25 years, been his muse. Over the years, much of his work has been focused on his hometown, cultivating a passion for local cultural geography that has summoned him to surrounding working-class communities such as Lynn, Salem, Peabody and Lowell, unearthing material most would overlook. His latest project returns him once again to his own backyard.

In all of Ferrini's work there is a central mission: To "uncover local spirit and reveal the profound connection between person and place." Most well known for non-fiction films, Ferrini’s trademark free form approach creates distinctive films and videos. Powerful independent elements (imagery, music and narration) become fused in a non-linear fashion to create, according to Ferrini, "film poems." This style is inimitable in his most recent release, "Lowell Blues: The Words of Jack Kerouac," a 30 minute journey through Kerouac's hometown guided by readers Gregory Corso, Johnny Depp, Carolyn Cassady, David Amram, Robert Creeley, and Joyce Johnson, with an original musical score composed by international jazz legend Lee Konitz, Willie Alexander and Jim Doherty. Lowell Blues recently garnered the "Grand Festival Award" in the 2001 Berkeley Film Festival, and has been featured in over 20 film festivals around the world. It has been incorporated into the Lowell public school curriculum, and Universities and public high schools have opted to include it in their semesters' syllabi.

Ferrini's current project focuses on the seminal avant-garde poet, Charles Olson. Little-known outside literary circles, Ferrini intends to bring a greater audience to the achievements and contributions of Olson, who was, according to Ferrini, "The ultimate misunderstood character."

Other films by Henry Ferrini:

The Light, the Quality the Time, the Place: A meditation on environmental responsibility in Gloucester. It was produced with a CETA grant from the Carter administration.

Radio Fishtown: The story of the last one-man radio station operation in the United States, Simon Geller of Gloucester, Massachusettsæa man heard by thousands but never seen.

John Koch from The Boston Globe called Radio Fishtown, "A poetic piece of silver."

Leather Soul: A Picture Business/Ferrini Production collaboration exploring the Peabody Massachusetts Leather Industry and its effect on the economy and culture.

Poem in Action: A portrait of Gloucester poet laureate, Vincent Ferrini.

Witch City: A Picture Business/Ferrini Production collaboration critiquing contemporary consumer culture in Salem Massachusetts, and those who profit from the tragedies of 1692.

Henry Ferrini's work has been shown in 8 countries, featured on local and national television in the U.S., and received numerous awards and grants.

In addition to writing, producing and directing film projects, Ferrini takes on corporate video and camera assignments to help support his independent work. He has also completed a feature script about the declining fishing industry in Gloucester.

2007 Polis Is This: Charles Olson and the Persistence of Place Producer/Director, Ferrini Productions, Gloucester, MA
2006 In Harm's Way Camera/Director, Help for Abused Women and their Children, Salem, MA
2005 And Yet I Rise Camera/Director, Help for Abused Women and their Children, Salem, MA
2001 Last Call Director of Photography, Shouldered Oar Productions, Nantucket, MA.
2000 Lowell Blues: the words of Jack Kerouac Director, Ferrini Productions, Gloucester, MA.
1999 Promise Keepers Producer/Director, Center for Millennial Studies, BU, Boston, MA.
1998 End of the Line Camera/Director, MA Law Reform Institute, Boston, MA.
1997 Shoah Camera, Visual History Foundation, Los Angeles, CA.
1996 Witch City Producer/Camera/Co-Director, Ferrini Productions/Picture Business, NYC.
1995 Holyland Camera/Director/Editor, Ferrini Productions, Israel.
1994 Posta Camera/Director, Ferrini Productions Serbia/Bosnia/Croatia.
1993 Historic Salem Camera/Director, Ferrini Productions, National Park Service, Salem, MA.
1992 Leather Soul Director of Photography, WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.
1991 Radio Fishtown Camera/Director, WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.
1990 Poem in Action Camera/Director, WGBH-TV, Boston, MA.
1986 Giovanni De Capestrano Camera/Director, RAI, Abruzzo, Italia.
1984 Mio Paese Producer, WGBH Productions, Calabria, Italia.
1983 The Stone the Builders Refused Camera/Editor, WGBH., Boston, MA.
1983 Sudden Difficulties Camera, ICA/WGBH Productions, Boston, MA.
1982 Sandy’s Jazz & Blues Revival Producer, Ferrini Productions, Gloucester, MA.
1978 The Light, the Quality, the Time and Place Producer/Director, Gloucester, MA.

2001 Berkeley Film Festival 2001 Grand Festival Award
1998 Houston Film Festival Gold
1997 Cindy Award Silver
1995 Nantucket Screenwriter Competition Finalist
1995 Massachusetts Screenwriter Competition Finalist
1995 Somerville Film Festival Best of Festival
1994-95 Massachusetts Arts Council Recipient
1992 Hometown USA Video Festival Best Documentary
1992 Baltimore Film Festival Silver
1992 National Educational Film and Video Festival Bronze Apple
1989 Massachusetts Cable Television Award Best of Festival
1986-89 Massachusetts Arts Council Recipient
1983 American Film Institute nominee

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