Bert Shapiro, of Pheasant’s Eye Productions, is a very talented independent filmaker. He makes short films about real people, doing real things.

And he concentrates on ways of life that are vanishing.

Ways of life like rolling cigars by hand in New York City.

Here, courtesy of Pheasant’s Eye, is a look at how a torcedor — a cigar roller — turns a pile of leaves into a work of art in the award winning short film Hand Rolled on 29th Street.

The film takes less than three minutes to view. If you have never had a chance to see how a cigar is rolled, you should find this especially fascinating.

More on Bert Shapiro, the filmaker, below the fold.

Hand Rolled on 29th Street is part of Bert Shapiro’s Hand and Eye series. Shapiro describes the series this way:

“An inside look reveals men and women from all walks of life practicing time-honored skills in the 21st century.

Spontaneous dialogue and light-hearted moments all make up rare insights into the lives of contemporary individuals who demonstrate their passions on-screen.

Bert Shapiro’s investigation into what makes these people tick includes specially composed music. Each film reveals in an uncanny way the aspirations and quirks of ordinary people.

View Eye & Hand series for an uncensored, unglitzy chance to laugh, be entertained, and learn how people not ordinarily found on the screen have much to offer in the world in which we live.”

The film has won numerous awards, including the following:

• Zoie International Festival 2000, 3rd prize in documentary section.
• New Haven Film Festival 2000, 1st in Audience Choice Award for documentary work
• Rochester NY Film Festival 2000 - Movies on a Shoestring Trophy Award
• Hot Springs International Documentary Festival 2000
• Rutgers Film Festival 2001 Honorable Mention
• Channel 13 Metro Arts New York City TV
• NYExpo Film Festival Jury Award
• International Festival of Cinema and Technology Screening in London, England, L.A., California, and Toronto 2002-3
• Nominated for the following award on the IFCT 2002-2003 World Tour: “The IFCT Best Short Documentary Award”
• Algonquin Indifest 2003

Check his website for more information on other films in the series, and his latest film, Sunday in the Park with God and Lord Soper, filmed at the historic Hyde Park “Speakers Corner” in London.