Martha Cooper is an American photojournalist who became the first female staff photographer for the New York Post during the 1970s, later becoming best known for documenting the New York City graffiti scene of the 1970s and 1980s.
Selina Miles’ affectionate tribute to Cooper in Martha: A Picture Story guides viewers from her beginnings, snapping shots on a solo motorcycle trip through east Asia in 1963 at the age of 20, to today, an influential icon to the global movement of street artists.
Discussing the film, Selina Miles said “The time has come to address the fact that senior women remain a gravely underrepresented demographic in media. Martha: A Picture Story is an affirming and inspiring story of a trailblazing woman still very much in her prime at the age of 75.”
In the 1970s, as the boroughs of New York City burned, Cooper worked as a young photographer, seeking images of creativity and play, as opposed to capturing crime and poverty that consumed the city. Some of the first images captured were of New York graffiti. Martha, together with her co-author Henry Chalfant, compiled the images into the book titled ‘Subway Art’ The publication’s subsequent commercial failure forced Martha to focus on documenting other hidden cultures representing the city. Decades later, Martha has become a legend of the graffiti world, an unexpected icon of the street art movement, and part of a culture that has now exploded into a global movement.
Utopia, the film distribution and sales company, has acquired the North American rights to feature the documentary. The film is set for release on VOD platforms on March 16th and a special edition Blu-Ray in May 2021.
Main photo by Janette Beckman Martha in Baltimore. Additional photo by Sally Levin.
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A great documentary!
She’s an iconic figure who should be celebrated. It was a great doc.