Billy Shebar
Billy Shebar is an Emmy-nominated filmmaker whose feature documentary Monk in Pieces was an official selection and Teddy Award nominee at the 2025 Berlinale and will be released in U.S. theaters starting July 24th. He is also known for High Noon on the Waterfront (2022), with voiceovers by John Turturro and Edward Norton, which premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was broadcast on TCM and HBO; and Dark Matter (2007), starring Meryl Streep, which won the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at Sundance. Billy collaborated with animator Bill Plympton on The New York Times viral web series Trump Bites (2018-2020) and with animator Yoni Goodman on the three-part crime series Doctor’s Orders (2021), which continues to stream on Max, Hulu, Amazon, and other platforms. His production company, 110th Street Films, was founded in 2017.
IDA: To start, could you tell us a bit about yourself? When did you first become involved in documentary filmmaking?
Billy Shebar: I was lucky enough to be an intern on the “MacNeil/Lehrer Report” when it expanded to become the PBS NewsHour. They hired me as an off-air reporter, but I quickly found that what I loved most was directing and editing short documentaries for the program. They gave me the opportunity to learn the craft without going to film school.
IDA: You’ve had a remarkable career in the field. Could you share more about your latest film, Monk in Pieces?
Billy: Monk in Pieces is about the visionary composer and performer Meredith Monk, who overcame a hostile and, at times, sexist critical establishment to become one of the great artists of her generation. She emerged from New York’s downtown scene in the '60s and '70s not only as a gifted composer and performer but also as a theater director, filmmaker, and installation artist.
Instead of trying to make a comprehensive biopic, I took my cue from Meredith’s own non-narrative work, creating a mosaic in which each piece is inspired by a different Monk composition, and offers a unique window into her life and work. What emerges is the story of an uncompromising artist, battling to keep her vision alive. Now in her seventh decade of creativity, Meredith is facing mortality, and asking herself how such singular work can go on after she’s gone.
The film had its world premiere at the Berlinale, which was an incredible place to launch. It opened the door to festivals all over the world (Thessaloniki, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Barcelona, Bogotá, Krakow, Munich), and a broadcast later this year on the European culture channel ARTE. Just a few weeks ago we finalized a North American distribution deal with Zeitgeist Films and Kino Lorber, who are releasing the film in theaters across the U.S., starting at the IFC Center in New York City.
IDA: What drew you to Meredith Monk’s story? Were there particular aspects of her life or career that resonated with you or inspired the project?
Billy: I first heard Meredith’s music in 1990, when my wife Katie Geissinger joined the original cast of ATLAS. It was like nothing I’d ever heard before. As Katie continued to work with her, my love of Meredith’s music deepened, and so did my curiosity about her unique creative process and her extraordinary resilience in the face of a fickle, and at times, sexist critical establishment. Meredith invented a whole new vocabulary of sound and movement that has inspired countless other artists, including Björk, David Byrne, DJ Shadow, and the Coen Brothers. I was fascinated by her unwavering vision and urgent need to create.
While filming, I realized that our mothers were both singers on live radio in the 40s and 50s, performing popular songs and commercial jingles. Both (not surprisingly) had a tough time balancing their careers with motherhood, and that left a certain psychological legacy – both good and bad – that we both shared. So I was intrigued to see how that played out in Meredith’s career, and how it ultimately gave her the drive and fortitude to forge her own stunningly original path in the performing arts.
The ‘60s counterculture in which Meredith found her voice took a stand against racial and gender-based discrimination, consumerism, and the Vietnam War. While her work is not overtly political, it embodies all of these values and feels as mind-expanding today as it did when she started. Meredith’s music has healing power for those who experience it. That, above all, is what motivates her to keep creating, and motivated me to make this film.
IDA: How have audiences been responding to Monk in Pieces and to Meredith's story?
Billy: The response at the Berlinale was just overwhelming– five packed screenings, with palpable joy during and after each one– and we’ve been on a roll since then. What I didn’t expect was how many people who are unfamiliar with Meredith’s work would not only show up for the film but later proclaim (at the Q & A or on social media) that the film made Monk fans of them. One truly gratifying moment came after a screening in Lisbon, which I attended with Katie (whose voice is heard throughout the film.) A young singer walked up to Katie and told her, “My life is now divided in two: before seeing this film and after.”
The only time we had a really small audience was at a DC DOX screening that was scheduled at the same time as, and five blocks away from, Trump’s military parade. I thought that showing our NEH-funded film at that time was a clever (or at least poetic) bit of counter-programming, but alas, few people showed up for either the film or the parade.
IDA: You’ve participated in IDA’s Fiscal Sponsorship program. What was that experience like for you?
Billy: It’s been great! I’m thankful to IDA for being not only a diligent fiscal sponsor but a full-on partner every step of the way, helping us administer the NEH grant with all its reporting requirements, supporting our additional fundraising efforts, and now working with us on outreach. Special shout-out to Bethany Wearden for being such a great collaborator. Her enthusiasm for independent film and her deep understanding of the process of making and distributing documentaries make her a joy to work with.
IDA: How do you feel about the current state of support for documentary films and filmmakers? In light of the recent cancellation of NEH grants, and as someone who’s benefited from such support, do you have any thoughts you'd like to share?
Billy: It’s tough out there, with the double whammy of reduced government funding and waning interest from streamers in work that is not obviously commercial or celebrity-driven. I had one arts programmer tell me, “if I have to google the name, I’m not interested.” Attitudes like that just make programming narrower and narrower.
The cancellation of NEH grants is devastating, not just for the filmmakers but for everyone. We all have a stake in the health of independent film, music, and art because each work is an exercise of free expression, a cornerstone of democracy. Documentaries in particular have the power to open our minds and introduce us to worlds we never knew existed. How many intriguing, alarming, joyful, mind-blowing films, each a labor of love, will never get made or never find their audience as a result of this draconian policy?
IDA: What’s next for Monk in Pieces? How can IDA members watch the film and learn more about it?
Billy: Zeitgeist Films is releasing the film in theaters across the country, starting with the IFC Center in New York City on July 24th, with Meredith and me doing Q&As on the 24th and 25th. IDA members in New York, please come and say hi after the screening! You can get tickets on the IFC website. The film opens in L.A. at the Laemmle Royal on August 1st. You can learn more about the film, watch the trailer, and get the latest info on upcoming screenings on our website.