Jan Haaken is a distinguished professor emeritus of psychology at Portland State University, a licensed clinical psychologist, and a talented documentary filmmaker, having dedicated her career to exploring the lives and perspectives of individuals and communities on the social periphery.
Her documentary films have taken her to a wide range of settings, including refugee camps, shelters, war zones, mental hospitals, drag bars, and hip-hop clubs, where she engages with her subjects in intimate conversations, weaving together research, historical analyses, and vivid storytelling to create rich and nuanced landscapes that represent the voices and experiences of those she films.
As a psychologist and documentarian, Haaken's work is characterized by its thoughtful and empathetic approach, which takes the personal and emotional struggles of her subjects and places them within the broader context of social and historical forces that shape their lives.
Throughout her career, Haaken has directed and/or produced six feature-length films, including "Diamonds, Guns, and Rice", "Moving to the Beat", "Guilty Except for Insanity", "Mind Zone: Therapists Behind the Front Lines", "Milk Men: The Life and Times of Dairy Farmers", and "Our Bodies Our Doctors", each of which offers a unique and compelling exploration of the human experience.
