David Weisman (March 11, 1942 – October 9, 2019) was an American filmmaker and visual artist whose work spanned directing, production, authorship and graphic design. He is best known for directing the cult film Ciao! Manhattan and for producing the internationally acclaimed feature Kiss of the Spider Woman. Born in Binghamton, New York, Weisman spent much of his professional life at the intersection of independent cinema and the downtown art world.
Career and notable works
Weisman’s career combined creative direction with the practical demands of producing and packaging films for wider audiences. He directed and shaped projects that often explored celebrity, addiction and the countercultural life of the 1960s and 1970s. He is frequently associated with figures from the New York art scene of that era, and his best-known directorial work, Ciao! Manhattan, became a cult touchstone through its association with model and socialite Edie Sedgwick and the milieu around Andy Warhol.
- Ciao! Manhattan — A semi-fictional, episodic film capturing the downward arc of a young socialite; the movie gathered attention for its raw, personal approach and its portrait of the era’s nightlife.
- Kiss of the Spider Woman — As a producer on this film, Weisman helped bring to screen a complex adaptation that achieved international critical recognition, including awards for performance.
Artistic approach and legacy
Weisman worked both behind the camera and in visual design, combining graphic sensibilities with narrative filmmaking. His projects often reflected a documentary-like interest in real personalities and social realities, blending staged scenes with archival or candid material. Over time his films gained a reputation among collectors and scholars for their links to underground art and for documenting a particular moment in American cultural history.
Background and later life
Raised in upstate New York, Weisman entered the film and art worlds during a period of rapid change in independent cinema. Beyond filmmaking he produced written work and graphic projects; he remained active in various creative roles across his life. In his later years he continued to be identified with the films and cultural moments he helped shape.
Death
David Weisman died on October 9, 2019 in Los Angeles at the age of 77. His death was attributed to complications from West Nile virus. Obituaries noted his contributions to independent film and his connection to a generation of artists who redefined American visual culture in the mid-20th century.
Selected film credits and related material remain of interest to students of American independent cinema and to those researching the cross-over between the downtown art scene and commercial motion pictures. For further information and primary sources, consult film archives and retrospective essays dedicated to the period.