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Losing everything - David Hoffman

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Nine days before TED2008, filmmaker David Hoffman lost almost everything he owned in a fire that destroyed his home, office and 30 years of passionate collecting. He looks back at a life that's been wiped clean in an instant -- and looks forward.

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David Hoffman is one of America’s veteran documentary filmmakers. During his 40-year career, Hoffman has made five feature-length documentaries.King, Murray, Hoffman's experimental feature film about a Long Island salesman who goes to Las Vegas on a junket to gamble with other high rollers, won the Caanes Film Festival in 1970.Instead of following a career in music, Hoffman decided to become a filmmaker. He wanted to see the world and ask people bold, provocative questions, and he thought filmmaking would give him the chance to do both. When Hoffman graduated from college, he pooled his life savings ($225) and set out to make his first film. It was ten minutes long, and it was called How to Avoid the Draft. It was shot during a fife-and-drum festival in Deep River, Connecticut, in a single day. After nine months of work, Hoffman sent it in to the USIA's Young Filmmaker's Competition. It won first prize.Here's an hour long feature film by John Vincent Barrett about how David Hoffman overcame the destruction of his home. October 4, 2007 marked the 50th anniversary of the launch of Sputnik, the first man-made object ever to leave the atmosphere and successfully orbit the earth. David Hoffman made a film titled Sputnik Mania. See how people cope after natural disasters in this Daily News article, Life after Sandy: Dealing with everything from losing your prized possessions to losing cable.Get some financial advice from this AOL Original titled, How to Reinvent Yourself, After Losing Everything.

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