Joseph Pierson, president of Cypress Films, Inc., founded the New York-based production company in 1987. His most recent film is What’s This Country Called Now?, a short about the Siege of Sarajevo filmed on location in Bosnia and Herzegovina, starring Zrinka Cvitešić and Rade Šerbedžija. The film won the awards for Best Actress, Best Short, and Best of the Festival at the 2020 East Europe International Film Festival; Best Featurette at the 2021 Gold Movie Awards; and Best Short and Best Acting Performance at the 2022 Bosnian-Herzegovinian Film Festival.
Joseph’s other producing and directing credits include Pocantico: David Rockefeller Remembers, a short film about Mr. Rockefeller’s ancestral home, and EvenHand, a dramatic feature film shot on location in San Antonio, Texas (Sundance Channel/Arts Alliance).
Joseph has an avid interest in historic preservation, serving on the Director’s Council of the Historic House Trust of New York City, the Trustees Council of the Preservation League of New York State, and the Emeritus Council of the Olana Partnership. He also serves as Fire Police captain in the Stockport Volunteer Fire Co. No. 1 in Columbia County, NY.
Joseph is a fifth-generation member of the Rockefeller family. He has served as a trustee of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund since 1994 and currently serves as chair.