Stacey Ravel Abarbanel

Stacey Ravel Abarbanel is the writer and producer of UNRAVELING (2021, 39 minutes, Menemsha Films), a documentary about her search to uncover the truth about her grandfather, Sam Ravel, and Pancho Villa, who raided Columbus, New Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. While scholars have long debated why Villa attacked the village, one rumor persists: he was angry at Ravel—a Jewish immigrant and local merchant—over an arms deal gone wrong.

Stacey is a consultant for museums and other arts/cultural organizations. From 2002–14 she was director of external affairs for the Fowler Museum at UCLA, after ten years in arts-related publishing at Getty Publications and Architectural Digest. In addition to her consulting practice, her award-winning writings about art, culture, and history have appeared in Alta, Smithsonian, UCLA Magazine, Zócalo Public Square, and other outlets. In 2019 her essay on this odyssey to understand the family lore about her grandfather and Villa was published in Tablet Magazine.

More info: unravelingdoc.com