Joyce Chopra

Former documentary filmmaker who made a polished and powerful dramatic feature debut with "Smooth Talk" (1985), a disturbing tale about a teenage girl's sexual awakening and intense mother-daughter conflict which boasted a fine central performance by Laura Dern. Though replaced by James Bridges on her next picture, "Bright Lights, Big City" (1988), Chopra recovered with the ensemble piece, "The Lemon Sisters" (1989), starring Diane Keaton, Carol Kane and Kathryn Grody, about childhood friends from Atlantic City trying to make it as singers.