Jean Marie Offenbacher graduated from NYU with honors in Philosophy and Film. Her initial work in film was as an artist, creating 16mm experimental films. She worked in post-production on three documentaries, including Ken Burns' Thomas Hart Benton. Her career in post-production mainly focused on studio feature films, including Reversal of Fortune with Glenn Close, American Heart with Jeff Bridges, and The Rapture with David Duchovny. From 1994 to 1996, she worked on various projects for BBC and Prisma Films providing production management services. She produced and directed her first feature documentary, Tea on the Axis of Evil, after spending the larger part of 2004 to 2006 filming throughout Syria. She is currently shooting a feature documentary in Algeria that explores the relationship between imposed identity and violence in that society.