Filmmaking couple roots for the Home Team

• Documentary filmmakers Vic Zimet and Stephanie SIlber founded Home Team Productions in 1999
• Their latest film, 'Everything is Forever,' follows Croatian musician Nenad Bach for 15 years
• The film makes its Westchester debut Aug. 27 at Jacob Burns Film Center

Filmmaker Stephanie Silber describes the documentaries she makes with husband and creative partner Vic Zimet as "ex nihilo," a Latin phrase meaning "out of nothing."

"We make our films from nothing because we never really have any money for them," Zimet explains. "We basically just have the passion, and that's how these things get done."

That passion inspired the pair to found Home Team Productions, an independent documentary production company, in 1999. Based out of their Mamaroneck house, the outfit truly earns the Home Team moniker.

Their latest production, "Everything is Forever," follows Croatian-born musician and activist Nenad Bach on a 15-year-long exploration of Bach's artistic voyage. Directed by Zimet, 62, and produced by Silber, 60, it makes its Westchester debut Aug. 27 as part of Jacob Burns Film Center's Sounds of Summer New Music Documentary Series.

A resident of Croton when he's not in Croatia, Bach has performed with the likes of Luciano Pavarotti, Bono and Bruce Springsteen and was personally invited for dinner at the Clinton White House.

"He was successful in Croatia and probably could have had a very nice career there," Zimet says of Bach. "But his calling was to come to America from a very young age. I think a lot of people who are brave come here and take the test. They come to America and see what they can do."

"Seeing his love for our country through an immigrant's eyes, it was really interesting. To see how an intelligent artist can come to America and see the country, not as a place that's perfect, but really sees it as the land of opportunity it is."

The film debuted on the festival circuit in April and quickly won two awards; one for achievement in film and one for music. "That was really a nice, pleasant surprise," Zimet says.

"I think what people are relating to is the story of human struggle and perseverance, the refusal to give up," Silber says of the film. "It's in all of us."

"We like to use the phrase 'a cinematic journey through love, peace and rock and roll'," she says. "And the fact that it has taken 15 years to complete this film, we're amazed we pulled it off."

They continued working on other projects throughout the documentary's production, profiling an eclectic group of people ranging from Cyndi Lauper to Robert Duvall to Black 47.

"The thing with everybody we do something about is that they're all original," Zimet says of their diverse subjects. "They all have something that sets them apart from most every other human being. They all have a charisma and a way of looking at the world and a way of creating that we really celebrate and honor. I think that's really how we get fueled, by finding these people and trying to share their experiences with other people."

Being a two-person operation, Silber admits that making films with her husband offers benefits, as well as challenges. "What's good is that we were able to craft a unique partnership with one another," she says. "But we're two people doing the work of 10, easily."

They also have to make their films without the backing of a major studio and, in a somewhat ironic twist, nearly lost their own home when funding "Random Lunacy," a documentary about a family that lives a homeless lifestyle by choice.

It was almost too much for Zimet to handle, he says. "I kind of decided that this was the last time this would happen. I'm in my 60s and I can't emotionally, on any level, go broke again."

So when it came to funding "Everything is Forever," the pair turned to the Internet, utilizing crowdfunding sites Indiegogo.com and Fundrazr.com, eventually raising more than $10,000.

"I felt that, as filmmakers, since there's this new paradigm and we had a film to finish, I felt we would be remiss if we didn't try it," Silber says.

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Zimet, Bach and Jacob Burns' programmer Andrew Jupin. Zimet is hopeful it will help expose more people to Bach's music.

"Nenad writes beautiful melodies and has something to say with his music," he says. "That's one of the things that we hope will happen; that through this film more people will recognize his talent as a quality artist."

For more on Home Team Productions, visit hometeamproductions.tv. For information on the screening or to buy tickets, call 914-773-7663 or visit burnsfilmcenter.org.

Here are 10 things you might not know about Vic Zimet and Stephanie Silber:

1. They met in an acting class. Silber says she fell in love with Zimet despite the fact that he was a terrible actor.

2. Zimet won a producing Emmy in 1986.

3. Silber recently completed her second novel, "The Dark Side of Time," a supernatural thriller. Her first novel was a coming-of-age story called "Other People's Houses."

4. They had films screen at the Westchester Film Festival for three consecutive years: 2006, 2007, 2008. "Random Lunacy" won Best Documentary in 2007.

5. Zimet turned down an assistant editor's job on "Raging Bull" to complete the editing on his first film, "Chasing a Dream."

6. Silber is a member of Irish American Writers and Artists, as well as Artists Without Walls.

7. Their son Jake is an editor on CNN's "Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown."

8. Zimet began his career in the '70s, working on films like "Women in Cell Block 7," "Brutal Justice" and Sonny Chiba's "The Bodyguard."

9. Silber's first film, "The Green Berets," which she produced and directed for The History Channel, can be found in the West Point Library, the JFK Library and the Museum at Fort Bragg.

10. Zimet will soon be traveling with "Everything is Forever" to Croatia for its European premiere.

Twitter: @kev_incredulous