Documentary-femmes.
While the mainstream directing world has not been particularly inclusive of women, they have made more inroads with documentary features. Which of these celebrated female documentarians has done the most compelling work?
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- Director
- Writer
- Actress
Chantal Akerman was born on 6 June 1950 in Brussels, Belgium. She was a director and writer, known for The Meetings of Anna (1978), I, You, He, She (1974) and A Couch in New York (1996). She was married to Sonia Wieder-Atherton. She died on 5 October 2015 in Paris, France.No Home Movie
Down There
From the Other Side
Sud
From the East
Les années 80
News from Home
Hôtel Monterey- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Amy Berg was born in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is known for Deliver Us from Evil (2006), West of Memphis (2012) and Janis: Little Girl Blue (2015).Janis: Little Girl Blue
Prophet's Prey
An Open Secret
Every Secret Thing
West of Memphis
Deliver Us from Evil- Camera and Electrical Department
- Cinematographer
- Producer
Joan Churchill is known for Soldier Girls (1981), Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003) and Lily Tomlin (1986). She is married to Alan Barker. She was previously married to Nick Broomfield.Sarah Palin: You Betcha!
Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer
Juvenile Liaison 2
Lily Tomlin
Soldier Girls
Tattooed Tears
Juvenile Liaison- Producer
- Director
- Editor
Deborah Dickson is known for Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House (2002), The Lost Bird Project (2012) and America Undercover (1983).The Lost Bird Project
Ruthie and Connie: Every Room in the House
Suzanne Farrell: Elusive Muse
Letting Go: A Hospice Journey
Christo in Paris
Dancing for Mr. B: Six Balanchine Ballerinas- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Heidi Ewing is a director and producer known for Jesus Camp (2006), The Boys of Baraka (2005), Detropia (2012) ,12th &Delaware (2010), Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You (2016), One of Us (2017) and Freakonomics (2010). She is currently completing her (currently untitled) first narrative feature which was filmed in Mexico in the fall of 2018.Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
Detropia
Freakonomics
12th & Delaware
Jesus Camp
The Boys of Baraka- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning director Connie Field is a pioneering social documentary filmmaker. Before getting involved in film she worked as an organizer in many social and human rights organizations where she established her commitment to progressive social change which she has carried into her film career. Many of her films focus on hidden histories, stories that had not been told before which should be an important part of our collective memories. Her work has been broadcast in over 30 countries including Japan, Brazil, South Africa, Britain, Australia, Denmark, Germany, France, Spain, England, and in the US. She is a recipient of the John Grierson Award as most outstanding social documentarian, and a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship and is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
"The Whistleblower of My Lai" is a doc/opera fusion that tells a story that captures both the best and worst of humanity through the examination of one incident in one man's life: army helicopter pilot Hugh Thompson and his discovery of the My Lai massacre in Vietnam. "Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine" explores a cross cultural arts collaboration between African Americans and Palestinians, collective memory, shared dreams, and theater as a cultural force for social change which won the Audience Award at the Mill Valley Festival and the Justice Matters Award at the DC International Film Fest. She produced and directed "Have You Heard From Johannesburg" a seven part series on the global movement which ended Apartheid in South Africa which won a Prime Time Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmaking, and awards as Best Limited Series, IDA; Best Documentary of 2010, Village Voice, Time Out New York, and the Audience Award when it was broadcast on PBS's Independent Lens.
Her feature documentary "Freedom on My Mind" (1994) is a history of the civil rights movement in Mississippi. It won numerous prizes including an Academy Award nomination; the Grand Jury Prize for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival; Distinguished Documentary Award, International Documentary Association and was named "One of the Ten Best Films" of 1994 by a variety of film critics, including the San Francisco Examiner and The Oakland Tribune. It was broadcast on PBS's American Experience.
She was a member of Boston Newsreel Films where she worked on productions and distribution. She was a co-director on "Forever Activists" (1990 Academy Award Nominee), and she produced, directed and edited the feature documentary "The Life and Times of Rosie the Riveter" (1980). "Rosie" earned numerous international awards for Best Documentary (including Gold Hugo, Chicago; John Grierson, Blue Ribbon, American International Festival; Golden Marazzo, Festival dei Popoli; Gold Award, Houston; Cine Golden Eagle; Golden Athena, Athens Festival; British Academy Award Nominee), was named "One of the Ten Best Films of the Year" by a number of publications, including the Village Voice and Film Comment, was voted "Best Independent Feature of the Year" in American Film Magazine, was translated into 20 different languages; and is listed in the National Film Registry of the Library of Congress. It was broadcast on The American Experience.
Other work includes "Salud !" (2007), a doc on Cuba's role in the struggle for global health equity (Henry Hampton Award, Council on Foundations and the Audience Award, Pan African Film Festival).Al Helm: Martin Luther King in Palestine
Have You Heard From Johannesburg
Salud
Freedom on My Mind- Producer
- Director
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Susan Froemke is known for The Metropolitan Opera HD Live (2006), Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare (2012) and Soldiers of Music (1991).Wagner's Dream
Escape Fire: The Fight to Rescue American Healthcare
LaLee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton
Concert of Wills: Making the Getty Center
Letting Go: A Hospice Journey
Soldiers of Music
Christo in Paris
Horowitz Plays Mozart- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Liz Garbus was born on 11 April 1970 in the USA. She is a producer and director, known for What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015), The Farm: Angola, USA (1998) and Becoming Cousteau (2021). She is married to Dan Cogan. They have two children.Nothing Left Unsaid: Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper
What Happened, Miss Simone?
Love, Marilyn
There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane
Bobby Fischer Against the World
Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech
Coma
Yo soy Boricua, pa'que tu lo sepas!
Girlhood
The Nazi Officer's Wife
The Execution of Wanda Jean
The Farm: Angola, U.S.A.- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Norman Lear: Just Another Version of You
The Education of Mohammad Hussein
Detropia
Freakonomics
12th & Delaware
Jesus Camp
The Boys of Baraka- Director
- Editor
- Producer
Chris has directed, shot, and edited documentaries for over forty years including the Oscar-nominated film The War Room. She received a DGA Award for Startup.com, Emmy awards for Elaine Stritch at Liberty, and an Emmy-nomination for Unlocking the Cage. Other feature credits include Moon Over Broadway, Kings of Pastry, and Depeche Mode 101.Unlocking the Cage
Kings of Pastry
Al Franken: God Spoke
Only the Strong Survive
Startup.com
Down from the Mountain
Moon Over Broadway
The War Room
Jimi Hendrix at Woodstock
Branford Marsalis: The Music Tells You
Depeche Mode: 101
Jimi Plays Monterey
Rockaby
DeLorean
Town Bloody Hall- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Rory Kennedy was born on 12 December 1968 in Washington D.C., USA. She is a producer and director, known for American Hollow (1999), Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007) and Last Days in Vietnam (2014). She has been married to Mark Bailey since 2 August 1999. They have three children.Last Days in Vietnam
Ethel
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
A Boy's Life
American Hollow- Producer
- Director
- Sound Department
Barbara Kopple was born on 30 July 1946 in New York City, New York, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Harlan County U.S.A. (1976), American Dream (1990) and Shut Up & Sing (2006).Miss Sharon Jones!
We the Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford to Miss
Running from Crazy
Shut Up & Sing
My Generation
Wild Man Blues
American Dream - Oscar winner
Harlan County, USA - Oscar winner- Director
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Kim Longinotto was born in 1952 in London, England, UK. She is a director and cinematographer, known for Sisters in Law (2005), Gaea Girls (2000) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002).Dreamcatcher
Love Is All: 100 Years of Love & Courtship
Salma
Pink Saris
Rough Aunties
Hold Me Tight, Let Me Go
Sisters in Law
The Day I Will Never Forget
Runaway
Gaea Girls
Divorce Iranian Style
Shinjuku Boys- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Freida Lee Mock is known for Return with Honor (1998), Anita: Speaking Truth to Power (2013) and Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision (1994). She is married to Terry Sanders.Anita
G-Dog
Wrestling with Angels: Playwright Tony Kushner
Return with Honor
Maya Lin: A Strong Clear Vision - Oscar winner- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Jehane Noujaim was born on 17 May 1974 in Cairo, Egypt. She is a producer and director, known for Control Room (2004), Startup.com (2001) and The Square (2013).The Square
Rafea: Solar Mama
Control Room
Startup.com- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Michele Ohayon is an award winning director, writer and producer. Born in Casablanca and raised in Israel, Michele graduated from Tel Aviv University (Film & Television), after serving in the army. Her critically acclaimed feature documentaries include: It was a Wonderful Life (1987, narrated by Jodie Foster) (PBS), Colors Straight Up (1997) (Nominated for an Academy Award, Directors Guild of America, Spirit awards and won 13 National awards), Cowboy del Amor (2005) (winner SXSW both jury and audience award), Steal a Pencil for Me, (2007), produced with Netflix. Winner Jerusalem Film Festival, S.OS./State of Security (2010) (Berlin film festival) and Solar Roadways, (Tribeca film festival). In 1984, she received the Israeli Best Film Award for 'Pressure', one of the first dramatic films on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In 1987, she moved to Los Angeles, where she went on to direct many acclaimed documentary features.
In 2013 Ohayon made the Academy of Motion Pictures tribute film for Angelina Jolie, narrated by Morgan Freeman, and for Jolie's Governor's academy award for her humanitarian work, and in 2014 tribute film for Jean Claude Carriere, Academy Award, narrated by Jeremy Irons, with Irons, Richard Gere, Natalie Porman, Juliet Binoche and Isabelle Huppert. Michele has also moderated the first TV summit for the Berlin Film Festival 2014, followed by "Hollywood Inside and Out" at the Sarajevo film festival 2014, and served on juries of various festivals, including Berlin and Sarajevo.
Michele is the CEO and Co-Founded the Kavana Entertainment based in Los Angeles with a mission to bridge between Hollywood and Europe, and offer seminars, lectures and consulting for filmmakers around the world. Michele is also a fiction film writer with numerous screenplays developed by major studios such as MGM, Focus Films and Starz cable. She has been a guest speaker/lecturer at various schools and colleges, including UCLA, AFI, USC, UVA, Georgetown, Wesleyan, Stanford, Chapman, Kenyon and more. For her body of work, Michele received the 1996 and the 1998 Artist's Grant from the Los Angeles Cultural Affairs Department and was recognized for her fiction writing in the Chesterfield Writing Competition 2000. Michele is one of the founders of Cinewomen. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Pictures where she serves on the International committee, foreign film committee and the educational/grants committee. She is also a member of the WGA, PGA and IDA.Steal a Pencil for Me
Cowboy del Amor
Colors Straight Up
It Was a Wonderful Life- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Laura Poitras was born on 2 February 1964 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is a producer and director, known for Citizenfour (2014), The Oath (2010) and My Country, My Country (2006).Risk
Citizenfour - Oscar winner
The Oath
My Country, My Country
Flag Wars- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Lourdes Portillo was born on 11 November 1943 in Chihuahua, Mexico. She was a director and producer, known for The Mothers of the Plaza of Mayo (1985), Missing Young Woman (2001) and The Devil Never Sleeps (1994). She died on 20 April 2024 in San Francisco, California, USA.Missing Young Woman
Corpus
The Devil Never Sleeps
Las madres de la Plaza de Mayo- Producer
- Director
- Actress
Leni Riefenstahl's show-biz experience began with an experiment: she wanted to know what it felt like to dance on the stage. Success as a dancer gave way to film acting when she attracted the attention of film director Arnold Fanck, subsequently starring in some of his mountaineering pictures. With Fanck as her mentor, Riefenstahl began directing films.
Her penchant for artistic work earned her acclaim and awards for her films across Europe. It was her work on Triumph of the Will (1935), a documentary commissioned by the Nazi government about Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, that would come back to haunt her after the atrocities of World War II. Despite her protests to the contrary, Riefenstahl was considered an intricate part of the Third Reich's propaganda machine. Condemned by the international community, she did not make another movie for over 50 years.Victory of the Faith
Triumph of the Will
Olympia Part One: Festival of the Nations
Olympia Part Two: Festival of Beauty- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Nina Rosenblum is known for America and Lewis Hine (1984), Lock-Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island (1994) and Through the Wire (1990). She is married to Daniel Allentuck.Lock-Up: The Prisoners of Rikers Island
Liberators: Fighting on Two Fronts in World War II
Through the Wire
America and Lewis Hine- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Ondi Timoner is an internationally acclaimed filmmaker who has the rare distinction of winning the U.S. Grand Jury Prize at Sundance twice: for DIG! (2004), a film about the collision of art and commerce through the love/hate relationship between the Brian Jonestown Massacre and the Dandy Warhols, and for WE LIVE IN PUBLIC, a film about a social experiment which proves the loss of intimacy and privacy with the advent of the Internet (2009). Both films were acquired by New York's MoMA for its permanent collection.
Since then, Ondi has created award-winning films and series such as JOIN US, about mind control; COOL IT about solutions to climate change; BRAND: A Second Coming, about the transformation of comedian disruptor Russell Brand; the 10-hour series JUNGLETOWN, about "the world's most sustainable modern town in remote Panama; COMING CLEAN, about solutions to the opioid crisis; and the dramatic feature MAPPLETHORPE starring Matt Smith, which she also wrote, produced, and edited.
Her most personal film, LAST FLIGHT HOME, about her father Eli Timoner's extraordinary life and intentional death, premiered at Sundance & Telluride in 2022, winning Best Documentary at Woodstock and Dallas Int'l FF, and the Critics Award at Key West FF before making the Shortlist for the 95th Academy Awards. Ondi was recently awarded the prestigious Visionary Award for Documentary Excellence at DOC NYC and the Impact Award at Hamptons DocFest.
Her newest film THE NEW AMERICANS takes audiences into the intersection of finance, media, and extremism, uncovering the connection between the January 6th Insurrection and the Gamestop Squeeze to explore the explosive ramifications of our digital future and premiered at SXSW in 2023. Ondi is an active member of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, Directors Guild of America, Producers Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, International Documentary Association, Film Independent, Women in Film, and Film Fatales.Brand: A Second Coming
Cool It
We Live in Public
Join Us
Dig!- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Agnès Varda was born on 30 May 1928 in Ixelles, Belgium. She was a director and writer, known for Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962), Vagabond (1985) and Faces Places (2017). She was married to Jacques Demy. She died on 29 March 2019 in Paris, France.The Beaches of Agnès
Cinévardaphoto
The Gleaners and I: Two Years Later
The Gleaners & I
The World of Jacques Demy
Les demoiselles ont eu 25 ans
Mur murs
Daguerréotypes- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Lucy Walker was born in London, England, UK. She is known for The Crash Reel (2013), Waste Land (2010) and Blindsight (2006).The Crash Reel
The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom
Countdown to Zero
Waste Land
Blindsight
Devil's Playground