Lisa Leeman

Lisa Leeman believes that documentaries can change the world, one story at a time. She has directed, produced, written & edited award-winning feature & short documentaries for the last thirty years. Lisa’s films illuminate contemporary social issues through intimate character-driven stories that follow people at critical turning points. She is currently directing her sixth feature documentary, Walk by Me, a follow-up and response to her groundbreaking first film, Metamorphosis (Sundance, Filmmakers Trophy; POV, 1990). Roger Ebert named Leeman’s One Lucky Elephant one of the best documentaries of 2011. Other credits include Awake; Crazy Wisdom; Out of Faith; and Who Needs Sleep (with Haskell Wexler). Two weeks after #MeToo surged on social media, Lisa directed and produced three #MeToo PSAs, which were screened at the National Conference for Prevention of Sexual Violence. Lisa’s work has been supported by Sundance, Catapult, the Producers Guild, AFI, NEA, and the California Humanities Council. She co-chairs the Ethics Subcommittee of the Documentary Producers Alliance (DPA) and teaches Cinematic Ethics and documentary production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. A USC professor and Academy member, she leads workshops for the U.S. State Department’s American Film Showcase and Global Media Makers programs.

Format: Unscripted Features

Location: Los Angeles, California, United States