Heather Connell
Heather E. Connell | |
---|---|
Born | Massachusetts |
Alma mater | Salem State University |
Occupation | Film director |
Notable work | Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children |
Website | www |
Heather E. Connell is an American film director. She is best known for directing the award-winning feature documentaries Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children (2008) and Forget Us Not (2013).
Early life and education
Heather E. Connell was born and raised in Massachusetts. She attended Salem State University where she studied screenwriting and theatre arts.[1]
Directing career
In 2001, Connell relocated to Los Angeles where she founded Displaced Yankee Productions, an independent film company dedicated to using film as a platform for raising social awareness and activism through entertainment.[1]
Shortly after moving to Los Angeles, Connell made the short film Choosing Your Course (2002).[2] A couple of years later she directed another short titled Black/White (2004) which premiered at the Raleigh Studios in Hollywood.[3]
In 2008, Connell wrote, directed and produced her first feature documentary
In 2011, Connell set out to make her second documentary feature
Other work
Along with being the
Shortly after filming Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children, Connell founded the Safe Haven Medical Outreach Program.[12] Safe Haven is a non-profit educational and therapeutic outreach program for disabled children in Siem Riep, Cambodia. Safe Haven's mission is to provide a safe environment for children with disabilities, allowing them the opportunity to have access to the educational and therapeutic resources that they need in order to reach their full potential and their highest level of personal independence.[13] https://www.safehavenkhmer.org
In 2013, Heather Connell was one of GO Magazine's "100 Women We Love".[14] In 2017, she was a David Chow Foundation Humanitarian Award Recipient. The David Chow Humanitarian Foundation recognizes and rewards dedicated and caring humanitarians found among charitable, religious, scientific, literary, and educational organizations worldwide that promote man’s humanity towards man whose service of unselfish giving might otherwise go unnoticed. https://davidchowfoundation.org
In 2019 she was honored to be asked to be a contributing writer for the book Art from Trauma: Genocide and Healing beyond Rwanda. This powerful collection of essays examines the role of aesthetic expression in responding to discrimination, tragedy and violence and questions how gender shape responses to both literal and structural violence, including implicit linguistic, familial, and cultural violence.
Filmography
Year | Film | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2002 | Choosing Your Course | Director/Writer/Producer | |
2004 | Black/White | Director/Writer/Producer | |
2008 | Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children | Director/Writer/Producer |
Gold Medal Award at the New York International Film and Video Awards(2009) |
2013 | Forget Us Not | Director/Writer/Producer | 13 wins including Best Of Festival Columbia Gorge International, Feature Documentary Audience Award 1st Glance Film Festival and the World Peace Relations Award Artisan Film Festival |
See also
List of female film and television directors
References
- ^ a b c "Special Screening: Small Voices, Wednesday, 3/4, 4-6pm". The Gottesman Libraries at Teachers College - Columbia University. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Choosing Your Course(2002)". IMDb. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Displaced Yankee Productions - Short Films". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Small Voices: The Stories of Cambodia's Children". New Orleans Film Society. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "New York Festivals". Archived from the original on 29 March 2012. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Rhode Island International Film Festival 2008 Award Winners Announced". Fest21. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ Columbia Gorge International Film Festival - Official Selections Retrieved 7 July 2013.
- ^ "2013 RIFF Awards". Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ "2013 Artisan Festival International Hamptons Awards". Retrieved 9 March 2014.
- ^ Anand, Rohan (1 December 2006). "SIBC fundraiser dinner benefits Cambodia". The Observer. Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Lineage Dance Company". Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ "The Pari Project". Retrieved 19 September 2011.
- ^ "Safe Haven Medical Outreach". Retrieved 30 January 2013.
- ^ Go Magazine - 100 Women We Love. Retrieved 7 July 2013.