Jon Shenk
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Jon Shenk is an Emmy-winning and
Career
Jonathan Shenk was born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio where he graduated from Wyoming High School. He has a bachelor's degree (BA) from Yale University in English Literature and a master’s degree (MA) from Stanford University in documentary filmmaking.[4] He has taught documentary filmmaking at University of California, Berkeley in the Graduate Documentary program.
Before founding Actual Films in 1999, he worked for Lucasfilm as the behind-the-scenes documentary filmmaker covering the making of Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace and directed the documentary The Beginning: Making Episode 1 (2001).[5] He was awarded the 2004 Independent Spirit Award (Truer Than Fiction) for directing Lost Boys of Sudan (Shadow Distribution/PBS) which was also short-listed for an Academy Award. Shenk also served as the director of photography for the 2008 Academy Award-winning Smile Pinki (directed by Megan Mylan), and he won his first Emmy for Blame Somebody Else (Exposé: America’s Investigative Reports/PBS) in 2007.
In 2011, Shenk directed The Island President (Samuel Goldwyn Films/PBS), which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), and won the 2011 TIFF’s People’s Choice Award and The International Documentary Association’s (IDA) Pare Lorentz Award. In 2016, Jon co-directed (with Bonni Cohen) and photographed Audrie & Daisy which premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, was acquired by Netflix, and won a Peabody Award.[6] He co-directed and photographed An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (Participant Media/Paramount) which premiered on opening night of the Sundance Film Festival in 2017, was shortlisted as Best Documentary Feature for the 2018 Oscars,[7] and was nominated for a 2018 BAFTA for Best Documentary.[8] With Bonni Cohen, he co-directed Athlete A (Netflix) which premiered at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival,[9] and won a Grierson Award for Best Sports Documentary and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Documentary in 2021.[10]
Filmography
Directed Features
- Athlete A (2020)
- Splash (2019, documentary short)
- An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017)
- Audrie & Daisy (2016)
- The Island President (2011)[11]
- Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)[12]
- The Beginning: Making 'Episode I' (2001)
Producing Credits
- Freedom to Dream (2020, documentary short, executive producer)
- Jaiquan's Sketch (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Cooking for Life (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Sounds of Life (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Be Like Water (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Drawn to the Mat (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Just Breathe (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Nature: No App Required (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- Splash (2019, documentary short, executive producer)
- The Seer and the Unseen (2019, executive producer)
- Melting Ice (2017, documentary short, co-producer)
- Exposé: America's Investigative Reports (2007, series, producer, 1 episode)
- Blame Somebody Else
- The Rape of Europa (2006, producer)[13]
- P.O.V. (2004, series, producer, 1 episode)
- Lost Boys of Sudan
- Lost Boys of Sudan (2003, producer)
- From Puppets to Pixels: Digital Characters in 'Episode II' (2002, producer)
Cinematographer Credits
- Freedom to Dream (2020, documentary short)
- Athlete A (2020)
- Sounds of Life (2019, documentary short)
- RUTH - Justice Ginsburg in her own Words (2019)[14]
- Just Breathe (2019, documentary short)
- An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017)
- Audrie & Daisy (2016, director of photography)
- A Kind of Order (2013)
- American Jerusalem: Jews and the Making of San Francisco (2013)
- The Revolutionary Optimists (2013)[15]
- The Battle of Amfar (2013, documentary short)
- Eames: The Architect & The Painter (2011)[16]
- The Island President (2011)
- The Burning Wigs of Sedition (2010, documentary short)
- National Geographic Explorer (2005-2010, series, 4 episodes)
- How Man Tamed the Wild (2010)
- Journey to an Alien Moon (2010)
- Nazi Mystery: Twins from Brazil (2009)
- Pyramids of Fire (2005)
- Through the Wormhole (2010, series, 1 episode)
- Are We Alone?
- Nourish: Food + Community (2009, documentary short)
- P.O.V. (2009, series, 1 episode)
- New Muslim Cool
- Exposé: America's Investigative Reports (2009, series, 1 episode)
- The People's Sheriff
- Smile Pinki (2008, documentary short)[17]
- Undercover History (2007, series, 1 episode)
- J. Edgar Hoover
- The Days and the Hours (2006, documentary short)
- Frontline (2006, series, 1 episode)
- A Hidden Life
- The Rape of Europa (2006)
- Secrets of Revelation (2006)
- The Human Behavior Experiments (2006)
- The New Heroes (2005, series, 1 episode)
- Power of Enterprise
- Lost Boys of Sudan (2003)
- Nova (2000, series, 1 episode)
- Runaway Universe (2000)
- Frozen Fisherman (1999)
- Kofi Annan: Eye of the Storm (1998)
Awards
- 2003 International Documentary Association Award Nominee, Feature Documentary, Lost Boys of Sudan (2003), shared with Megan Mylan[18]
- 2004 Film Independent Spirit Award Winner, Truer Than Fiction, Lost Boys of Sudan (2003), shared with Megan Mylan
- 2005 News & Documentary Emmy Award Nominee, Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story - Long Form, P.O.V. (1988), Lost Boys of Sudan (2003), shared with Sally Jo Fifer (executive producer), Cara Mertes (executive producer), Frances Reid (executive producer), Megan Mylan(producer)
- 2005 News & Documentary Emmy Award Nominee, Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Cinematography, P.O.V. (1988), Lost Boys of Sudan(2003)
- 2006 News & Documentary EmmyAward Nominee, Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Cinematography, The New Heroes (2005), shared with Banks Tarver (cinematographer) and Mitch Wilson (cinematographer)
- 2007 News & Documentary EmmyAward Winner, Outstanding Feature Story in a News Magazine, AIR: America's Investigative Reports (2006), shared with Tom Casciato (executive producer), Scott Davis (senior producer), Peter Nicks (co-producer), Stephen Segaller (executive in charge)
- 2011 DOC NYC Nominee, Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize, The Island President (2011)
- 2011 Toronto International Film Festival Award Winner, People's Choice Award Documentary, The Island President (2011)
- 2012 International Documentary Association Award Winner, Pare Lorentz Award, The Island President (2011), shared with Jon Else (executive producer), Bonni Cohen (producer), Richard Berge (producer)
- 2016 Sundance Film Festival Nominee, Grand Jury Prize, Audrie & Daisy (2016), shared with Bonni Cohen
- 2017 Cannes Film Festival Nominee, Golden Eye, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017), shared with Bonni Cohen
- 2017 San Sebastián International Film Festival Award Winner, Greenpeace Lurra Award, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017), shared with Bonni Cohen
- 2018 British Academy of Film and Television Arts Nominee, Best Documentary, An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017), shared with Bonni Cohen[19]
- 2020 Critics' Choice Documentary Award Nominee, Best Director, Athlete A (2020), shared with Bonni Cohen[20]
References
- ^ "'Inconvenient Sequel' directors Bonnie Cohen and Jon Shenk bring hope to the climate crisis". Los Angeles Times. 2017-07-27. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Vlessing, Etan (2021-07-06). "Actual Films Names Justine Nagan Head of Production (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ "Netflix documentary "Lead Me Home" looks at homelessness in America". Yahoo News. 2022-03-07. Retrieved 2023-11-15.
- ^ Kaufman, Amy (July 27, 2017). "'Inconvenient Sequel' directors Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk bring hope to the climate crisis". Los Angeles Times.
- ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2023-12-14.
- ^ "Audrie & Daisy". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ Feinberg, Scott (2018-01-05). "Al Gore Hits Oscar Trail as Paramount Unveils 'Inconvenient Sequel' Spot (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ "2018 Film Documentary | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ Lindquist, David. "IndyStar USA Gymnastics coverage team is featured in film selected for Tribeca festival". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ "Past Awards - 2021". griersontrust.org. Retrieved 2024-06-24.
- ^ Pahle, Rebecca (2012-03-27). "Jon Shenk Gets Up Close and Personal with The Island President". MovieMaker Magazine. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Wakeman, Jessica (2016-09-23). "Life After Sexual Assault: Inside Harrowing Doc 'Audrie & Daisy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- )
- ^ "The Revolutionary Optimists: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. 2013-03-26. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Wood, Sura (2011-10-18). "Eames: The Architect and the Painter: Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ "The Island President's Jon Shenk on Turmoil in the Maldives". THIRTEEN - New York Public Media. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ "2003 IDA Documentary Awards Nominees". International Documentary Association. 2014-05-27. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ film (2018-01-09). "The full list of nominations for the Baftas 2018". The Guardian. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
- ^ Thompson, Anne (2020-10-26). "'Crip Camp,' 'Gunda,' and 'Mr. Soul!' Lead Critics Choice Documentary Awards Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved 2021-08-24.