Betsy West is an American producer, filmmaker, and video journalist. With Julie Cohen, she has directed four biographical documentary films focusing on American women: ''RBG'' (2018), ''

My Name is Pauli Murray ''My Name Is Pauli Murray'' is an 2021 American documentary film, directed by Betsy West and Julie Cohen, written by West, Cohen, Talleah Bridges McMahon and Cinque Northern. It follows the life of lawyer and activist Pauli Murray. The film had ...

'' (2021), ''Julia'' (2021) and ''

Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down ''Gabby Giffords Won't Back Down'' is a 2022 American documentary film directed by Julie Cohen and Betsy West. It follows Gabrielle Giffords as she recovers from the 2011 shooting. It had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 12, 20 ...

'' (2022). She received the Cinema for Peace Award for Women's Empowerment for her film ''RBG''. She is the Fred W. Friendly Professor of Professional Practice in Media Society Emeritus, at the

Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism The Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism is located in Pulitzer Hall on the university's Morningside Heights campus in New York City. Founded in 1912 by Joseph Pulitzer, Columbia Journalism School is one of the oldest journalism s ...

Early life

West attended the

Wheeler School Wheeler School is a private school located on the East Side of Providence, Rhode Island, United States. The school serves students from the preschool level through twelfth-grade. History Early history In 1889, an art school for girls was establ ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...

. She matriculated at

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

, graduating in 1973. West earned a Master's in Communications from the

S. I. Newhouse School of Public Communications The S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, commonly known as Newhouse School, is the communications and journalism school of Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY. It has programs in print and broadcast journalism; music business; graphic ...

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

in 1974. She is married to fellow documentary filmmaker

Oren Jacoby Oren Jacoby is a director and producer of documentary films including; ''Shadowman (2017 film), Shadowman (2017),'' ''My Italian Secret: The Forgotten Heroes'' (2014), ''Lafayette: The Lost Hero''(2010), ''Constantine's Sword (film), Constantine's ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:West, Betsy Year of birth missing (living people) Brown University alumni S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications alumni Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism faculty American documentary film directors American documentary film producers Living people American women documentary filmmakers