Eva Orner is an Australian
Academy
An academy ( Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...
and
Emmy Award
The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...
-winning film producer and director based in Los Angeles. Her works include ''Untold Desires'' (winner of Best Documentary at the
Australian Film Institute Awards
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards, known as the AACTA Awards, are presented annually by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA). The awards recognise excellence in the film and television industry, ...
,
the
Logie Award
The Logie Awards (officially the TV Week Logie Awards; colloquially known as The Logies) is an annual gathering to celebrate Australian television, sponsored and organised by the magazine ''TV Week''. The first ceremony was held in 1959 as the ...
s and the Australian Human Rights Awards), ''
Strange Fits of Passion'' (nominated for the Critics' Award at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
), ''
Taxi to the Dark Side
''Taxi to the Dark Side'' is a 2007 American documentary film directed by Alex Gibney, and produced by Gibney, Eva Orner, and Susannah Shipman. It won the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. It focuses on the December 2002 killing of ...
'' (winner of the 2008
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for Best Documentary), and ''Gonzo, The Life and Work of Dr. Hunter S. Thompson''. Orner's directorial debut, ''The Network'', a feature documentary set behind the scenes of Afghanistan's largest television station, premiered in the US in March 2013.
Career
Orner grew up in
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
,
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seychelle ...
, and was educated at
Mount Scopus Memorial College
, motto_translation =
, location = 245 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Melbourne, Victoria
, country = Australia
, coordinates =
, pushpin_map = Australia Melbourne
, pushpin_i ...
and
Monash University
Monash University () is a public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Named for prominent World War I general Sir John Monash, it was founded in 1958 and is the second oldest university in the state. The university has a ...
, where she earned a
Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
degree in 1993.
Orner, along with actress
Cate Blanchett
Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...
, was one of only two Australians nominated for an Oscar in 2008. Most commentators predicted that
Michael Moore
Michael Francis Moore (born April 23, 1954) is an American filmmaker, author and left-wing activist. His works frequently address the topics of globalization and capitalism.
Moore won the 2002 Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for ' ...
's ''
Sicko
''Sicko'' is a 2007 American political documentary film by filmmaker Michael Moore. Investigating health care in the United States, it focuses on the country's health insurance and the pharmaceutical industry. The film compares the for-profit no ...
'' would win the Best Documentary category. However, to the surprise of many, Orner's ''Taxi to the Dark Side'', which examines US torture practices in Afghanistan, Iraq and Guantánamo Bay, received the award.
Within hours, Orner created controversy by describing the US Government as "a bunch of war criminals".
Orner directed and produced the AACTA award winning feature documentary ''Chasing Asylum''. Released in 2016 the film takes a critical look at Australia's treatment of refugees and asylum seekers.
She also directed and produced ''Bikram: Yogi, Guru, Predator'', for Netflix, released in 2019 that had its world premier at the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...
.
Her latest film is ''Burning'', for Amazon, which was released in 2021, about climate change and the Black Summer Australian fires of 2019-2020. ''Burning'' had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
References
External links
*
Australian documentary film producers
Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
Monash University alumni
Living people
Date of birth missing (living people)
Australian Jews
Australian women film producers
Women documentary filmmakers
Australian documentary film directors
Australian women film directors
Year of birth missing (living people)
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