Karen Schmeer (February 20, 1970 – January 29, 2010) was a film editor who frequently collaborated with filmmaker

Errol Morris Errol Mark Morris (born February 5, 1948) is an American film director known for documentaries that interrogate the epistemology of its subjects. In 2003, his documentary film '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamar ...

Early life and education

Schmeer was born in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the list of cities in Oregon, largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, Columbia rivers, Portland is ...

. She was the daughter of Michael Schmeer and Eleanor DuBois, as well as the granddaughter of photographer Ray Atkeson. In 1988, Schmeer graduated from Portland's Lincoln High School. In 1992 she graduated from

Boston University Boston University (BU) is a Private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with ...

with a degree in anthropology.

Career

The year she graduated from college she was hired for an unpaid internship with

. Schmeer edited a number of his films, including ''

The Fog of War ''The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara'' is a 2003 American documentary film about the life and times of former U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, illustrating his observations of the nature of modern warfa ...

'', a 2004 portrait of

Robert S. McNamara Robert Strange McNamara (; June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was an American business executive and the eighth United States Secretary of Defense, serving from 1961 to 1968 under Presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He remains the ...

that was nominated for an

Eddie award Founded in 1950, American Cinema Editors (ACE) is an honorary society of film editors that are voted in based on the qualities of professional achievements, their education of others, and their dedication to editing. Members use the post-nominal ...

and '' Fast, Cheap and Out of Control''. She also edited '' Sergio'', a 2009 film by

Greg Barker Greg Barker is an American filmmaker and producer. In 2011, ''The New York Times'' described Barker as “a filmmaker of artistic and political consequence.” Previous films include '' Sergio'' (short-listed in 2010 for the Academy Award for B ...

about

Sergio Vieira de Mello Sergio may refer to: * Sergio (given name), for people with the given name Sergio * Sergio (carbonado), the largest rough diamond ever found * ''Sergio'' (album), a 1994 album by Sergio Blass * ''Sergio'' (2009 film), a documentary film * ''Se ...

. Schmeer won the award for best documentary film editing at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival for ''Sergio''. Other work included editing Sydney Pollack's 2005 documentary, ''

Sketches of Frank Gehry ''Sketches of Frank Gehry'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Sydney Pollack and produced by Ultan Guilfoyle, about the life and work of the Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry. The film was screened out of competition at the 20 ...

''.

Death

Schmeer was killed on the evening of January 29, 2010, in a

hit-and-run In traffic laws, a hit and run or a hit-and-run is the act of causing a traffic collision and not stopping afterwards. It is considered a supplemental crime in most jurisdictions. Additional obligation In many jurisdictions, there may be an ...

as she was crossing New York City's Broadway Street at 90th Street. The driver that struck her was the getaway driver for the robbery of a nearby pharmacy.

Posthumous tributes

The Karen Schmeer Award for Excellence in Documentary Editing is awarded by the Independent Film Festival Boston. The Karen Schmeer Film Editing Fellowship, created in 2010, is awarded annually.

Awards

* 2002:

Slamdance Film Festival The Slamdance Film Festival is an annual film festival focused on emerging artists. The annual week-long festival takes place in Park City, Utah, in late January and is the main event organized by the year-round Slamdance organization, which als ...

, Excellence in Editing Award for ''My Father, the Genius'' * 2004: American Cinema Editors, Eddie Award, Best Edited Documentary Film (nominee) for '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara'' with Doug Abel and Chyld King * 2009: Sundance Film Festival, Editing Award, Documentary for '' Sergio''

Filmography

* 1997: ''

Fast, Cheap & Out of Control ''Fast, Cheap & Out of Control'' is a 1997 documentary film by filmmaker Errol Morris. Summary The film profiles four subjects with extraordinary careers: Dave Hoover, a wild-animal tamer; George Mendonça, a topiary gardener at Green Animals ...

'' * 1999: '' Mr. Death: The Rise and Fall of Fred A. Leuchter, Jr.'' * 1999: ''Theme: Murder'' * 2000: '' Well-Founded Fear'' * 2000: '' First Person'' (TV Series documentary) – episode: "The Killer Inside Me" * 2002: ''My Father, the Genius'' * 2002: ''

American Experience ''American Experience'' is a television program airing on the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) in the United States. The program airs documentaries, many of which have won awards, about important or interesting events and people in American his ...

'' (TV Series documentary) – episode: " A Brilliant Madness" * 2003: '' The Same River Twice'' * 2003: '' The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara'' * 2005: ''

American Masters ''American Masters'' is a PBS television series which produces biographies on enduring writers, musicians, visual and performing artists, dramatists, filmmakers, and those who have left an indelible impression on the cultural landscape of the ...

'' (TV Series documentary) – episode: "

" * 2006: ''

Independent Lens ''Independent Lens'' is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of ''Independent Lens'' were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence H ...

'' (TV Series documentary) – episode: "Revolution: Five Visions" * 2008: '' American Son'' * 2008: '' Standard Operating Procedure'' – as co-editor * 2009: '' Sergio'' * 2011: '' Bobby Fischer Against the World'' * 2012: ''Futures Past''

References

External links

* * 1970 births 2010 deaths Boston University College of Arts and Sciences alumni Pedestrian road incident deaths Artists from Portland, Oregon Road incident deaths in New York City American film editors {{US-film-editor-stub