Miriam Cutler is an American

composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and Defi ...

best known for her documentary film work.

Life and career

Cutler is a Los Angeles-based film composer, scoring and performing music for over 20 years. She began her musical career as songwriter and clarinet player with The New Miss Alice Stone Ladies Society Orchestra; she then joined the

Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo was an American Surrealism, surrealist street theatre troupe, formed by performer and director Richard Elfman in 1972. The group was led by Richard until 1976, when his brother Danny Elfman took over. The g ...

as a clarinetist, and later founded the group Swingstreet. Due to her love of jazz, she has co-produced albums by the likes of Joe Williams,

Nina Simone Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, ...

Marlena Shaw Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul music, soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in Hip hop music, hip hop mus ...

, and

Shirley Horn Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and othe ...

. Cutler has served on a number of film festival juries including the first-ever World Cinema Documentary category at Sundance, The

Film Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass ...

, The

International Documentary Association International Documentary Association (IDA), founded in 1982, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes nonfiction filmmakers, and is dedicated to increasing public awareness for the documentary genre. Their major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmm ...

Awards, and the

AFI Film Festival The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees. Leade ...

Awards. She is a long-term board member of the Society of Composers & Lyricists and has served as an advisor in the

Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers f ...

's Composers Lab since 2003. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Motion Picture Academy Documentary Branch and the Executive Committee of the TV Academy Music Branch.Miriam Cutler's Official Website
/ref> Cutler has also been the long-time composer for Circus Flora, based in St. Louis, MO. On June 26, 2013, Cutler was voted into the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 2014, Cutler co-founded the

Alliance for Women Film Composers The Alliance for Women Film Composers (AWFC) is an organization dedicated to advocacy and visibility for women composers. As of 2019, there are nearly 400 members in the AWFC's database. History The Alliance for Women Film Composers was founded ...

with

Lolita Ritmanis Lolita Ritmanis (born November 1, 1962) is a Latvian-American composer, known for her film score, film and television scores, including her work on the animated series ''Batman Beyond''. Early life Born on November 1, 1962, in Portland, Oregon, ...

and

Laura Karpman Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American composer, whose work has included music for film, television, video games, theater, and the concert hall. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work. Karpman was trained at The Juilliard Sch ...

. The organization provides visibility and advocacy for women composers. In 2017, Cutler was inducted into the John Muir High School (Pasadena, CA) distinguished alumni Hall of Fame.

Awards and nominations

Scores

*''Blue to Trancas'' (1988) *''Harry and the Lady Next Door'' (1988) *''Harry and the Dirty Dog'' (1988) *''Earth and Beyond'' (1989) *''Hollywood: A Town Remembered'' (1989) *''Ode to a Bit Player'' (1989) *''Orangutans: Grasping the Last Branch'' (1989) *''Prison of the Streets'' (1989) *''What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Cancer'' (1989) *''Getting Lucky'' (1990) *''Time Barbarians'' (1990) *'' Witchcraft II: The Temptress'' (1990) *''Under Crystal Lake'' (1990) *''Cause of Death'' (1991) *''Witchcraft III: The Kiss of Death'' (1991) *''Pushed to the Limit'' (1992) *''Apollo 13: The Untold Story'' (1992) *''Shattered Lullabies'' (1992) *''Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart'' (1992) *''Beyond Fear'' (1993) *''Divorce Law'' (1993) *''Alien Intruder'' (1993) *''Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil'' (1993) *''Eyes of the Serpent'' (1994) *''Streets of Rage'' (1994) *''Hot Line'' (1994) TV Series *''Body Parts'' (1994) *''Cause of Death'' (1994) *''The Dent'' (1994) *''Love Street'' (1994) TV Series *''Married People, Single Sex'' (1994) *''Witchcraft VI'' (1994) *''Night Fire'' (1994) *''Revenge of the Calendar Girls'' (1995) *''Superior People'' (1995) *''Witchcraft 7: Judgement Hour'' (1995) *''Close to Home'' (1996) *''The Death Pages'' (1996) *''Searching for God in America'' (1996) *''Bikini House Calls'' (1996) *'' Witchcraft VIII: Salem's Ghost'' (1996) *'' Licensed to Kill'' (1997) *''Fender Philosophers'' (1997) *''I Stare at You and Dream'' (1997) *''Lost Borders'' (1997) *''Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Castro'' (1997) *''Deadlock: A Passion for Murder'' (1997) *''

Girl Crazy ''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in song, ...

'' (1997) *''Holes in Heaven'' (1998) *''Death: A Love Story'' (1999) *''Silent Scream'' (1999) *''The Double Like of Ernesto Gomez-Gomez'' (1999) *'' God's Army'' (2000) *''Slender Existence'' (2000) *''Scout's Honor'' (2001) *''

Amy's Orgasm ''Amy's Orgasm'' (title censored to ''Amy's O'' in many video shops) is a 2001 film directed by Julie Davis. It stars Julie Davis as Amy, a 29-year-old Jewish woman who usually avoids dating as she does not believe in love. The film won the "Aud ...

'' (2001) *''

Lost in La Mancha ''Lost in La Mancha'' is a 2002 documentary film about Terry Gilliam's first attempt to make ''The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'', a film adaptation of the 1605/1615 novel ''Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes. The documentary was shot in 2000 d ...

'' (2002) *''Downside Up'' (2002) *''Pandemic: Facing AIDS'' (2003) *''Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines'' (2004) *''One Wedding and a Revolution'' (2004) *''Divining the Human: The Cathedral Tapestries of John Nava'' (2004) *''War of Their Minds: Voices of American Kids'' (2005) *''Grief Becomes Me'' (2005) *''Positively Naked'' (2005) *''Stolen Childhoods'' (2005) *''

China Blue ''China Blue'' is a 2005 documentary film directed by Micha Peled. It follows the life of Jasmine Li, a young seventeen-year-old worker from Sichuan province, in a Chinese jeans factory, ''Lifeng Clothes Factory'' (丽锋服饰制衣有限公司 ...

'' (2005) *''Out of Faith'' (2006) *''The New Los Angeles'' (2006) *''California and the American Dream'' (2006) *''Absolute Wilson'' (2006) *''

Thin Thin may refer to: * a lean body shape. ''(See also: emaciation, underweight)'' * ''Thin'' (film), a 2006 HBO documentary about eating disorders * Paper Thin (disambiguation), referring to multiple songs * Thin (web server), a Ruby web-server b ...

'' (2006) *''Absolutely Safe'' (2007) *''

Ghosts of Abu Ghraib ''Ghosts of Abu Ghraib'' is a 2007 documentary film, directed by Rory Kennedy, that examines the events of the 2004 Abu Ghraib torture and prisoner abuse scandal. The film premiered January 19, 2007, at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival. The film a ...

'' (2007) *''The Longing'' (2007) *''View from the Bridge: Stories from Kosovo'' (2007) *'' Chris & Don. A Love Story'' (2007) *''It's Still Elementary'' (2007) *''One Bad Cat: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story'' (2008) *''A Powerful Noise'' (2008) *''

Bloodline Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic inform ...

'' (2008) *''Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House'' (2008) *''Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech'' (2009) *''Straight Laced: How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up'' (2009) *'' Poster Girl'' (2010) Oscar Nominated Short Film *'' Flexing with Monty'' (2010) *''Family Affair'' (2010) *''The Desert of Forbidden Art'' (2010) *''The Fence'' (2010) *'' One Lucky Elephant'' (2010) *''God Willing'' (2010) *''Awaken the Dragon'' (2011) *''

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 Ho ...

'' (2003-2011) TV Series *'' Paul Goodman Changed My Life'' (2011) *''

Vito Vito is an Italian name that is derived from the Latin word "''vita''", meaning "life". It is a modern form of the Latin name Vitus, meaning "life-giver," as in San Vito or Saint Vitus, the patron saint of dogs and a heroic figure in southern ...

'' (2011) *''

Ethel Ethel (also '' æthel'') is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name. Etymology and historic usage The word means ''æthel'' "noble". It is frequently attested as the first element in Anglo-Saxon names, b ...

'' (2012) *'' Band of Sisters'' (2013) *'' Kings Point'' (2013) Oscar Nominated Short Film *'' American Promise'' (2013) Sundance Winner *''One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp'' (2014) *''Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw'' (2015) *''

The Hunting Ground ''The Hunting Ground'' is a 2015 American documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and the reported failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by K ...

'' (2015) *''A Plastic Ocean'' (2016) *''Finding Kukan'' (2017) *'' RBG (2018) *''Dark Money'' (2018) *''Love, Gilda'' (2019) *''Flannery'' (2020) *''Dilemma of Desire'' (2020) *'' Eddy's World'' (2020) * Til Kingdom Come'' (2020) *''The Human Trial'' (2021)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Miriam Year of birth missing (living people) American film score composers American women film score composers Living people