Roger Ross Williams
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Roger Ross Williams (born September 16, 1962) is an American director, producer and writer and the first
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
director to win an
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 ...
(Oscar), with his short film ''
Music by Prudence ''Music by Prudence'' is a 2010 short documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. It tells the story of the then 24-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, and follows her transcendence from a world of hatred and superstitio ...
''; this film won the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...
in 2009.


Life and career

Williams is a member of a
Gullah The Gullah () are an African Americans, African American ethnic group who predominantly live in the South Carolina Lowcountry, Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and North Carolina, within the coastal plain ...
family from South Carolina, and has lived and worked in New York City for a over twenty-five years. Williams attended
Northampton Community College Northampton Community College is a public community college in Pennsylvania with campuses in Bethlehem in Northampton County and Tannersville in Monroe County. The college, founded in 1967, also has satellite locations in the south side of Bet ...
in
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...
and
New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then-Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, the ...
in
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Williams began his career in 1985, producing
political satire Political satire is satire that specializes in gaining entertainment from politics; it has also been used with subversive intent where Political discourse analysis, political speech and dissent are forbidden by a regime, as a method of advancing ...
for
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
and
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 Emmy Award-winning series ''
TV Nation ''TV Nation'' is a satirical news magazine television series written, co-produced, directed and hosted by Michael Moore that was co-funded and originally broadcast by NBC in the United States and BBC2 in the United Kingdom. The show blended hum ...
''. He has since produced and directed for
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,
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,
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
,
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and has produced work for
Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...
,
Food Network Food Network is an American basic cable channel owned by Television Food Network, G.P., a joint venture and general partnership between Warner Bros. Discovery Networks (which holds a 69% ownership stake of the network) and Nexstar Media Group ...
,
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, VH1, including numerous primetime specials for
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(PBS),
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(ABC) and
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,
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,
Sundance Channel Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly known as Sundance Channel (United States). * Sundance Channel (Canada) * Sundance Channel (Netherlands) * Sundance Channel (Europe) Sundance Channel can refer to: * Sundance TV, formerly kno ...
and
New York Times Television New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz Albums and EPs * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, ...
. He has also produced a documentary series for
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and a lifestyle series, ''Sheila Bridges Designer Living'', for Scripps Networks. He has won numerous awards for his TV work including a NAMIC Vision Award and the National Headliner for Best Human Interest Feature documentary. Williams has directed a number of films including ''
Life, Animated ''Life, Animated'' is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. ''Life, Animated'' is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book ''Li ...
'', which won the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...
Directing Award, was nominated for an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
and won three
Emmy Awards 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 ...
in 2018, including the award for Best Documentary. The film '' God Loves Uganda'' that he directed, which was shortlisted for an
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Special Awards to '' Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. They have since been best ...
and '' American Jail'', examined the U.S. prison system and premiered on CNN and the BBC. Williams directed ''
Traveling While Black ''Traveling While Black'' is a Canadian-American coproduced virtual reality documentary film project, directed by Roger Ross Williams and released in 2019.Dream McClinton"Traveling While Black: behind the eye-opening VR documentary on racism in Am ...
'', a
virtual reality Virtual reality (VR) is a simulated experience that employs pose tracking and 3D near-eye displays to give the user an immersive feel of a virtual world. Applications of virtual reality include entertainment (particularly video games), educ ...
documentary / transmedia project made for Facebook's
Oculus Oculus (a term from Latin ''oculus'', meaning 'eye'), may refer to the following Architecture * Oculus (architecture), a circular opening in the centre of a dome or in a wall Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Oculus'' (film), a 2013 American ...
, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. His 2019 film ''The Apollo'', a documentary about Harlem's legendary
Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...
, was the opening night film of the 2019
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by TriBeCa Productions, Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive progra ...
. His first narrative feature film for
Amazon Studios Amazon Studios is an American television and film producer and distributor that is a subsidiary of Amazon. It specializes in developing television series and distributing and producing films. It was started in late 2010. Content is distributed th ...
is in pre-production. His production company, One Story Up, which he founded with Geoff Martz, is producing a variety of projects including documentary series for
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...
. The documentary film ''Master of Light'', directed by Rosa Ruth Boesten and produced by Geoff Martz, Ilja Roomans, Anousha Nzume and Williams, was played at the music and film festival
South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...
(SXSW) in March 2022. It is a production of One Story Up and the Dutch documentary collective 'Docmakers'. It is a film about the artist George Anthony Morton. The film was included in
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that same year. Williams is the first
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
director to win an
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 ...
(Oscar) with his short film ''
Music by Prudence ''Music by Prudence'' is a 2010 short documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. It tells the story of the then 24-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, and follows her transcendence from a world of hatred and superstitio ...
''; this film won the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...
in 2009. Williams serves on the board of Docubox Kenya, a documentary fund and mentorship program based in
Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...
that supports African filmmakers. Williams serves on the alumni advisor board of None On Record, the alumni advisory board of 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 ...
, and, since 2016, the Board of Governors for the
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization with the stated goal of advancing the arts and sciences of motion ...
, serving as chair of the Documentary Branch and the Documentary Diversity Committee He is also a trustee of the
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) is a public non-profit museum in Cape Town, South Africa. Zeitz MOCAA opened on September 22, 2017 as the largest museum of contemporary art from Africa and its diaspora. The museum is locat ...
, the first major museum in Africa dedicated to contemporary art. Furthermore, he is a member of the Advisory Board of Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, and of the board of the
Tribeca Film Institute The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) is a year-round non-profit arts organization founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff, based in New York. The Tribeca Film Institute was created in 2003 in the wake of September 11, 2001. TFI ta ...
. He splits his time between upstate New York and Amsterdam, The Netherlands.


Filmography


Director

*1997: ''Discovered At Sundance'' (TV) *2000: ''Reagan: A Life In Pictures'' (TV) *2001: ''Time'' (TV) *2001: ''Challenge America With Erin Brockovich'' (TV) *2002: ''Secret Son'' (TV) *2003: ''Power, Privilege & Justice'' (TV) *2003: ''Boys Will Be Girls'' (TV) *2003: ''First Off The Tee'' (TV) *2003: ''New York Underground'' (TV) *2004: ''The Lives They Lived'' (TV) *2004: ''Moroccan Style'' (TV) *2005: ''Sheila Bridges Designer Living: Morocco Special'' (TV) and ''Sheila Bridges Designer Living'' *2006: ''Amazing Families'' (TV) *2010: ''Undercover Boss'' (TV, 1 episode: 7-Eleven) *2010: ''
Music by Prudence ''Music by Prudence'' is a 2010 short documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. It tells the story of the then 24-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, and follows her transcendence from a world of hatred and superstitio ...
'' *2013: '' God Loves Uganda'' *2014: ''Tutu: The Essence of Being Human'' *2015: ''Gospel of Intolerance'' *2015: ''Blackface'' *2016: ''
Life, Animated ''Life, Animated'' is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. ''Life, Animated'' is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book ''Li ...
'' *2018: ''American Jail'' *2019: ''The Apollo'' *2023: ''
Cassandro Saúl Armendáriz (born May 20, 1970) is an American-born Mexican ''luchador'', or professional wrestler, who works as an ''exótico'' for several independent promotions all over the world under the ring name Cassandro. He is a former NWA World ...
''


Producer

*1995: ''People Yearbook '95'' (TV) (segment producer) *1996: ''Sex, Drugs and Consequences'' (TV) (producer) *1997: ''
TV Nation ''TV Nation'' is a satirical news magazine television series written, co-produced, directed and hosted by Michael Moore that was co-funded and originally broadcast by NBC in the United States and BBC2 in the United Kingdom. The show blended hum ...
'': ''Volume One'' (segment producer) *2000: ''Reagan: A Life In Pictures'' (TV) (producer) *2001: ''Time'' (TV) (producer) *2002: ''Secret Son'' (TV) (producer) *2002: ''Life 360'' (segment producer) (1 episode:Telling the Children) (segment producer) *2003: ''Power, Privilege & Justice'' (TV) (producer) *2003: ''First Off The Tee'' (TV) (producer) *2003: ''New York Underground'' (TV) (producer) *2004: ''The Lives They Lived'' (TV) (producer) *2004: ''Moroccan Style'' (TV) (producer) *2004 - 2005: ''Sheila Bridges Designer Living'' (series supervising producer) *2006: ''Amazing Families'' (TV) (producer) *2007: ''Alone No Love'' (co-producer) *2007: ''Yearbook'' (TV) (series producer) *2010: ''Music by Prudence'' (producer) *2013: ''God Loves Uganda'' (producer) *2014: ''Tutu: The Essence of Being Human'' (producer) *2016: ''
Life, Animated ''Life, Animated'' is a 2016 American documentary by director Roger Ross Williams. It is co-produced by Williams with Julie Goldman, Carolyn Hepburn and Christopher Clements. ''Life, Animated'' is based on journalist Ron Suskind's 2014 book ''Li ...
'' *2022: ''Master of Light''


Screenwriter

*2000: ''Reagan: A Life In Pictures'' (TV) *2003: ''Power, Privilege & Justice'' (TV) *2003: ''First Off The Tee'' (TV) *2003: ''New York Underground'' (TV) *2004: ''The Lives They Lived'' (TV) *2004: ''Moroccan Style'' (TV) *2005: ''Sheila Bridges Designer Living: Morocco Special'' (TV) *2006: ''Amazing Families'' (TV)


Awards

* NAMIC Vision Award for the television special ''Moroccan Style'' * The National Headliner for Best Human Interest Feature for his documentary ''New York Underground'' *
Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) This is a list of films by year that have received an Academy Award together with the other nominations for best documentary short film. Following the Academy's practice, the year listed for each film is the year of release: the awards are annou ...
for ''
Music by Prudence ''Music by Prudence'' is a 2010 short documentary film directed by Roger Ross Williams. It tells the story of the then 24-year-old Zimbabwean singer-songwriter Prudence Mabhena, and follows her transcendence from a world of hatred and superstitio ...
'' in 2010. * Inspiration Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival for ''God Loves Uganda'' *Best Feature Documentary,
Ashland Independent Film Festival The Ashland Independent Film Festival is held in Ashland, Oregon, United States. It has been organized by the non-profit Southern Oregon Film Society since 2001. Founded by D.W. and Steve Wood, the festival is held each spring over five days at th ...
for '' God Loves Uganda'' * Best Feature Documentary
Dallas International Film Festival The Dallas International Film Festival (DIFF), presented by Dallas Film, is an annual film festival that takes place in Dallas, Texas. About Dallas Film Dallas Film, established as Dallas Film Society, Inc., is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization ...
for '' God Loves Uganda'' * Directing Award: U.S. Documentary Sundance Film Festival 2016 for "Life, Animated"


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Roger Ross 1962 births Living people African-American film directors American documentary filmmakers Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners Easton Area High School alumni Film directors from Pennsylvania Primetime Emmy Award winners 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American people