Elizabeth Freya Garbus (born April 11, 1970) is an American

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

director and producer. Notable documentaries Garbus has made are '' The Farm: Angola, USA,'' ''

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. Conten ...

,'' ''

Bobby Fischer Against the World ''Bobby Fischer Against the World'' is a documentary feature film that explores the life of chess Grandmaster and 11th World Champion Bobby Fischer. It incorporates interviews with chess players Anthony Saidy, Larry Evans, Sam Sloan, Susan Po ...

,'' ''

Love, Marilyn ''Love, Marilyn'' is a 2012 American documentary film about American actress and sex symbol Marilyn Monroe's writings directed by Liz Garbus and produced by Stanley F. Buchthal, Garbus, and Amy Hobby. The film premiered at the Toronto Internatio ...

,'' ''

What Happened, Miss Simone? ''What Happened, Miss Simone?'' is a 2015 American biographical documentary film about Nina Simone directed by Liz Garbus. The film opened the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. The screening was followed by a tribute performance by John Legend. The ...

,'' and '' Becoming Cousteau.'' She is co-founder and co-director of the New York City-based

production company

Story Syndicate Story Syndicate is an American film production and television production company founded in 2019 by Liz Garbus and Dan Cogan. The company primarily features documentary films and television series. They have produced such films as '' All In: The F ...

Early life and education

Garbus grew up in New York City. She is the daughter of civil rights attorney

Martin Garbus Martin Garbus (born August 8, 1934) is an American attorney. Education Garbus graduated from the Bronx High School of Science in 1951, earned his B.A. from Hunter College in 1955, and received his J.D. from NYU School of Law. While studying, h ...

and writer, therapist, and social worker Ruth Meitin Garbus. Her family is Jewish. In 1992, Garbus graduated ''

magna cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

'' with a bachelor's degree in history and

semiotics Semiotics ( ) is the systematic study of sign processes and the communication of meaning. In semiotics, a sign is defined as anything that communicates intentional and unintentional meaning or feelings to the sign's interpreter. Semiosis is a ...

from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

Career

While in high school, Garbus made a documentary about students' last day of school. At Brown she took classes in video production in addition to her major subjects. After college, Garbus worked as an intern at

Miramax Miramax, LLC, formerly known as Miramax Films, is an American independent film and television production and distribution company owned by beIN Media Group and Paramount Global. Based in Los Angeles, California, it was founded on December 19, ...

. She eventually landed a job working for filmmaker

Jonathan Stack Jonathan David Stack (born June 2, 1957) is an American documentary filmmaker. He is also a co-founder of World Vasectomy Day. Biography Born in New York City to a teacher and worker, Jonathan spent much of his childhood exploring. He took an e ...

. They co-directed '' The Farm: Angola, USA'', which was nominated for a 1998

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

. The film garnered multiple awards, including the

Sundance Grand Jury Prize The following includes a list of films that won awards at the American Sundance Film Festival. 1980s 1984 *Grand Jury Prize Dramatic – '' Old Enough'' *Grand Jury Prize Documentary – ''Style Wars'' *Honorable Mention Documentary – '' Seeing ...

and two

Emmy The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award catego ...

awards. In 1998, Garbus co-founded an independent documentary production company, Moxie Firecracker Films, with fellow

alumna

Rory Kennedy Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy (born December 12, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker. Kennedy has made documentary films that center on social issues such as addiction, her Anti-nuclear movement, opposition to nuclear power, the treatm ...

. They combined the names of each woman's previous production company for their joint one: Kennedy's was called Moxie and Garbus’ was called Firecracker. In 2002, Garbus' film '' The Execution of Wanda Jean'' was shown at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

. In 2003, Garbus directed ''

The Nazi Officer's Wife ''The Nazi Officer's Wife: How One Jewish Woman Survived the Holocaust'' is a 1999 autobiography by Austrian-born Edith Hahn-Beer. Written with the help of Susan Dworkin, the book's first edition was published by Rob Weibach Books and William Mo ...

'', which was narrated by

Susan Sarandon Susan Abigail Sarandon (; née Tomalin; born October 4, 1946) is an American actor. With a career spanning over five decades, she is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to ...

and

Julia Ormond Julia Karin Ormond (born 4 January 1965) is an English film and television actress. She rose to prominence by appearing in '' The Baby of Mâcon'' (1993), '' Legends of the Fall'' (1994), '' First Knight'' (1995), '' Sabrina'' (1995), '' Smilla ...

. ¹ In 2005, Garbus collaborated with partner

to executive-produce ''Street Fight'' about the 2002 Newark mayoral election; it was nominated for an Academy Award. In 2006, the pair worked with actress

Rosie Perez Rosa Maria Perez (born September 6, 1964) is an American actress. Her breakthrough came at age 24 with her portrayal of Tina in the film '' Do the Right Thing'' (1989), followed by '' White Men Can't Jump'' (1992). Perez's performance in '' Fear ...

to produce her film '' Yo Soy Boricua''. In 2007, Garbus' film ''

'' premiered at Sundance. It and won an

for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special of 2007. In 2007, Garbus directed the film ''Coma'', which aired on

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

in July of that year. The film follows four brain-injured patients receiving treatment at the JFK-Johnson Medical Facility in

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. In 2009, Garbus’s film, '' Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech'' (HBO) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. In 2011, ''There's Something Wrong with Aunt Diane'' was chosen to be a part of HBO’s Documentary Films Summer Series. In 2011, Garbus directed ''

'', which chronicled the great Cold War showdown between

Bobby Fischer Robert James Fischer (March 9, 1943January 17, 2008) was an American Grandmaster (chess), chess grandmaster and the eleventh World Chess Championship, World Chess Champion. A chess prodigy, he won his first of a record eight US Chess Champi ...

and

Boris Spassky Boris Vasilyevich Spassky (; January 30, 1937 – February 27, 2025) was a Russian chess grandmaster who was the tenth World Chess Champion, holding the title from 1969 to 1972. Spassky played three world championship matches: he lost to Tigra ...

in 1972. The film premiered on

and opened the Premiere Documentary Section of the

. ''

'', opened the documentary section of the 2011

, reserved for master American documentary filmmakers. In 2011, Garbus was

nominated A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group or election to an office, in which case a ...

a second time for an

, for her film ''

Killing in the Name "Killing in the Name" is a song by the American rock band Rage Against the Machine, and appears on their 1992 Rage Against the Machine (album), self-titled debut album. It features heavy drop-D guitar riffs. The lyrics protest Police brutality i ...

'', which she produced with her producing partner

. Garbus' 2012 film, ''

'' featured

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Irene Banks (; February 10, 1974) is an American actress, director, and producer. She is known for playing chaperone Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and an ICCA commentator in the ''Pitch Perfect'' ...

Ellen Burstyn Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy A ...

Glenn Close Glenda Veronica Close (born March 19, 1947) is an American actress. In a career spanning over five decades on Glenn Close on screen and stage, screen and stage, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Glenn Close, numerous ac ...

Viola Davis Viola Davis ( ; born August 11, 1965) is an American actress and film producer. List of awards and nominations received by Viola Davis, Her accolades include both the Triple Crown of Acting and EGOT. ''Time (magazine), Time'' named her one of ...

Jennifer Ehle Jennifer Anne Ehle (; born December 29, 1969) is an American actress. She received the British Academy Television Award for Best Actress for her role as Elizabeth Bennet in the BBC miniseries ''Pride and Prejudice'' (1995). Ehle started her car ...

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

Lili Taylor Lili Anne Taylor (born February 20, 1967) is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films '' Mystic Pizza'' (1988) and '' Say Anything...'' (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s i ...

Uma Thurman Uma Karuna Thurman (born April 29, 1970) is an American actress. She has performed in a variety of films, from romantic comedies and dramas to science fiction and action films. Following her appearances on the December 1985 and May 1986 cover ...

Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She gained prominence for her comedic performance in '' My Cousin Vinny'' (1992), which earned her the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She received further nominations ...

Evan Rachel Wood Evan Rachel Wood (born September 7, 1987) is an American actress. She is the recipient of a Critics' Choice Television Award as well as nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. She began acting in the 1990s, a ...

and others reading from Monroe’s never-before-seen private writings. The film opened as a Gala Premiere at the 2012

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

and was acquired by HBO for a 2013 debut. ''

'', internationally opened as a Gala Premiere at the 2012

and aired on

summer of 2013. In 2014, ''A Good Job: Stories of the FDNY'', which Garbus directed and produced, premiered on

and featured first-hand accounts of veteran firefighters and interviews conducted by former FDNY member

Steve Buscemi Steven Vincent Buscemi (,As stated in interviews by Buscemi himself. It is not uncommon for people to pronounce his name or instead. ; born December 13, 1957) is an American actor. He is known for his work as an acclaimed character actor. Mul ...

. In 2015, she directed ''

'' a documentary about the singer

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

. ''

'' was the opening night film for

, it was nominated for an

for Best Documentary Feature 2015, a

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

for Best Music Film 2015, and Garbus was nominated for a

DGA Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Categ ...

for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary. The film was released by

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

on June 26, 2015. It won an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

for Outstanding Documentary. In January 2018, ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' announced that Garbus and a documentary crew had been "basically living in the...newsroom since Inauguration Day

ith The Ith () is a ridge in Germany's Central Uplands which is up to 439 m high. It lies about 40 km southwest of Hanover and, at 22 kilometers, is the longest line of crags in North Germany. Geography Location The Ith is i ...

full access to the Russia investigation and much more." The completed work called '' The Fourth Estate'' aired on

Showtime Showtime or Show Time may refer to: Film * ''Showtime'' (film), a 2002 American action/comedy film * ''Showtime'' (video), a 1995 live concert video by Blur Television Networks and channels * Showtime Networks, a division of Paramount Global w ...

in May 2018. In May 2018, HBO premiered Garbus' documentary, ''A Dangerous Son,'' which portrays three families as they deal with severe mental illness of three different children, and their efforts to get treatment and navigate the health care system. In September 2020, Garbus released '' All In: The Fight for Democracy'', a

about

voting rights in the United States Voting rights, specifically Suffrage, enfranchisement and disenfranchisement of different groups, have been a moral and political issue throughout United States history. Eligibility to vote in the United States is governed by the United Sta ...

. It featured voting rights activist

Stacey Abrams Stacey Yvonne Abrams (; born December 9, 1973) is an American politician, lawyer, voting rights activist, and author who served in the Georgia House of Representatives from 2007 to 2017, serving as minority leader from 2011 to 2017. A member ...

and other American politicians, including former

United States Attorney General The United States attorney general is the head of the United States Department of Justice and serves as the chief law enforcement officer of the Federal government of the United States, federal government. The attorney general acts as the princi ...

Eric Holder Eric Himpton Holder Jr. (born January 21, 1951) is an American lawyer who served as the 82nd United States attorney general from 2009 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, Holder was the first African Ameri ...

and then-Representative

Marcia Fudge Marcia Louise Fudge (born October 29, 1952) is an American attorney and retired politician who served as the 18th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 2021 to 2024. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as the U. ...

. In 2021, Garbus released '' Becoming Cousteau'', a documentary about

Jacques Cousteau Jacques-Yves Cousteau, (, also , ; 11 June 191025 June 1997) was a French naval officer, oceanographer, filmmaker and author. He co-invented the first successful open-circuit self-contained underwater breathing apparatus (SCUBA), called the ...

for

National Geographic Documentary Films National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Entertai ...

. In 2022, Garbus directed ''

Harry & Meghan ''Harry & Meghan'' is an American documentary series streaming on Netflix, starring Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex. The series has six parts and covers the couple's relationship from their early courtship to their d ...

'', a documentary series for

revolving around

Prince Harry Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is a member of the British royal family. As the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, he is fifth in the line of succession to ...

and

Meghan Markle Meghan, Duchess of Sussex (; born Rachel Meghan Markle, August 4, 1981) is an American member of the British royal family, media personality, entrepreneur, and former actress. She is married to Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, the younger son ...

Personal life

Garbus is married to film producer

Dan Cogan Dan Cogan is an American film producer. He has produced multiple documentary films including ''The Queen of Versailles'' (2012), ''How to Survive a Plague'' (2012), ''The Hunting Ground'' (2015), ''Icarus'' (2017), ''Won't You Be My Neighbor'' (2 ...

; the two have a daughter, Amelia, and a son, Theodore.

Filmography

Works and publications

* *

Selected honors and awards

Open Society Open society () is a term coined by French-Jewish philosopher Henri Bergson in 1932, and describes a dynamic system inclined to moral universalism.Thomas Mautner (2005), 2nd ed. ''The Penguin Dictionary of Philosophy'' Open society" entry p. ...

's Center on Crime, Communities, and Culture, Fellow * 1998:

, Documentary, Grand Jury Prize for '' The Farm: Angola, USA'' with

– tied with '' Frat House'' * 1998: L.A. Film Critics Association Awards, Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film for '' The Farm: Angola, USA'' with

* 1998:

New York Film Critics Circle Awards The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York–based daily and weekly newspapers, ma ...

, Best Non-Fiction Film for '' The Farm: Angola, USA'' with

* 1999:

, Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (nominee) for '' The Farm: Angola, USA'' with

, Gayle Gilman, Michael Cascio * 1999:

, Best Documentary, Feature (nominee) for '' The Farm: Angola, USA'' with

* 2002:

, Documentary, Grand Jury Prize (nominee) for '' The Execution of Wanda Jean'' * 2003:

SXSW Film Festival South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both s ...

, Documentary Feature, Audience Award for ''Girlhood'' * 2006:

, Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story - Long Form (nominee) for ''

P.O.V. ''POV'' (also written ''P.O.V.'') is a Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) public television series which features independent nonfiction films. ''POV'' is an initialism for ''point of view''. ''POV'' is the longest-running showcase on television ...

'' '' Street Fight'' with

, Cara Mertes, Sally Jo Fifer,

Marshall Curry Marshall Curry (born ) is an American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor. His films include '' Street Fight'', '' Racing Dreams'', '' If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front'', ''Point and Shoot'', and '' ...

* 2007:

, Outstanding Non-Fiction Special for ''

'' with

, Jack Youngelson, Diana Barrett,

Sheila Nevins Sheila Nevins (born April 6, 1939) is an American television producer and former head of MTV Documentary Films division of MTV Entertainment Studios. Previously, Nevins was the president of HBO Documentary Films. She has produced over 1,000 docu ...

, Nancy Abraham * 2009:

, Documentary, Grand Jury Prize (nominee) for '' Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech'' * 2012:

, Outstanding Non-Fiction Special (nominee) for ''

'' with

, Stanley F. Buchthal,

, Matthew Justus, Nancy Abraham * 2015:

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...

for ''

'' * 2016:

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...

, Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary (nominee) for ''

'' * 2016:

, Outstanding Non-Fiction Special for ''

'' with Sidney Beaumont,

Amy Hobby Amy Hobby is an American film producer. She is best known for producing documentary ''What Happened, Miss Simone?'' that earned her Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature nomination at 88th Academy Awards and Grammy Award for Best Music Film at ...

Justin Wilkes Justin Wilkes is a film and television producer. Best known for producing documentary ''What Happened, Miss Simone?'' that earned him Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature nomination at 88th Academy Awards with co-producer Amy Hobby and direct ...

, Jayson Jackson * 2016:

, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming (nominee) for ''

'' * 2016:

, Best Documentary, Feature (nominee) for ''

'' with

* 2021:

(nominee) for ''

Nuclear Family A nuclear family (also known as an elementary family, atomic family, or conjugal family) is a term for a family group consisting of parents and their children (one or more), typically living in one home residence. It is in contrast to a single ...

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Garbus, Liz 1970 births Living people Brown University alumni American documentary film directors Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American Jews American documentary film producers Film producers from New York City American women documentary filmmakers American women television directors American television directors 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American women film producers