Alison Klayman (born 1984) is an American filmmaker and journalist best known for her award-winning 2012 documentary '' Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry''.

Life and career

Klayman grew up in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

and graduated from Brown University in 2006 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. After her studies she went on a five-month trip to China with a college classmate and wound up staying to learn Chinese and work. She has contributed to PBS Frontline,

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

and ''

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 ...

''. After meeting artist Ai Weiwei while filming his exhibit for a local gallery, she started shooting footage for a longer documentary in December 2008. '' Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry'' debuted 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 ...

and won the Special Jury Prize and a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award. Klayman's documentary on Abercrombie & Fitch focused on the store's success and controversies, including its racist and exclusionary practices. '' White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch'' was released on Netflix in 2022. In that same year, Klayman also released "Unfinished Business," a documentary centered on the WNBA, primarily the New York Liberty, one of the league's original franchises. The film centered upon the Liberty's debut season along with the rest of the league in 1997 as well as their 25th anniversary campaign in 2021. ""Unfinished Business," to me, means that there's a potential that has yet to be fulfilled for this league and its place in the culture," Klayman told Geoff Magliocchetti of

Sports Illustrated ''Sports Illustrated'' (''SI'') is an American sports magazine first published in August 1954. Founded by Stuart Scheftel, it was the first magazine with a circulation of over one million to win the National Magazine Award for General Excellen ...

. It stands for progress for women, trans, gay, black athletes, and so many things. But, fundamentally, I do think the biggest thing that this film talks about is the WNBA's trajectory." Klayman is Jewish.

Filmography

* '' Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry'' (2012) * '' The 100 Years Show'' (2015) * ''11/8/16'' (2017) * '' Take Your Pills'' (2018) * '' The Brink'' (2019) * '' Jagged'' (2021) * '' White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch (2022)'' * ''Unfinished Business'' (2022)

Awards and honors

* Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award *Alliance of Women Film Journalists *Ashland Independent Film Festival *DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary *Filmmaker Magazine "25 New Faces of Independent Film" *New York Times International List of 20 Directors to Watch *Sundance Film Festival – Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance *Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Klayman, Alison 1984 births Brown University alumni American documentary film directors 20th-century American Jews Film people from Philadelphia Living people Film directors from Pennsylvania American women documentary filmmakers Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy alumni 21st-century American Jews Jewish American film people Jews from Pennsylvania