Cynthia Wade is an American television, commercial and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, ...

producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

and

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the photographing or recording of a film, television production, music video or other live action piece. The cinematographer is the c ...

based in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...

. She has directed documentaries on social issues including ''

Shelter Dogs ''Shelter Dogs'' is a 2003 documentary film directed and produced by Cynthia Wade about animal welfare in the United States and the ethics of animal euthanasia. Following a particular Upstate New York animal shelter and its staff over a t ...

'' in 2003 about

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevit ...

and '' Freeheld'' in 2007 about

LGBT rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , ...

as well as television commercials and web campaigns. She has won over 40

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending up ...

awards, won an Oscar in 2008, and was nominated for her second Oscar in 2013.

Background

Wade was born and raised in the New York City area and is the great-granddaughter of

John Orr Young John Orr Young (June 25, 1886 – May 1, 1976) was an American advertiser who, with Raymond Rubicam, founded the Young & Rubicam advertising agency. His first job in advertising was at the ''Salt Lake City Tribune'' in 1909; in 1910, he joined Lo ...

, the founder of Young & Rubicam, an advertising agency in Manhattan. She attended

Smith College Smith College is a private liberal arts women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith and opened in 1875. It is the largest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite women's c ...

where she received her

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four yea ...

degree, and Stanford University where she received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Documentary Film Production. During college, Wade attended the National Theater Institute at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center in Waterford, Connecticut, where she studied directing. In 1999, she married Matthew Syrett. She taught advanced digital cinematography and film production in the graduate certificate program in Documentary Media Studies at

The New School The New School is a private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for progressive thinkers. ...

and runs a film production company, Cynthia Wade Productions, Inc.

Work

In 1999, Wade's personal documentary ''Grist for the Mill'' aired on Cinemax. In 2003, Wade directed and produced ''

'', a documentary about the

system in the United States and the

ethics Ethics or moral philosophy is a branch of philosophy that "involves systematizing, defending, and recommending concepts of right and wrong behavior".''Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'' The field of ethics, along with aesthetics, concerns ...

animal euthanasia Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

. For this film she won the Grand Prize at the Director's View Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Newport International Film Festival, the Best of the Fest award at the Northampton Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Orinda Film Festival. It was the 2004 debut special for HBO's series ''

America Undercover ''America Undercover'' is a series of documentaries that aired on the cable television network HBO from 1983 through 2006. Within the series are several sub-series, such as ''Autopsy'', ''Real Sex'', and ''Taxicab Confessions''. History The serie ...

''. In 2007, Wade directed and shot '' Freeheld'', a documentary telling the story of terminally ill

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York (state), New York; on the ea ...

police officer Laurel Hester. Hester came to public attention when she appealed to her local authorities to change the policy that prevented her female

domestic partner A domestic partnership is a legal relationship, usually between couples, who live together and share a common domestic life, but are not married (to each other or to anyone else). People in domestic partnerships receive benefits that guarantee ...

from receiving pension benefits upon Hester's death. While filming ''Freeheld'', Wade spent time living with Hester and her partner Stacie Andree in New Jersey. The film won 16 film awards including the Special Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, a Special Jury Prize at the

Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...

, the Audience Award at the Boston Independent Film Festival, the Audience Award at L.A. Outfest. Wade and Producer Vanessa Roth won the

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 ...

at the 80th Academy Awards for Freeheld in 2008. In 2008 and 2009 Wade directed the documentary ''Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School'' at Milton Hershey School in

Hershey, Pennsylvania Hershey is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Derry Township, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is home to The Hershey Company, which was founded by candy magnate Milton S. Hershey. The community is l ...

, one of several films she has made for schools and

non profit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

s. It aired on the Sundance Channel and the

Independent Film Channel IFC (formerly known as the Independent Film Channel) is an American basic cable channel owned by AMC Networks, originally launching in 1994 as a TV channel devoted to independent films. The Independent Film Channel originally operated as a co ...

. In January 2010, Wade's documentary ''Born Sweet'', about a Cambodian boy who is poisoned with

arsenic Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As and atomic number 33. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in combination with sulfur and metals, but also as a pure elemental crystal. Arsenic is a metalloid. It has various allotropes, bu ...

, had its World Premiere at the

2010 Sundance Film Festival The 26th annual Sundance Film Festival was held from January 21, 2010 until January 31, 2010 in Park City, Utah. Award winners *Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - '' Restrepo'' *Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - '' Winter's Bone'' *World Cinema Jury Priz ...

where it was awarded Honorable Mention; it won 14 additional film festival awards, including prizes at Aspen, Palm Springs and the

Hamptons Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October a ...

s. In 2011, Wade was Documentary Director for the Prime Time Emmy-Winning Sesame Street TV special "Growing Hope Against Hunger", about food insecurity in America, as told through four children's eyes in different parts of the country. In 2013, Wade was nominated for her second

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 in ...

for her HBO documentary ''

Mondays at Racine ''Mondays at Racine'' is a 2012 short documentary film directed by Cynthia Wade, about two sisters who open their Long Island hair salon to women diagnosed with cancer, every third Monday of the month. The film was nominated for the 2013 Acade ...

''. The documentary won 4 festival awards and an IDA Award Nomination. In 2014, during an event at the Sundance Film Festival, Wade released her short film "Selfie" in conjunction with the Sundance Institute and

Dove (soap) Dove is a brand owned by the multinational consumer goods company Unilever. Dove products are manufactured in countries around the world. The products are sold in more than 150 countries and are offered for both women, men, and babies. Dove's ...

dealing with how social media is changing the way women define beauty. "Selfie" is an installment of the ' Dove Campaign for Real Beauty. The Selfie project went viral and captured over 7.1 million views worldwide. It was awarded a

Clio In Greek mythology, Clio ( , ; el, Κλειώ), also spelled Kleio, is the muse of history, or in a few mythological accounts, the muse of lyre playing. Etymology Clio's name is etymologically derived from the Greek root κλέω/κλεί� ...

in 2014 for Best Short Form Film. In 2015, Wade directed and cast #EndMommyWars, a 7-minute documentary for Similac as part of their #EndMommyWars campaign. The film followed real new moms over the course of a day, where they talked about how they judged other mothers and felt judged themselves. In 2015, the feature film '' Freeheld'', based on Wade's 2007 documentary, was released by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian- American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquarter ...

. Wade served as a lead producer on this film, which stars

Julianne Moore Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...

Elliot Page Elliot Page (formerly Ellen Page; born February 21, 1987) is a Canadian actor. He has received List of awards and nominations received by Elliot Page, various accolades, including an Academy Award for Best Actress, Academy Award nomination, tw ...

Steve Carell Steven John Carell (; born August 16, 1962) is an American actor and comedian. He played Michael Scott in '' The Office'' (2005–2011; 2013), NBC’s adaptation of the British series created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, where C ...

and

Michael Shannon Michael Corbett Shannon (born August 7, 1974) is an American actor, producer, musician, and theater director. He is an off beat actor known for his on-screen versatility, performing in both comedies and dramas. He became known for his frequent ...

. It is directed by Peter Sollett. Wade co-directed in 2016 the feature documentary ''Generation Startup'' detailing six startups in Detroit launched through

Andrew Yang Andrew Yang (born January 13, 1975) is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-c ...

Venture for America Venture For America (VFA) is an American nonprofit organization and fellowship headquartered in New York City. Founded by Andrew Yang in 2011, its mission is "to create economic opportunity in American cities" by training recent graduates and youn ...

(VFA) program. Wade co-directed the PBS POV Documentary in 2019 ''Grit''. The film is an account of the Lapindo Mud disaster in East Java, Indonesia, which premiered at HotDocs in 2018. In 2021, Wade directed ''Sproutland''. In 2022, directed three episodes of the TV Series, ''Gutsy'' featuring Chelsea and Hilary Clinton. Wade then co-directed and co-produced '' The Flagmakers'' with Sharon Liese, a documentary that follows a factory making American flags whose employees are primarily immigrants..

Filmography

Director

*1983: ''

'' (TV series) *1995: '' Out of My Mind'' (Documentary Short) *1995: ''Almost Home'' (Documentary Short) *1999: ''Grist for the Mill'' (Documentary) *2003: ''

'' (Documentary) *2007: ''Freeheld'' (Documentary Short) *2007: ''Freeheld: The Legacy of Laurel Hester'' (Documentary Short) *2009: ''Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School'' (TV Movie Documentary) *2010: ''Born Sweet'' (Documentary Short) *2011: ''Growing Hope Against Hunger'' (TV Movie Documentary) *2012: ''

'' (Documentary Short) *2012: ''Wrestling the Monster: Living with Hepatic Encephalopathy'' (Documentary Short) *2015: ''Heart Felt'' (Documentary) *2015: ''#EndTheMommyWars'' (Documentary Short) *2016: ''Generation Startup'' (Documentary) *2017: ''Hep C Free'' (Documentary Short) *2018: ''Beyond Blue: Barbara's MPN Story'' (Documentary Short) *2018: ''Grit'' (Documentary) *2018: ''Gravity: Scott & Amy's MPN Story & Role of Caregiving'' (Documentary Short) *2018: ''Something So Rare: Four Unique MPN Stories'' (Documentary Short) *2018: ''Invisible: Taja's MPN Story'' (Documentary Short) *2021: ''Sproutland'' (Short) *2022: ''Gutsy'' (TV Documentary Series) *2022: '' The Flagmakers'' (Documentary Short, co-directed with Sharon Liese)

Producer

*1995: ''Almost Home'' *1998: ''Biography'' (TV Documentary Series) *1999: ''Grist for the Mill'' (Documentary) *2003: ''Shelter Dogs'' (Documentary) *2003: ''Buff Brides'' (TV Series) *2006: ''Gender Rebel'' (Documentary) *2007: ''Freeheld'' (Documentary Short) *2007: ''Freeheld: The Legacy of Laurel Hester'' (Documentary Short) *2009: ''Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School'' (TV Movie Documentary) *2010: ''Born Sweet'' (Documentary Short) *2012: ''Mondays at Racine'' (Documentary Short) *2015: ''The Gnomist'' (Documentary Short) *2015: '' Freeheld'' (Documentary Short) *2016: ''Out in Alabama'' (Documentary Short) *2018: ''Grit'' (Documentary) *2022: ''The Flagmakers'' (Documentary Short, co-produced with Sharon Liese)

Cinematographer

*1995: '' Out of My Mind'' (Documentary Short) *1995: ''Almost Home'' (Documentary Short) *1997: '' Ancient Mysteries'' (TV Documentary Series) *1998: ''Taken In: Lives of America's Foster Children'' *1999: ''Grist for the Mill'' *2000: ''Parole: Prison Without Bars'' *2002: '' The Collector of Bedford Street'' *2003: ''Shelter Dogs'' *2003: ''

Risk/Reward ''Risk/Reward'' is a 2003 documentary film about women on Wall Street. It follows the lives of four Wall Street women - a research analyst, a currency trader, an NYSE floor broker and a rookie investment banker. It was directed by Elizabeth Ho ...

'' *2004: ''Lookalike'' *2007: ''Freeheld'' *2008: '' In the Family'' *2008: ''P.O.V.'' (TV Documentary Series) *2009: ''Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School'' (TV Movie Documentary) *2010: ''Born Sweet'' (Documentary Short) *2010: ''Forget Me Nots'' (Documentary Short)

References

External links

Official site
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wade, Cynthia American cinematographers Film producers from New York (state) Living people Film directors from New York City Smith College alumni Stanford University alumni American women cinematographers Year of birth missing (living people) American women film producers 21st-century American women