Eric Daniel Metzgar is a filmmaker who lives and works in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
.
Metzgar's documentary titled ''
Reporter'' (2009) chronicles New York Times journalist
Nick Kristof's 2007 voyage to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The film includes an interview with former Congolese rebel leader
Laurent Nkunda and other key players in the Congolese power struggle. ''Reporter'' premiered at the 2009
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 46,6 ...
. It was broadcast on
HBO and nominated for an
Emmy Award
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 the category of "Outstanding Informational Programming -- Long Form". He shot and edited the film as well. Actor
Ben Affleck
Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup.
Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS educatio ...
was one of a few producers.
Metzgar's second documentary film, ''
Life. Support. Music.'', premiered at the 2008
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. ''Life. Support. Music.'' tells the story of Jason Crigler, a New York-based guitarist who in 2004 suffered a brain injury, and tracks his recovery. The film features interviews with
Norah Jones,
Marshall Crenshaw,
Teddy Thompson and others. ''Life. Support. Music.'' won many awards on the film festival circuit, including the Enel Cuore Award for Best Social Documentary at the 2008 Rome International Film Festival, and the Audience Choice award at the 2008
Independent Film Festival of Boston
The Independent Film Festival Boston is a not for profit film festival in Boston, Massachusetts.
History
The Independent Film Festival Boston (also known as IFFBoston or IFFB) was created in 2003 by the non-profit organization the Independen ...
. The film was broadcast as part of the
P.O.V. series on
PBS. Metzgar edited and shot the film as well.
Metzgar's debut film, a
documentary entitled ''
The Chances of the World Changing'', which he directed, produced, shot and edited, premiered at the 2006
Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. The film documents two years in the life of Richard Ogust, a man struggling to save over a thousand endangered turtles and tortoises from extinction. ''The Chances of the World Changing'' screened at film festivals, won several awards and was nominated for a 2007
Independent Spirit Award in the
"Axium Truer than Fiction" category. It also aired on
PBS as part of the
P.O.V. series in 2007.
Metzgar edited and executive produced ''Give Up Tomorrow'', directed by Michael Collins and produced by Marty Syjuco. ''Give Up Tomorrow'' won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was ...
. It also won a Special Jury Prize at the festival for Best New Director and was nominated for an
Emmy Award
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 ...
for Best Investigative Journalism in 2013. The film also won the Audience Choice Award at the 2011
Sheffield Doc/Fest
Sheffield DocFest (formerly styled Sheffield Doc/Fest), short for Sheffield International Documentary Festival (SIDF), is an international documentary festival and Marketplace held annually in Sheffield, England.
The Festival includes film s ...
. The film was broadcast on
POV in 2012.
Metzgar produced and edited ''Crime + Punishment'' (directed by Stephen Maing). The film tracks whistleblower cops in the NYPD. It premiered at the 2018
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 46,6 ...
, winning the Grand Jury Award for “Social Impact". The film was broadcast on
Hulu
Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television seri ...
and won an
Emmy Award
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 ...
for “Outstanding Social Issue Documentary". The film made the “shortlist” for the Academy Awards.
Metzgar co-edited ''
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...
'' with director
David Osit. The film follows
Musa Hadid
Musa Hadid ( ar, موسى حديد; born 1965) is a Palestinian political figure and the former mayor of Ramallah, Palestine.
Education and early life
Hadid studied at Birzeit University, graduating in 1993. He worked as a civil engineer for ...
, the Christian mayor of
Ramallah in Palestine, during his second term in office. The film premiered at the 2020
True/False Film Festival
True/False Film Fest is an annual documentary film festival that takes place in Columbia, Missouri. The Fest occurs on the first weekend in March (sometimes beginning in late February), with films being shown from Thursday evening to Sunday nig ...
. It was named one of the best films of 2020 by The New York Times, IndieWire, The Boston Globe, Vulture, Paste, Vox and The Playlist.
Metzgar also directed, shot and edited ''A Film about Animals (for my children to watch when they are older),'' a short documentary about the illegal wildlife trade in Cambodia. The film won Best Short at the
International Wildlife Film Festival The International Wildlife Film Festival is a film festival held annually at the Roxy Theater in Missoula, Montana.
The International Wildlife Film Festival was "the first regular ongoing festival devoted solely to wildlife films" and this "signal ...
, Best Short at the
Planet in Focus
Planet in Focus International Environmental Film Festival (PIF) is an incorporated not-for-profit film festival and registered charitable organization, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
History
Planet in Focus International Environmental Fil ...
Environmental Film Festival, and Best Short at the Animal Film Festival.
In 2008, Metzgar completed a short first-person documentary titled ''Beholder'', as part of the International Documentary Challenge. The film won the Documentary Challenge's "Original Vision Award," and also won "Best Writing" and "Best Use of First Person".
Metzgar also writes screenplays and directs music videos. In 2015, Metzgar completed his fictional feature debut, titled "For the Coyotes,"
which he wrote and directed. The film stars
James Carpenter and Josh Schell.
References
External links
*
Merigold Moving Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Metzgar, Eric Daniel
Living people
American film directors
American film producers
American male screenwriters
Year of birth missing (living people)