Marilyn Ness is a documentary film producer and director based in New York City She is known for social justice documentaries, including '' Bad Blood: A Cautionary Tale'' (2010), ''

Cameraperson ''Cameraperson'' is a 2016 autobiographical collage documentary film. The film is an account by director Kirsten Johnson about her life and career as a cinematographer. It relies on footage shot by Johnson across the years in numerous differe ...

'' (2016), and most notably, '' Charm City'' (2018). Her recent projects include ''

Netflix Original Netflix is an American global Internet streaming-on-demand media provider that has distributed a number of original streaming television shows, including original series, specials, miniseries, and documentaries and films. Netflix's original pro ...

'' documentary '' Becoming'' with

Michelle Obama Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...

, which was nominated for four

Primetime Emmy awards The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

and ''Netflix Original'' documentary '' Dick Johnson is Dead,'' which was on the

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 ...

Shortlist for Best Documentary in 2021. She is currently an adjunct assistant professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manha ...

Career

Marilyn Ness has worked for over twenty years in the film industry as a producer and a director. She has been nominated for six

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 ...

s, has won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

, and several of her projects have been shortlisted for an Academy Award. Marilyn Ness is a co-founder of Big Mouth Productions, which she established with producing partner, Katy Chevigny, in 1997. Based in New York City and Nashville, USA, Big Mouth Productions is an independent film production company with a growing collection of feature length documentaries to its name.

''Dick Johnson is Dead''

''Dick Johnson is Dead'' is a 2020 ''Netflix Original'' documentary directed by

Kirsten Johnson Kirsten Johnson (born 1965) is an American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer. She is mostly known for her camera work on several well-known feature-length documentaries such as ''Citizenfour'' and ''The Oath''. In 2016, she released '' ...

and produced by Marilyn Ness. It is a story about coming to terms with the loss of a parent first to Alzheimer's disease and then again in death. The film chronicles the journey of father and daughter saying goodbye to each other and Dick Johnson moving into his final season of life. ''Dick Johnson is Dead'' has received multiple awards including the Special Jury Prize for Innovation in Non-Fiction Filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival in 2020, the Critics’ Choice Award for Best Documentary Feature and Best Director 2020, as well as Best Editing and Best Writing IDA Documentary Awards 2020.

''Becoming''

'' Becoming'' provides an inside look at the life of former First Lady

. As the former First Lady embarks on a 34-city tour to promote her book of the same title, the film takes viewers to events that highlight the power of community, show discussions between the former First Lady and her public about how to bridge our divides as a nation, and reveals the spirit of connection that Michelle Obama has become famous for fostering with everyone she meets. It was nominated for a number of honors including a 2020 Primetime Emmy award.

''Charm City''

At a moment fraught with increased violence, pervasive fear and a deepening divide, '' Charm City'' follows a community in Baltimore, USA over the span of three years in the

cinema verite ''Cinema Verite'' is a 2011 HBO drama film directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini. The film's main ensemble cast starred Diane Lane, Tim Robbins, James Gandolfini and Patrick Fugit. The film follows a fictionalized account of th ...

style. The film focuses on the impact of violence in Baltimore, as well as

death of Freddie Gray On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray Jr., a 25-year-old African American, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department over his legal possession of a knife. While being transported in a police van, Gray sustained injuries and was taken to ...

. Centered around the police and the community in Baltimore, the film focuses on quality of life and community support in the midst of violence. In April 2019, Charm City was released first in the

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 ...

, and later on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...

as part of

Independent Lens ''Independent Lens'' is a weekly television series airing on PBS featuring documentary films made by independent filmmakers. Past seasons of ''Independent Lens'' were hosted by Angela Bassett, Don Cheadle, Susan Sarandon, Edie Falco, Terrence ...

. The film was on the shortlist for the

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, f ...

''Bad Blood''

'' Bad Blood: A Cautionary Tale'' was directed and produced by Marilyn Ness and released in 2011 on

. The social justice documentary film campaigns for change in the US blood donation policies. The film is set in the 1980s, and focuses on hemophiliacs diagnosed with HIV after receiving treatment.

''Cameraperson''

Produced by Marilyn ness, ''

'' documents the career and life of the director,

. The film premiered in 2016 at 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 46,6 ...

. After its release, the film made the shortlist for the

Academy Awards 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 ...

in 2017.

''Trapped''

Marilyn Ness produced the film ''Trapped'' (2016 American film) which premiered in the

in 2016. The social justice documentary film centres around doctors performing abortions in the USA in states with anti-abortion laws. The film was awarded the Jury Prize for Social Impact Filmmaking. The film also received a

''E-Team''

Produced by Marilyn Ness in 2014, '' E-Team'' was released in the

. It was later purchased by Netflix originals, and the film received two

nominations.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ness, Marilyn Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American women film directors American women film producers Columbia University faculty 21st-century American women