Miriam Cutler is an American
composer best known for her documentary film work.
Life and career
Cutler is a Los Angeles-based film composer, scoring and performing music for over 20 years. She began her musical career as songwriter and clarinet player with The New Miss Alice Stone Ladies Society Orchestra; she then joined the
Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo
The Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo was an American surrealist street theatre troupe, formed by performer and director Richard Elfman in 1972. The group was led by Richard until 1976, when his brother Danny Elfman took over. The group evolved ...
as a clarinetist, and later founded the group Swingstreet. Due to her love of jazz, she has co-produced albums by the likes of
Joe Williams,
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon (February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003), known professionally as Nina Simone (), was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blue ...
,
Marlena Shaw
Marlena Shaw (born Marlina Burgess, September 22, 1942) is an American jazz, blues and soul singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and is still singing today. Her music has often been sampled in hip hop music, and used in televisio ...
, and
Shirley Horn
Shirley Valerie Horn (May 1, 1934 – October 20, 2005) was an American jazz singer and pianist. She collaborated with many jazz musicians including Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, Toots Thielemans, Ron Carter, Carmen McRae, Wynton Marsalis and oth ...
. Cutler has served on a number of film festival juries including the first-ever World Cinema Documentary category at Sundance, The
Film Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
, The
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association (IDA), founded in 1982, is a non-profit 501(c)(3) that promotes nonfiction filmmakers, and is dedicated to increasing public awareness for the documentary genre. Their major program areas are: Advocacy, Filmm ...
Awards, and the
AFI Film Festival
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Lead ...
Awards. She is a long-term board member of the Society of Composers & Lyricists and has served as an advisor in the
Sundance Institute
Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and composers fr ...
's Composers Lab since 2003. She currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Motion Picture Academy Documentary Branch and the Executive Committee of the TV Academy Music Branch.
[Miriam Cutler's Official Website](_blank)
/ref>
Cutler has also been the long-time composer for Circus Flora
Circus Flora is a one-ring circus based in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. It is a non-profit organization. Circus Flora has become a touring show yet it performs annually in St. Louis, usually at the beginning of the month of June. It combine ...
, based in St. Louis, MO.
On June 26, 2013, Cutler was voted into the Documentary Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In 2014, Cutler co-founded the Alliance for Women Film Composers with Lolita Ritmanis
Lolita Ritmanis (born November 1, 1962) is a Latvian-American composer, known for her film and television scores, including her work on the animated series '' Batman Beyond''.
Early life
Born on November 1, 1962, in Portland, Oregon, Ritmanis ...
and Laura Karpman
Laura Anne Karpman (born March 1, 1959) is an American composer, whose work has included music for film, television, video games, theater, and the concert hall. She has won five Emmy Awards for her work. Karpman was trained at The Juilliard Sc ...
. The organization provides visibility and advocacy for women composers.
In 2017, Cutler was inducted into the John Muir High School (Pasadena, CA) distinguished alumni Hall of Fame.
Awards and nominations
Scores
*''Blue to Trancas'' (1988)
*''Harry and the Lady Next Door'' (1988)
*''Harry and the Dirty Dog'' (1988)
*''Earth and Beyond'' (1989)
*''Hollywood: A Town Remembered'' (1989)
*''Ode to a Bit Player'' (1989)
*''Orangutans: Grasping the Last Branch'' (1989)
*''Prison of the Streets'' (1989)
*''What Your Doctor Won't Tell You About Cancer'' (1989)
*''Getting Lucky'' (1990)
*''Time Barbarians'' (1990)
*'' Witchcraft II: The Temptress'' (1990)
*''Under Crystal Lake'' (1990)
*''Cause of Death'' (1991)
*''Witchcraft III: The Kiss of Death'' (1991)
*''Pushed to the Limit'' (1992)
*''Apollo 13: The Untold Story'' (1992)
*''Shattered Lullabies'' (1992)
*''Witchcraft IV: The Virgin Heart'' (1992)
*''Beyond Fear'' (1993)
*''Divorce Law'' (1993)
*''Alien Intruder'' (1993)
*''Witchcraft V: Dance with the Devil'' (1993)
*''Eyes of the Serpent'' (1994)
*''Streets of Rage'' (1994)
*''Hot Line'' (1994) TV Series
*''Body Parts'' (1994)
*''Cause of Death'' (1994)
*''The Dent'' (1994)
*''Love Street'' (1994) TV Series
*''Married People, Single Sex'' (1994)
*''Witchcraft VI'' (1994)
*''Night Fire'' (1994)
*''Revenge of the Calendar Girls'' (1995)
*''Superior People'' (1995)
*''Witchcraft 7: Judgement Hour'' (1995)
*''Close to Home'' (1996)
*''The Death Pages'' (1996)
*''Searching for God in America'' (1996)
*''Bikini House Calls'' (1996)
*'' Witchcraft VIII: Salem's Ghost'' (1996)
*''Licensed to Kill Licensed to Kill may refer to:
* ''Licensed to Kill'' (1965 film), a British imitation James Bond movie starring Tom Adams
* ''Licensed to Kill'' (1997 film), an American documentary by Arthur Dong
* '' Licensed to Kill? The Nuclear Regulatory Co ...
'' (1997)
*''Fender Philosophers'' (1997)
*''I Stare at You and Dream'' (1997)
*''Lost Borders'' (1997)
*''Neighborhoods: The Hidden Cities of San Francisco - The Castro'' (1997)
*''Deadlock: A Passion for Murder'' (1997)
*''Girl Crazy
''Girl Crazy'' is a 1930 musical by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin and book by Guy Bolton and John McGowan. Ethel Merman made her stage debut in the first production and co-lead Ginger Rogers became an overnight star. Rich in son ...
'' (1997)
*''Holes in Heaven'' (1998)
*''Death: A Love Story'' (1999)
*''Silent Scream'' (1999)
*''The Double Like of Ernesto Gomez-Gomez'' (1999)
*'' God's Army'' (2000)
*''Slender Existence'' (2000)
*''Scout's Honor'' (2001)
*''Amy's Orgasm
''Amy's Orgasm'' (title censored to ''Amy's O'' in many video shops) is a 2001 film directed by Julie Davis. It stars Julie Davis as Amy, a 29-year-old Jewish woman who usually avoids dating as she does not believe in love.
The film won the "Aud ...
'' (2001)
*''Lost in La Mancha
''Lost in La Mancha'' is a 2002 documentary film about Terry Gilliam's first attempt to make ''The Man Who Killed Don Quixote'', a film adaptation of the 1605/1615 novel ''Don Quixote'' by Miguel de Cervantes. The documentary was shot in 2000 d ...
'' (2002)
*''Downside Up'' (2002)
*''Pandemic: Facing AIDS'' (2003)
*''Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines'' (2004)
*''One Wedding and a Revolution'' (2004)
*''Divining the Human: The Cathedral Tapestries of John Nava'' (2004)
*''War of Their Minds: Voices of American Kids'' (2005)
*''Grief Becomes Me'' (2005)
*''Positively Naked'' (2005)
*''Stolen Childhoods'' (2005)
*''China Blue
''China Blue'' is a 2005 documentary film directed by Micha Peled. It follows the life of Jasmine Li, a young seventeen-year-old worker from Sichuan province, in a Chinese jeans factory, ''Lifeng Clothes Factory'' (丽锋服饰制衣有限公司) ...
'' (2005)
*''Out of Faith'' (2006)
*''The New Los Angeles'' (2006)
*''California and the American Dream'' (2006)
*''Absolute Wilson'' (2006)
*'' Thin'' (2006)
*''Absolutely Safe'' (2007)
*'' Ghosts of Abu Ghraib'' (2007)
*''The Longing'' (2007)
*''View from the Bridge: Stories from Kosovo'' (2007)
*'' Chris & Don. A Love Story'' (2007)
*''It's Still Elementary'' (2007)
*''One Bad Cat: The Reverend Albert Wagner Story'' (2008)
*''A Powerful Noise'' (2008)
*''Bloodline
Heredity, also called inheritance or biological inheritance, is the passing on of traits from parents to their offspring; either through asexual reproduction or sexual reproduction, the offspring cells or organisms acquire the genetic infor ...
'' (2008)
*''Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House'' (2008)
*''Shouting Fire: Stories from the Edge of Free Speech'' (2009)
*''Straight Laced: How Gender's Got Us All Tied Up'' (2009)
*'' Poster Girl'' (2010) Oscar Nominated Short Film
*'' Flexing with Monty'' (2010)
*''Family Affair'' (2010)
*''The Desert of Forbidden Art'' (2010)
*''The Fence'' (2010)
*''One Lucky Elephant
''One Lucky Elephant'' is an American documentary film directed by Lisa Leeman that premiered December 1, 2011 on OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network as part of the OWN Documentary Club. The film focuses on the extraordinary human-animal bond between Circ ...
'' (2010)
*''God Willing'' (2010)
*''Awaken the Dragon'' (2011)
*''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 ...
'' (2003-2011) TV Series
*''Paul Goodman Changed My Life
''Paul Goodman Changed My Life'' is a 2011 documentary film directed by Jonathan Lee and distributed by Zeitgeist Films.
Synopsis
''Paul Goodman Changed My Life'' is the first documentary feature about Paul Goodman, social activist, lay psych ...
'' (2011)
*''Vito
Vito is an Italian name that is derived from the Latin word "''vita''", meaning "life".
It is a modern form of the Latin name Vitus, meaning "life-giver," as in San Vito or Saint Vitus, the patron saint of dogs and a heroic figure in southern ...
'' (2011)
*''Ethel
Ethel (also '' æthel'') is an Old English word meaning "noble", today often used as a feminine given name.
Etymology and historic usage
The word means ''æthel'' "noble".
It is frequently attested as the first element in Anglo-Saxon names, b ...
'' (2012)
*'' Band of Sisters'' (2013)
*'' Kings Point'' (2013) Oscar Nominated Short Film
*'' American Promise'' (2013) Sundance Winner
*''One Last Hug: Three Days at Grief Camp'' (2014)
*''Mind/Game: The Unquiet Journey of Chamique Holdsclaw'' (2015)
*''The Hunting Ground
''The Hunting Ground'' is a 2015 American documentary film about the incidence of sexual assault on college campuses in the United States and the reported failure of college administrations to deal with it adequately. Written and directed by K ...
'' (2015)
*''A Plastic Ocean'' (2016)
*''Finding Kukan'' (2017)
*'' RBG (2018)
*''Dark Money'' (2018)
*''Love, Gilda'' (2019)
*''Flannery'' (2020)
*''Dilemma of Desire'' (2020)
*''Eddy's World
''Eddy's World'' is a 2020 American documentary short film directed and produced by filmmaker Lyn Goldfarb, Eddy's daughter. Eddy's World was streamed on NewYorker.com. There are two versions of ''Eddy's World'', an 18 minute version for festival ...
'' (2020)
* Til Kingdom Come'' (2020)
*''The Human Trial'' (2021)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cutler, Miriam
Year of birth missing (living people)
American film score composers
American women film score composers
Living people