Miriam Cutler
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Miriam Cutler is an American
composer A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music. Etymology and def ...
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 evolv ...
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 Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...
,
Marlena Shaw Marlina Burgess (September 22, 1939 – January 19, 2024), professionally known by her stage name Marlena Shaw, was an American singer. Shaw began her singing career in the 1960s and continued to perform until her death. Her music has often been ...
, 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, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...
, 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, Film ...
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 actor 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 compo ...
'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. Cutler has also been the long-time composer for Circus Flora, 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 Schoo ...
. 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'' (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. Co-leads Ginger Rogers and Ethel Merman made their stage debuts in the first production and Rogers became an overnight sta ...
'' (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 seventeen-year-old worker from Sichuan, in a Chinese jeans factory, ''Lifeng Clothes Factory'' (丽锋服饰制衣有限公司) in Shaxi, ...
'' (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'' (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, Terrenc ...
'' (2003-2011) TV Series *'' Paul Goodman Changed My Life'' (2011) *'' Vito'' (2011) *'' Ethel'' (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 Ki ...
'' (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 festi ...
'' (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