Renner Wunderlich (born May 5, 1947) is an American
film producer
A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...
/
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, ...
known for his work in
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
. He and his partner,
Margaret Lazarus
Margaret Lazarus (born January 22, 1949) is an American film producer and director known for her work in documentary film. She and her partner, Renner Wunderlich, received an Oscar in 1993 for their documentary '' Defending Our Lives'', about ...
, received an
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People
* Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms.
* Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
in 1993 for their documentary ''
Defending Our Lives
''Defending Our Lives'' is a 1993 American short documentary film directed by Margaret Lazarus, Stacey Kabat
Stacy or Stacey may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
* Stacy, California, an unincorporated community
* Stacy, Kentucky
* ...
'', about battered women who were in prison for killing their abusers. Renner Wunderlich was born in St Louis Missouri, son of a Navy captain and an employee of
National Geographic Society
The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest non-profit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, ...
. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri to Erlynne Renner Wunderlich and Harry Joseph Wunderlich. He graduated from Boston College and has a Masters in Social Work.
He is an independent licensed social worker with a specialty in the mental health needs of creative clients in the arts and those of veterans. He has worked with homeless veterans, returning veterans from the Iran and Afghanistan wars, wounded veterans including those with post traumatic stress and substance abuse. He worked at the Veterans Administration and US
Army Wounded Warrior Program
The Army Wounded Warrior Program (AW2) is the official U.S. Army program that assists and advocates for severely wounded, ill or injured Soldiers, Veterans, and their Families and Caregivers, wherever they are located, regardless of military stat ...
, and was a member of the Massachusetts Governors Council on Veterans Affairs.
In 1974, he co-founded with
Margaret Lazarus
Margaret Lazarus (born January 22, 1949) is an American film producer and director known for her work in documentary film. She and her partner, Renner Wunderlich, received an Oscar in 1993 for their documentary '' Defending Our Lives'', about ...
the non-profit organization,
Cambridge Documentary Films Cambridge Documentary Films is a non profit organization established in Massachusetts in 1974. The purpose of the organization is to create new perspectives on important social issues and give voice to groups and individuals whose perspectives are ...
, and to date has produced and directed many films about social justice and women's issues: Including films on rape, ''Rape is'' and ''
Rape culture
Rape culture is a setting, studied by several sociological theories, in which rape is pervasive and normalized due to societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. Behaviors commonly associated with rape culture include victim blaming, slut- ...
'', films on body image and media culture, ''BirthMarkings'', ''Killing Us Softly'', and ''Still Killing Us Softly'', and films on labor history, ''Eugene Debs and the American Movement''. In addition to the Academy Award, his films have won numerous awards and prizes,
and have been screened at many of the major film festivals around the world and in the
United Nations General Assembly
The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; french: link=no, Assemblée générale, AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as the main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ of the UN. Cur ...
, the
White House
The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest, Washington, D.C., NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. preside ...
, the Office of the Vice President, the US Senate and
House of Representatives
House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. He worked for twenty years as a freelance editor, sound and cameraman for the majors networks, public television and educational institutions. He is a private pilot who built and flew his own aircraft.
Filmography
*1970 "A Question of Values"
*1972 "Mr. Goodman"
*1974 “Taking Our Bodies Back: The Women’s Health Movement”
*1975 “Rape Culture”
*1977 “Eugene Debs and the American Movement”
*1979 “Killing Us Softly”
*1981 “Calling the Shots: Advertising Alcohol”
*1982 “Pink Triangles: A film about Homophobia”
*1984 “Hazardous Inheritance: Workplace Hazards to Reproductive Health”
*1986 “Last Empire: US Intervention”
*1987 “Still Killing Us Softly”
*1988 “Not Just a Job”
*1989 “Advertising Alcohol”
*1991 “Life’s Work”
*1993 “Defending Our Lives”
*1998 “Strong at the Broken Places”
*1999 “Women’s Rights, Human Rights”
*2000 “Beyond Killing Us Softly”
*2001 “The Strength to Resist: Media’s Impact on Women and Girls”
*2003 “Rape Is”
*2005 “Healing the Wounds" (producer only)
*2010 “BirthMarkings” (producer only)
References
External links
Cambridge Documentary Films
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wunderlich, Renner
Directors of Best Documentary Short Subject Academy Award winners
American social workers
American documentary film directors
Living people
American documentary film producers
1947 births