Sam Cullman (born 1976) is a

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

, director and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, organization, a ...

of documentaries, and the founder of Yellow Cake Films, a

film production Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...

company. Cullman graduated from

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

in 1999, receiving a degree in Urban Studies and Visual Arts.

Career

Cullman was one of the

camera operator A camera operator, or depending on the context cameraman or camerawoman, is a professional operator of a film camera or video camera as part of a film crew. The term "cameraman" does not necessarily imply that a male is performing the task. ...

s on ''

Why We Fight ''Why We Fight'' is a series of seven propaganda films produced by the US Department of War from 1942 to 1945, during World War II. It was originally written for American soldiers to help them understand why the United States was involved in the ...

'', which won Sundance's Grand Jury Prize for documentaries in 2005. He was a

on the 2007 documentary '' King Corn''. Cullman was a producer and director of photography on ''The House I Live In'', which was the Documentary Grand Jury Prize winner at Sundance 2012 and was the recipient of the "React to Film" Award at Silverdocs. He was also a cinematographer on ''Watchers of the Sky'' (2014). On January 24, 2012, Cullman and

Marshall Curry Marshall Curry (born ) is an American documentary director, producer, cinematographer and editor. His films include '' Street Fight'', '' Racing Dreams'', '' If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front'', ''Point and Shoot'', and '' ...

were nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Academy Honorary Award, Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. The ...

for the film '' If a Tree Falls: A Story of the Earth Liberation Front''.''If a Tree Falls'' Filmmaker Reacts to Oscar Nomination
from beyondthebox.org At the

84th Academy Awards The 84th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2011 in the United States and took place on February 26, 2012, at the Hollywood and Highland Center Theatre in H ...

, their film lost to '' Undefeated''. In 2012, Cullman and Benjamin Rosen made ''Black Cherokee'', a

short subject A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film or ...

, premiering in November 2012 as part of

DOC NYC Doc NYC (stylized as DOC NYC) is an annual documentary film festival in New York City. Co-founded by Thom Powers and Raphaela Neihausen, the festival is the country's largest documentary film festival with over 300 films and events and 250 specia ...

, a documentary film festival. Cullman is a director, producer and the cinematographer of ''Art and Craft'' (2014), with director and producer Jennifer Grausman and co-director Mark Becker. On December 2, 2014, ''Art and Craft'' was shortlisted for an

. In 2016 ''Art and Craft'' was nominated for an Emmy in the Outstanding Arts and Culture Programming category. Cullman directed '' ReMastered: The Lion's Share'' which won the 2020 Emmy for Outstanding Arts and Culture Documentary.

Filmography

As a director

*2011: ''

'' (with

) *2012: ''Black Cherokee'' (with Benjamin Rosen) *2014: ''Art and Craft'' (with Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker) *2018: '' ReMastered: The Lion's Share''

Personal life

Cullman is married to activist Purva Panday Cullman.

References

External links

Yellow Cake Films
Cullman's production company *
''If a Tree Falls'': A video interview with Sam Cullman
for '' POV'' at

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 educat ...

American cinematographers American documentary film directors Living people 1977 births Date of birth missing (living people) Brown University alumni {{US-film-director-1970s-stub