Stanley Nelson

Acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, American Experience documentaries bring to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and present.

Acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, American Experience documentaries bring to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and present.

Stan visits Nelson in the hospital.

Based on the award-winning book by Louis Sachar, Holes is a funny and poignant coming-of-age adventure. It tells the story of Stanley Yelnats (LaBeouf) - an unusual young hero, dogged by back luck stemming from an ancient family curse. Perpetually in the wrong place at the wrong time, Stanley is unfairly sentenced to months of detention at Camp Green Lake for a crime he didn't commit. There, he and his campmaters - Squid, Armpit, ZigZag, Magnet, X-Ray, and Zero - are forced by the menacing warden (Weaver) and her right-hand men Mr. Sir (Voight) and Mr. Pendanski (Nelson) to dig holes in order to built character. Nobody knows the real reason they're digging all these holes, but Stanley soon begins to question why the Warden is so interested in anything 'special' the boys find. Stanley and his campmates must stick together and keep one step ahead of the Warden and her henchmen as they plot a daring escape from the camp to solve the myster and break the Yelnats family curse.

Nelson's life depends on an upcoming game.

The trailer for Freedom Riders. In 1961, segregation seemed to have an overwhelming grip on American society. Many states violently enforced the policy, while the federal government, under the Kennedy administration, remained indifferent, preoccupied with matters abroad. That is, until an integrated band of college students many of whom were the first in their families to attend a university decided, en masse, to risk everything and buy a ticket on a Greyhound bus bound for the Deep South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders, and they managed to bring the president and the entire American public face to face with the challenge of correcting civil-rights inequities that plagued the nation. Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's inspirational documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists. Gaining impressive access to influential figures on both sides of the issue, Nelson chronicles a chapter of American history that stands as an astonishing testament to the accomplishment of youth and what can result from the incredible combination of personal conviction and the courage to organize against all odds.