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Frederick Wiseman Biography

Birth Name:Frederick Wiseman

Birth Place:Boston, Massachusetts, United States

Profession Director, Editor, Producer, Sound department, Writer, Actor

Fast Facts

Awarded the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at the Venice International Film Festival in 2014
Awarded the Dan David Prize in 2003
Awarded the George Polk Career Award in 2006 by Long Island University for his investigative reporting and journalism
Graduated from Williams College and Yale Law
Taught a law class at Boston University before filming "Titicut Follies" in 1967
Quote: "People come to films with such diverse individual life experiences that it's hard to determine in advance how they might respond to or read a work․ I don't believe there is any direct, traceable relationship between any single work and social change․"
Directs many theater productions, such as "Tonight We Improvise," "The Last Letter" and "Hate․"
Usually has little knowledge of the subject of his documentaries before picking the topic

Awards

1967Mannheim Film Ducat-: winner
1969Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Achievement in News Documentary Programming - Programs: winner
1989Prix de l'Age d'Or-: winner
1990FIPRESCI Prize-Forum of New Cinema: winner
1993Mayor's Prize-: winner
1993Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize-: nominated
1999Gold Hugo-Best Documentary: nominated
1999Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize-: nominated
1999Mayor's Prize-: winner
2000Documentary Film Award of the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation-: winner
2001Silver Hugo-Best Documentary: winner
2010C.I.C.A.E. Award-: nominated
2010César-Best Documentary Film (Meilleur film documentaire): nominated
2011Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: nominated
2011Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize-: nominated
2012Cinema Eye Legacy Award-: winner
2012César-Best Documentary Film (Meilleur film documentaire): nominated
2013Grierson Award-: nominated
2013Audience Choice Award-: nominated
2013Silver Mouse-: winner
2013CICT-UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award-: winner
2014Grierson Award-Documentary Film: nominated
2014Audience Choice Award-Audience Choice Award: nominated
2014Cinema Eye Honors Award-The Influentials: winner
2014ICP Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2015Grierson Award-Documentary Film: nominated
2015Gold Hugo-Best Documentary: nominated
2015Cinema Eye Honors Award-The Influentials: winner
2015César-Best Documentary Film (Meilleur film documentaire): nominated
2015INOCA-Best Documentary: nominated
2015Queer Lion Award-: nominated
2016Docs-: nominated
2016Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: nominated
2016Cinema Eye Honors Award-The Influentials: winner
2016Días de Cine Award-Best Documentary: winner
2016INOCA-Best Documentary: nominated
2017Grierson Award-Documentary Film: nominated
2017Gradam na Féile do Scannáin Faisnéise (Cinematic Documentary Award)-: nominated
2017Critics' Choice Documentary Award-Best Director: winner
2017Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2017Audience Award-: nominated
2017Art Cinema Award-Best Feature: nominated
2017Zabaltegi Section-Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Prize: nominated
2017SFCS Award-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2017FIPRESCI Prize-Competition: winner
2017Fair Play Cinema Award-: winner
2017Golden Lion-Best Film: nominated
2017Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize-Best Documentary: nominated
2018Audience Award-Docs: nominated
2018Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: nominated
2018Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: nominated
2018INOCA-Best Documentary: nominated
2018NSFC Award-Best Non-Fiction Film: nominated
2018OFTA Film Award-Best Documentary Picture: nominated
2018Jury Award-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2018Aurora Award-: nominated
2019Audience Award-Docs: nominated
2019Special Prize-: winner
2019Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize-Best Documentary: nominated
2020Top 10 Film Award-Best Film: winner
2020Fair Play Cinema Award - Special Mention-: winner
2021Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Editing: nominated
2021Audience Award-Official Competition: nominated
2021Audience Award-: nominated
2021Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2021ICS Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2021Oslo Grand Pix-Best International Film: winner
2021Award of Excellence-: winner
2021Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize-Best Documentary: nominated
2022Golden Giraldillo-Best Film: nominated
2022Golden Lion-Best Film: nominated
2023Film Comment's Year-End Critics' Poll-Best Film: nominated
2023NYFCC Award-Best Non-Fiction Film: winner
2024Audience Award-Dxcs: winner
2024SFCS Award-Best Documentary Film: nominated