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Laura Poitras Biography

Birth Name:Laura Poitras

Profession Producer, Director, Cinematographer, Sound department, Editor, Writer, Editorial department, Camera department

Fast Facts

Co-founded the online journalism site "The Intercept" in 2014
Graduated from the New School for Public Engagement in 1996
Born to founders Patricia and James for the "Poitras Center for Affective Disorders Research․"
Has taught filmmaking at both Duke and Yale Universities

Awards

2003CDS Filmmaker Award-: winner
2003SXSW Competition Award-Documentary Feature: winner
2004Truer Than Fiction Award-: nominated
2004Emmy-Outstanding Informational Programming - Long Form: nominated
2006EDA Award-Best Documentary by or About Women: nominated
2007Oscar-Best Documentary, Features: nominated
2007Independent Spirit Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2007Emmy-Outstanding Continuing Coverage of a News Story - Long Form: nominated
2010Amnesty Award-: nominated
2010Golden Frog-Feature Documentary Films Competition: nominated
2010Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Documentary: winner
2010IDA Award-Distinguished Feature Documentary: nominated
2010Humanitas Award-: winner
2010Jury Prize-Best Documentary Feature: winner
2010Grand Jury Prize-Documentary: nominated
2010Cinematography Award-Documentary: winner
2010True Vision Award-Documentary: winner
2011Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: winner
2011Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Production: nominated
2011Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: nominated
2011Emmy-Outstanding Investigative Journalism - Long Form: nominated
2011Emmy-Best Documentary: nominated
2012Asia Pacific Screen Award-Best Documentary Feature Film: nominated
2014AFCA Award-Best Documentary: winner
2014ACCA-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2014CPH:DOX Award-: nominated
2014Politiken's Audience Award-: nominated
2014Film Comment's Year-End Critics' Poll-Best Film: nominated
2014Audience Award-: nominated
2014Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Documentary: winner
2014ICP Award-Best Documentary: winner
2014IDA Award-Best Feature: winner
2014LAFCA Award-Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film: winner
2014Allan King Documentary Award-: nominated
2014Courage in Filmmaking Award-: winner
2015Oscar-Best Documentary, Feature: winner
2015EDA Award-Best Documentary Feature Film: winner
2015EDA Female Focus Award-Female Icon of the Year: winner
2015EDA Female Focus Award-Best Woman Director: nominated
2015BAFTA Film Award-Best Documentary: winner
2015Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Production: winner
2015Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: winner
2015Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize-: nominated
2015Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography: nominated
2015Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: winner
2015Cinema for Peace Award-Cinema for Peace Award for The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year: nominated
2015DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: winner
2015Best International Film-The International Competition: nominated
2015Independent Spirit Award-Best Documentary: winner
2015Film Award in Gold-Best Documentary (Bester Dokumentarfilm): winner
2015Gold Derby Film Award-Documentary Feature: winner
2015HRIFF Award-Best Documentary Film: winner
2015INOCA-Best Documentary: winner
2015Audience Award-Documentary: nominated
2015Filmmakers Who Make a Difference Award-: winner
2015Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming: nominated
2015Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Cinematography for Nonfiction Programming: nominated
2015Primetime Emmy-Exceptional Merit in Documentary Filmmaking: winner
2015Outstanding Director of the Year Award-: winner
2015Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2016Golden Eye-: nominated
2016Humanitas Prize-Documentaries - Special Awards Category: nominated
2016Emmy-Outstanding Historical Programming - Long Form: nominated
2017Grand Jury Award-: nominated
2018Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Production: nominated
2019Emmy-Outstanding Social Issue Documentary: winner
2021Golden Eye-: nominated
2022Golden Athena-Best Documentary: winner
2022Grierson Award-Documentary Film: nominated
2022Documentaire Extraordinaire-: nominated
2022British Independent Film Award-Best International Independent Film: nominated
2022Critics' Choice Documentary Award-Best Director: nominated
2022Film Comment's Year-End Critics' Poll-Best Film: nominated
2022Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2022IDA Award-Best Director: nominated
2022IDA Award-Best Feature Documentary: nominated
2022Best Film Award-Out of Competition: nominated
2022Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Documentary Feature-: winner
2022Bronze Horse-Best Documentary: winner
2022Queer Lion Award-: nominated
2022Golden Lion-Best Film: winner
2022Smithers Foundation Award-Ambassador of Hope: winner
2022Big Stamp-International Competition: nominated
2023Oscar-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2023EDA Award-Best Documentary Feature Film: winner
2023Audience Award-Docs: nominated
2023Audience Award-Best Film - Documentary: winner
2023BAFTA Film Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2023Windie-Best Documentary Film: nominated
2023CineDocs Prize-: nominated
2023Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Direction: winner
2023Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: nominated
2023Cinema for Peace Award-Cinema for Peace Dove for The Most Valuable Documentary of the Year: nominated
2023DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary: nominated
2023Merlinka Queer Film Award-Best Film: nominated
2023Independent Spirit Award-Best Documentary: winner
2023Girls on Film Award-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2023Gold Derby Film Award-Documentary Feature: winner
2023ICS Award-Best Documentary: nominated
2023LEJA Award-Best Documentary Film: nominated
2023NDFS Award-Best Documentary Feature: winner
2023SFCS Award-Best Documentary Feature: nominated
2023The Best Film-June: winner
2023Big Stamp-International Competition: nominated
2025Golden Athena-Best Documentary: nominated
2025Maysles Brothers Award-Best Documentary: winner
2025Brizzolara Family Foundation Award for a Film of Conflict and Resolution-Best Film: nominated
2025IDA Award - Honorable Mention-Feature Documentaries: winner
2025IDA Award-Best Production: nominated
2025David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking-: winner
2025Bruce Sinofsky Prize for Documentary Feature-: nominated
2025Bronze Horse-Best Documentary: nominated
2026Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Editing: nominated
2026DGA Award-Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Film: nominated
2026Girls on Film Award-Best Editing sponsored by Disauthority: nominated
2026NDFS Award-Best Documentary Feature: nominated