Quick Facts
Biography
James Bertrand Longley is an American filmmaker.
Career
His work includes the documentary, Gaza Strip, released in 2002. His production, Iraq in Fragments, presents a view of Iraq and Iraqis during the first two years of Iraq war. It was awarded three jury awards at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Feature, but lost to An Inconvenient Truth. His short film Sari's Mother premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short but lost to Freeheld.
In 2009, Longley was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship "Genius Grant."
Between 2007 and 2009 Longley was working on a film in Iran. The film was cut short during the time of the elections and ensuing protests in June, 2009. On Sunday, June 14, The New York Times Lede blog reported he "was arrested with his translator while interviewing people on a street in Tehran, near the Interior Ministry," and later interviewed him about his and his translator's experiences. This film is currently on hold indefinitely.
He is the founder of Daylight Factory, a production company committed to creating documentary films about international subjects with international appeal.
Longley is an active contributor to The D-Word, a worldwide online community of documentary filmmakers. Currently Longley is making a documentary film in Pakistan. He is working with Project Kashmir producer and director Susain.
Personal life
Longley's middle name is a tribute to philosopher Bertrand Russell. He studied "film and Russian at Wesleyan University and the All-Russian Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) at Moscow." Longley is fluent in Russian.
Filmography
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Notes | ||
| 2002 | Gaza Strip | |||
| 2006 | Iraq in Fragments | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature | ||
| 2007-2009 | Untitled Iran Project | On hold | ||
| Short Films | ||||
| Year | Title | Notes | ||
| 1994 | Portrait of Boy with Dog | |||
| 2007 | Sari's Mother | Nominated for the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) | ||
| 2012 | Ejaz's Story : UNICEF Pakistan | |||
Honors and awards
- 2011 United States Artists Ford Fellow
- 2009 MacArthur Fellow
- 2008 Academy Award nomination, Best Documentary Short
- Emmy Award nomination, Best Cinematography
- 2007 Academy Award nomination, Best Documentary Feature
- 2006 Award for Best Documentary Directing, Sundance Film Festival
- 2006 Award for Best Documentary Editing, Sundance Film Festival
- 2006 Award for Best Documentary Cinematography, Sundance Film Festival
- 2006 Gotham Award, Best Documentary Film
- Best Documentary, Cleveland International Film Festival
- Gold Hugo, Chicago Film Festival, Best Documentary
- Grand Jury Award, Full Frame Festival
- International Documentary Association Award, Best Documentary Film
- International Federation of Film Critics Award, Thessaloniki
- Nestor Almendros Award, Human Rights Watch Film Festival
- 1994 Student Academy Award
- James Longley, Institute Artists. By Staff. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
- James Longley, USA Fellows. Media 2011. Retrieved November 14, 2012.