Ross McElwee
Biography
Ross McElwee is an American documentary filmmaker whose autobiographical films blend personal stories with larger political or philosophical themes. He grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina, and studied creative writing at Brown University before earning a graduate degree in filmmaking from MIT, where he studied under Richard Leacock and Ed Pincus. He began making his own documentaries in 1976 and has made ten feature-length documentaries, most shot in the American South. Sherman's March (1986) won Best Documentary at Sundance and was later selected for the National Film Registry. Time Indefinite (1993) won festival awards, while Bright Leaves (2003) premiered at Cannes and earned nominations from the Directors Guild and Writers Guild. He has also taught filmmaking at Harvard University and received fellowships from the Guggenheim and Rockefeller foundations.
79years old
Turns 80 on July 21in 278 days
- Born Charlotte
- Star sign: CancerThe sign runs June 21 to July 22
Movie Career
- Films
- 4
- Career span
- 17 years1986 to 2003
Every film, newest first
- 2003Bright LeavesIMDb rating 7.1
- 1995Who Is Henry Jaglom?IMDb rating 6.6
- 1993Time IndefiniteIMDb rating 7.7
- 1986Sherman's MarchIMDb rating 7.2
Genres
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Early training
McElwee studied under documentarians Richard Leacock and Ed Pincus in MIT's new graduate filmmaking program, where he refined the first-person narrative approach that shaped his career.
Behind the camera
McElwee's memoir-driven documentary style influenced nonfiction storytellers Ira Glass, Michael Moore, and John Wilson, and he made heavy use of voice over that most other documentarians avoid.
A first
In 2000, the Library of Congress National Film Registry selected McElwee's Sherman's March for preservation, calling it a historically significant American motion picture.
A change of course
Before making his own films, McElwee freelanced as a second cameraman for documentarian D.A. Pennebaker and later for John Marshall in Namibia.
Behind the camera
McElwee's 2011 film Photographic Memory broke new ground with a fully digital process and an open development and production structure.
Ross McElwee movies on Netflix
Most often with
Charleen Swansea appears in three of them, more than any other actor. Pick a number on the chart or a name in the list to see the films they share.
Films together
Charleen Swansea's page
Richard Leacock's page
Adrian McElwee's page
Marilyn Levine2 films together, 1993 to 2003
Marilyn Levine's page
Awards
One award and honor.
| Year | Award | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Other honors | |||
| Guggenheim Fellowship | Won | ||
Online
Official profiles and reference pages.