Stanley Nelson Jr.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 8, 1951, New York City) is an American documentary filmmaker and producer.

He attended New Lincoln School, a private Manhattan school from kindergarten through high school. He first went to Beloit College in Wisconsin, but then later transferred to six different colleges and universities before finally graduating in 1976 with a Bachelor in Fine Arts degree from the Leonard Davis Film School at the City University of New York. After graduation, Nelson earned an apprenticeship with the documentary filmmaker William Greaves. He also found work with the United Methodist Communication, a branch of the United Methodist church.

In 1989, Nelson wrote and produced his debut film, entitled Two Dollars and a Dream: The Story of Madam C.J. Walker. The film went on to be named Best Production of the Decade by the Black Filmmaker Foundation, and won the CINE Golden Eagle Award.

Nelson soon found a job at PBS, working as a television producer for the TV series Listening to America with Bill Moyers. His next film releases included the 1999 Emmy Award-nominated The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords, and award winner at the 2000 Black International Cinema Festival Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind. Other works include Puerto Rico: Our Right to Decide, Freedom Bags, and segments of Mandela. His most notable recent work was Jonestown: The Life & Death of People's Temple.

Nelson has made several productions for the Smithsonian Institution, including a tribute to African American artists, entitled Free Within Ourselves, and Climbing Jacob’s Ladder.

Nelson received fellowships at American Film Institute, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and Columbia University. He also was the recipient of a 2002 MacArthur Fellows Program Fellowship. He was on the selection panel for three years for the Fulbright fellowship in film. In 2004, he was received honor by winning the Educational Video Center's Excellence in Community Service Award.