| Cynthia Wade | |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Film director, producer and cinematographer |
| Years active | 1993–present |
| Website | |
| cynthiawade.com | |
Cynthia Wade is an American television and film director, producer and cinematographer based in New York City. She has directed documentaries on social issues including Shelter Dogs in 2003 about animal welfare and Freeheld in 2007 about LGBT rights.
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Wade is the daughter of a computer systems architect and a psychiatric nurse, and the great-granddaughter of John Orr Young, the founder of Young & Rubicam.[1] She attended Smith College where she received her Bachelor of arts degree, and Stanford University where she received a master's degree in Documentary Film Production.[2] In 1999 she married Matthew Syrett.[1] She teaches film production and runs two production companies — Cynthia Wade Productions and Lieutenant Films.[2][3] She lives in New York City with her husband and two daughters.[2]
In 2003, Wade directed and produced Shelter Dogs, a documentary about the animal welfare system in the United States and the ethics of animal euthanasia.[4][5] For this film she won the Grand Prize at the Director's View Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Newport International Film Festival, the Best of the Fest award at the Northampton Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Orinda Film Festival.[6] It was aired on television as part of the documentary series America Undercover.[7]
In 1999, Wade’s personal documentary Grist for the Mill aired on Cinemax. In 2007 she made Freeheld, a documentary telling the story of terminally ill New Jersey police officer Laurel Hester. Hester came to public attention when she appealed to her local authorities to change the policy that prevented her female domestic partner from receiving pension benefits on Hester's death. While filming Freeheld, Wade spent time living with Hester and her partner Stacie Andree in New Jersey.[3] Wade and producer Vanessa Roth won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) at the 80th Academy Awards in 2008.[8] The film won 16 other awards including the Special Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, a Special Jury Prize at the Seattle International Film Festival, the Audience Award at the Boston Independent Film Festival, the Audience Award at L.A. Outfest.[9][10]
In 2008 and 2009 Wade spent 14 months shooting the documentary Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School at Milton Hershey School in Hershey, Pennsylvania, one of several films she has made for schools and non profit organizations.[4][11] It is to be shown on the Sundance Channel and the Independent Film Channel.[4] In January 2010, Wade’s documentary Born Sweet, about a Cambodian boy who is poisoned with arsenic, had its World Premiere at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival; the film was awarded Honorable Mention.