| James Longley | |
|---|---|
| Born | James Bertrand Longley |
| Occupation | Documentary filmmaker, producer, |
| Years active | 2002–present |
James Bertrand Longley is an American film-maker.
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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.[1][2] 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.[3]
In 2009, Longley was awarded a $500,000 MacArthur Fellowship "Genius Grant."[4]
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.[5] This film is currently on hold indefinitely.[6]
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. He graduated from Wesleyan University. Currently Longley is making a documentary film in Pakistan. He is working with Project Kashmir producer and director Susain.
Longley's middle name is a tribute to philosopher Bertrand Russell.