Roger Ross Williams

Directing

Roger Ross Williams

Born September 16, 1962 · Easton, Pennsylvania, USA (age 63)

Roger Ross Williams (born September 16, 1962) is an American director, producer and writer and the first African American director to win an Academy Award (Oscar), with his short film Music by Prudence; this film won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2009. Description above from the Wikipedia article Roger Ross Williams, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wik…

Known For

CassandroCassandro · 2023
Cassandro
6.72023
MovieDrama
The true story of Saúl Armendáriz, a gay amateur wrestler from El Paso that rises to international stardom after he creates the character Cassandro, the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.” In the process, he upends not just the macho wrestling world but also his own life.
The ApolloThe Apollo · 2019
The Apollo
6.42019
MovieDocumentary
The history of New York City's Apollo Theater in Harlem is given the full treatment.
American JailAmerican Jail · 2018
American Jail
5.02018
MovieDocumentary
In this deeply personal film, director Roger Ross Williams sets out on a journey to understand the complex forces of racism and greed currently at work in America's prison system.
Between the World and MeBetween the World and Me · 2020
Between the World and Me
7.92020
MovieDocumentaryDrama
Based on Ta-Nehisi Coates’ #1 New York Times bestseller and originally adapted and staged by the Apollo Theater, this special combines elements of that production - including powerful readings from Coates’ book - with documentary footage from the actors’ home life, archival footage, and animation.
Stamped from the BeginningStamped from the Beginning · 2023
Stamped from the Beginning
6.62023
MovieDocumentaryAnimation
Using innovative animation and expert insights, this documentary based on Ibram X. Kendi's bestseller explores the history of racist ideas in America.
Stone MountainStone Mountain · 2024
Stone Mountain
2024
MovieDocumentary
A stirring portrait of residents in a small southern US town facing the contentious legacy of the world's largest Confederate monument, which looms over their home.
Life, AnimatedLife, Animated · 2016
Life, Animated
7.42016
MovieDocumentary
At three years old, a chatty, energetic little boy named Owen Suskind ceased to speak, disappearing into autism with apparently no way out. Almost four years passed and the only stimuli that engaged Owen were Disney films. Then one day, his father donned a puppet—Iago, the wisecracking parrot from Aladdin—and asked “what’s it like to be you?” And poof! Owen replied, with dialogue from the movie. Life, Animated tells the remarkable story of how Owen found in Disney animation a pathway to language and a framework for making sense of the world.
Master of LightMaster of Light · 2022
Master of Light
6.42022
MovieDocumentary
George Anthony Morton, a classical painter who spent ten years in federal prison, travels to his hometown to paint his family members. Going back forces George to face his past in his quest to rewrite the script of his life.

Filmography

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Music by PrudenceMusic by Prudence · 2010
Music by Prudence
6.82010
MovieDocumentary
Music by Prudence tells a self-empowering story of one young woman's struggle who, together with her band, overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds and, in her own voice conveys to the world that disability does not mean inability. In addition to its sheer emotional punch, Music by Prudence has become the cornerstone of an advocacy campaign and has been embraced by the UN, Human Rights Watch and the disability community as an unprecedented portrayal advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities. Prudences poignant, inspiring and irreverent message of hope has received an amazing response from press and audiences all across North America, and has won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short and several other awards as it continues drawing in more audiences.

Producer