Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman (born January 1, 1930) is an American filmmaker, documentarian, and theater director whose esteemed work primarily focuses on exploring various American institutions. Noted as "one of the most important and original filmmakers working today" by The New York Times in 2017, his filmmaking style is often grounded in the observational mode with roots in direct cinema. Wiseman prefers to call his films "Reality Fictions", reflecting his belief that films inherently cannot be unbiased. As he delves into social institutions such as hospitals, high schools, and police departments, he takes his time, spending four to six weeks in the institutions he features in his films. His first feature-length film titled 'The Cool World' hit the screens in 1963, and since then, he has produced and directed numerous films, all of which have been aired on PBS, one of his primary funders. During his filmmaking process, Wiseman does not include elements such as narration, interviews, or revealing any of the filmmaking process. Still, he manages to captivate his audience with his effective storytelling and creative dramatic structure. His contribution to the field of cinema has been recognized globally, earning him various awards including the Guggenheim and MacArthur fellowships, the 2003 Dan David Prize, the 2006 George Polk Career Award, the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 71st Venice International Film Festival in 2014, and the Academy Honorary Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in 2016.