Liz Garbus facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Liz Garbus
Garbus in 2013
Born	Elizabeth Freya Garbus (1970-04-11) April 11, 1970 (age 55)
Nationality	American
Education	Brown University
Occupation	Documentary filmmaker
Years active	1993–present
Spouse(s)	Dan Cogan
Children	2

Garbus at the Miami Film Festival for her film Nothing Left Unsaid

Elizabeth "Liz" Freya Garbus (born April 11, 1970) is an American director and producer who makes documentary films. Documentaries are movies that tell true stories about real people and events.

Garbus is known for making powerful films that explore important topics. Some of her most famous documentaries include The Farm: Angola, USA, What Happened, Miss Simone?, and Becoming Cousteau. She is also the co-founder of a film production company in New York City called Story Syndicate.

Early Life and Education

Liz Garbus grew up in New York City. Her father, Martin Garbus, is a famous civil rights lawyer, and her mother, Ruth Meitin Garbus, was a writer and therapist. Her family is Jewish.

Even in high school, Garbus was interested in filmmaking. She made a short documentary about the last day of school. In 1992, she graduated from Brown University with a degree in history and semiotics (the study of signs and symbols).

Career as a Filmmaker

After college, Garbus started her career at the film company Miramax. She later began working with filmmaker Jonathan Stack. Together, they directed The Farm: Angola, USA, a film about a prison in Louisiana. The film was a huge success. It was nominated for an Academy Award and won two Emmy Awards.

In 1998, Garbus and her friend Rory Kennedy started their own production company, Moxie Firecracker Films. They worked together on many projects.

Telling Important Stories

Throughout her career, Garbus has directed films that shine a light on important social issues and fascinating people.

• Ghosts of Abu Ghraib (2007): This film explored events at the Abu Ghraib prison during the Iraq War. It won an Emmy Award for being an outstanding non-fiction special.
• Bobby Fischer Against the World (2011): This documentary tells the story of the famous chess match between American Bobby Fischer and Russian Boris Spassky during the Cold War.
• What Happened, Miss Simone? (2015): This film is about the life of the legendary singer and activist Nina Simone. It was nominated for an Academy Award and won an Emmy Award.
• All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020): This film, featuring activist Stacey Abrams, looks at the history of voting rights in the United States.
• Becoming Cousteau (2021): This documentary for National Geographic shows the life of the famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau.

Recent Work

In recent years, Garbus has continued to create popular and thought-provoking documentaries. In 2018, her series The Fourth Estate gave viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the journalists working at The New York Times.

In 2022, she directed Harry & Meghan, a Netflix series about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Personal Life

Garbus is married to film producer Dan Cogan. They have two children, a daughter named Amelia and a son named Theodore.

Selected Filmography

Here are some of the many films Liz Garbus has directed or produced.

Major Awards and Honors

Liz Garbus has been recognized with many awards for her filmmaking. She has been nominated for an Academy Award twice. She has also won several Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

• 1998: Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for The Farm: Angola, USA
• 1999: Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature for The Farm: Angola, USA
• 2007: Emmy Award for Outstanding Non-Fiction Special for Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
• 2015: Peabody Award for What Happened, Miss Simone?
• 2016: Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary for What Happened, Miss Simone?
• 2016: Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature for What Happened, Miss Simone?

See also

In Spanish: Liz Garbus para niños