Roger Ross Williams facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roger Ross Williams
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Williams in 2016
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| Born | September 16, 1962 Easton, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Occupation | Film director Screenwriter Film producer |
| Years active | 1995–present |
Roger Ross Williams, born on September 16, 1962, is an American director, producer, and writer. He made history as the first African American director to win an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar). He won this prestigious award for his short film Music by Prudence, which was named the Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film in 2009.
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Roger Ross Williams: Early Life and Career
Williams comes from a Gullah family in South Carolina. The Gullah are a unique group of African Americans living in the Lowcountry region of the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. He has lived and worked in New York City for more than 25 years.
He studied at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Later, he attended New York University in New York City.
Starting in Television
Williams began his career in 1985. He produced funny political shows for Comedy Central. He also worked on Michael Moore's show TV Nation, which won an Emmy Award.
Since then, Williams has produced and directed for many major TV networks. These include NBC News, MSNBC, BBC, and CNN. He also created shows for Food Network, TLC, and VH1. He made many special programs for Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and American Broadcasting Company (ABC). He also worked with CBS, Sundance Channel, and New York Times Television.
Williams produced a documentary series for Discovery Networks. He also made a lifestyle show called Sheila Bridges Designer Living. He has won several awards for his TV work. These include a NAMIC Vision Award and the National Headliner for Best Human Interest Feature documentary.
Directing Award-Winning Films
Williams has directed many important films. One of his films is Life, Animated. This movie won the Directing Award at the Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. In 2018, it won three Emmy Awards, including Best Documentary.
He also directed God Loves Uganda. This film was considered for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. Another film, American Jail, looked at the U.S. prison system. It first showed on CNN and the BBC.
In 2019, Williams directed Traveling While Black. This was a virtual reality documentary project for Facebook's Oculus. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. His 2019 film The Apollo is about the famous Apollo Theater in Harlem. It was the opening film at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival.
Williams is now working on his first movie for Amazon Studios. His company, One Story Up, which he started with Geoff Martz, is making many projects. This includes documentary series for Netflix.
Recent Film Projects
In March 2022, a documentary film called Master of Light was shown. Roger Ross Williams produced this film. It is about the artist George Anthony Morton. The film was later available on HBO Max.
Williams made history as the first African American director to win an Academy Award. He won for his short film Music by Prudence in 2009.
Supporting Filmmakers and Arts
Williams helps support other filmmakers. He is on the board of Docubox Kenya. This program helps African filmmakers with funding and advice. He also serves on advisory boards for None On Record and the Sundance Institute.
Since 2016, he has been on the Board of Governors for the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. He leads the Documentary Branch and the Documentary Diversity Committee. He is also a trustee for the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa. This is the first big museum in Africa for modern art. He is also on the advisory board of the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. He is also on the board of the Tribeca Film Institute.
Williams divides his time between upstate New York and Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
Filmography
Director
- 1997: Discovered At Sundance (TV)
- 2000: Reagan: A Life In Pictures (TV)
- 2001: Time (TV)
- 2001: Challenge America With Erin Brockovich (TV)
- 2002: Secret Son (TV)
- 2003: Power, Privilege & Justice (TV)
- 2003: Boys Will Be Girls (TV)
- 2003: First Off The Tee (TV)
- 2003: New York Underground (TV)
- 2004: The Lives They Lived (TV)
- 2004: Moroccan Style (TV)
- 2005: Sheila Bridges Designer Living: Morocco Special (TV) and Sheila Bridges Designer Living
- 2006: Amazing Families (TV)
- 2010: Undercover Boss (TV, 1 episode: 7-Eleven)
- 2010: Music by Prudence
- 2013: God Loves Uganda
- 2014: Tutu: The Essence of Being Human
- 2015: Gospel of Intolerance
- 2015: Blackface
- 2016: Life, Animated
- 2018: American Jail
- 2019: The Apollo
- 2023: Cassandro
- 2023: Love to Love You, Donna Summer
- 2023: The Super Models (TV)
- 2023: Stamped from the Beginning
Producer
- 1995: People Yearbook '95 (TV) (segment producer)
- 1997: TV Nation: Volume One (segment producer)
- 2000: Reagan: A Life In Pictures (TV) (producer)
- 2001: Time (TV) (producer)
- 2002: Secret Son (TV) (producer)
- 2002: Life 360 (segment producer) (1 episode:Telling the Children) (segment producer)
- 2003: Power, Privilege & Justice (TV) (producer)
- 2003: First Off The Tee (TV) (producer)
- 2003: New York Underground (TV) (producer)
- 2004: The Lives They Lived (TV) (producer)
- 2004: Moroccan Style (TV) (producer)
- 2004 - 2005: Sheila Bridges Designer Living (series supervising producer)
- 2006: Amazing Families (TV) (producer)
- 2007: Alone No Love (co-producer)
- 2007: Yearbook (TV) (series producer)
- 2010: Music by Prudence (producer)
- 2013: God Loves Uganda (producer)
- 2014: Tutu: The Essence of Being Human (producer)
- 2016: Life, Animated
- 2022: Master of Light
- 2023: Savior Complex
Screenwriter
- 2000: Reagan: A Life In Pictures (TV)
- 2003: Power, Privilege & Justice (TV)
- 2003: First Off The Tee (TV)
- 2003: New York Underground (TV)
- 2004: The Lives They Lived (TV)
- 2004: Moroccan Style (TV)
- 2005: Sheila Bridges Designer Living: Morocco Special (TV)
- 2006: Amazing Families (TV)
- 2023: Cassandro co-written with David Teague
Awards and Recognition
- NAMIC Vision Award for the TV special Moroccan Style
- The National Headliner for Best Human Interest Feature for his documentary New York Underground
- Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) for Music by Prudence in 2010.
- Inspiration Award, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival for God Loves Uganda
- Best Feature Documentary, Ashland Independent Film Festival for God Loves Uganda
- Best Feature Documentary Dallas International Film Festival for God Loves Uganda
- Directing Award: U.S. Documentary Sundance Film Festival for Life, Animated
