Joan Churchill

A trailblazer for women in a male-dominated field, Churchill is an influential documentary cinematographer. “She played an important role in defining modern-day cinéma vérité filmmaking,” says UCLA professor William McDonald. She got her start as cinematographer on Peter Watkins’ pseudo-documentary Punishment Park (1971). Among the directors with whom she has collaborated are the Maysles brothers, Barbara Kopple, Haskel Wexler and Nick Broomfield. “I love shooting in unstructured environments,” says Churchill. “You learn how to listen and follow what’s happening with a subjective camera that actively participates in the story so the audience can experience it much as you do, by a process of discovery.” She earned an Emmy nomination for her own film, Asylum, about a prison for the criminally insane. She has shot over 50 non-fiction films, and won numerous honours, including the IDA’s Lifetime Achievement Award.

Selected Filmography

Shut Up & Sing (2006) (cinematographer)
Chicago International Film Festival — Special Jury Prize

Home of the Brave (2004) (cinematographer)

Biggie and Tupac (2002) (cinematographer)

Aileen Wuornos: Life and Death of a Serial Killer (2003, co-directed with Nick Broomfield)
Amnesty International — DOEN Award

Kurt & Courtney (1998) (cinematographer)

Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer (1992) (cinematographer)
BFI Award for Best Documentary

Asylum (1992) (director)
Emmy Award — Best Documentary

Soldier Girls (1982) (cinematographer)
BAFTA Award — Flaherty Documentary Award

Punishment Park (1971) (cinematographer)