Lesley Chilcott

Lesley Chilcott is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable feature documentary films include Watson,[1][2] Waiting for "Superman",[3] CodeGirl,[4][5] It Might Get Loud,[6] and An Inconvenient Truth which won two Academy Awards. Chilcott is known for documentaries about social justice issues such as climate change, the environment, women's equality, and education.[7][8]

Lesley Chilcott
Born
United States
Occupation(s)Film producer, Film director

About

An award-winning filmmaker, Lesley Chilcott refuses to be boxed in, continuously exploring a variety of topics that engage audiences by tackling myths and illuminating the truth.

Social and environmental justice are major passions for the storyteller who has explored these themes in projects such as AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, documenting former vice president Al Gore’s efforts to fight climate change. The film, which Chilcott produced, won two Oscars® including Best Documentary and Best Original Song and helped spark a worldwide conversation about the state of our planet. Chilcott directed and produced WATSON, an action-adventure documentary centering on Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson, a man willing to put his own life at risk in a relentless quest to protect the oceans and the marine life within. Shot in the US, Costa Rica, and Kingdom of Tonga the film interweaves Paul’s harrowing adventures with beautiful underwater cinematography. After premiering at Tribeca, WATSON was picked up by Animal Planet/Discovery and aired in 50+ countries in 2020. Previously, Chilcott directed and produced CODEGIRL, which follows an annual competition where teen girls from around the world design an app that solves a problem in their community. Chilcott filmed teams all over the world from Moldova to Mexico, documenting how exposure to technology and computer science can transform young girls’ lives. CODEGIRL was the first movie to have its premiere exclusively on YouTube before hitting theaters and other outlets. The idea for the film came after she directed the short film CODESTARS, which garnered over 20 million views online. Again filming in Costa Rica, in 2014 Chilcott directed the feature documentary, A SMALL SECTION OF THE WORLD, about a village of women coffee producers from the Talamanca mountains.

Recent projects have taken deep dives on infamous true crimes that have fascinated our culture for decades by dispelling the mythology that surrounds major moments in our culture. She produced the premium docuseries AMITYVILLE: AN ORIGIN STORY which premiered April 23, 2023 on MGM+ and directed and produced the 6-part docuseries HELTER SKELTER: AN AMERICAN MYTH currently streaming on MGM+. She serves as executive producer of the recently announced Hulu 4-part docuseries MASTERMIND, about Dr. Ann Burgess, the architect of the FBI’s infamous “mindhunter” method.

As a producer, she’s also tackled the state of the American education system with WAITING FOR SUPERMAN, for which she won the Producers Guild Award for Best Documentary, and in cult rock documentary IT MIGHT GET LOUD she examined the lives of legendary guitarists The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White. Other notable Chilcott-produced films include A MOTHER'S PROMISE, the Barack Obama biographical short film and AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER which takes off where AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH left off, further exploring former vice president Al Gore’s crusade to end climate change.

She most recently directed ARNOLD, a 3-part docuseries exploring the life and work of Arnold Schwarzenegger which premieres on Netflix June 7, 2023. Other upcoming projects include WOLVES, which examines the plight of wolves in the west and examines their status as one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet and HOT STUFF, a look at the enduring influence of Disco.

Chilcott is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Directors Guild of America, and The Producers Guild of America. She directs commercials out of Bodega Studios and when not in Los Angeles she and her husband love spending time in Costa Rica enjoying nature. As a longtime vegetarian, Lesley enjoys seeking out vegetarian and vegan cuisine with her husband.

Filmography

Feature-Length Films:

Television Series:

References
  1. Walsh, Kate (October 24, 2019). Review: ‘Watson’ delivers fierce message from eco-warrior and Sea Shepherd captain.Los Angeles Times.
  2. Hammond, Pete (April 25, 2019). Documentaries Are King As New Films On Linda Ronstadt And Captain Paul Watson Get Ready To Shine At Tribeca Film Festival. Deadline.
  3. Waiting for Superman. Rotten Tomatoes.
  4. Walsh, Kate (November 1, 2015). Review: ‘CodeGirl’: Documentary looks at bridging the tech gender gap, one app at a time. Los Angeles Times.
  5. CodeGirl Official Website
  6. Renner, Brian D. (November 26, 2009). It Might Get Loud Movie
  7. March 2016 Cover Story: Lesley Chilcott. Produced By: The Official Magazine of the Producers Guild of America, vol.XX, no.1, (February 1, 2016).
  8. Chilcott, Lesley (October 6, 2010). "My Crush on Finland: A Country That Values Its Teachers". The Huffington Post.
  9. "Review: 'Helter Skelter' a brilliant dive into Manson and the dark side of '60s counterculture | Datebook".
  10. "The New York Times Replica Edition".
  11. "Netflix Releases Arnold Schwarzenegger Documentary Trailer,The Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 May 2023.


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