  D A PENNEBAKER and CHRIS HEGEDUS form one of the most respected and unique teams of documentary filmmakers working today. Known for their unintrusive, cinema verite style of filmmaking, they follow their subjects using handheld cameras and available light with minimal interruption. The result is a candid portrait of a real-life drama in which the characters determine the action. Since the mid-seventies, Pennebaker and Hegedus have collaborated on a variety of subjects ranging from politics to music and most recently food. In 1992, the team followed Bill Clinton’s first presidential campaign and produced THE WAR ROOM, which received an Academy Award nomination and the D.W. Griffith Award for Best Documentary. Subsequent films include, MOON OVER BROADWAY, following Carol Burnett’s Broadway debut, and STARTUP.COM, which won Hegedus the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement. They co-directed, with Nick Doob, the HBO special ELAINE STRITCH AT LIBERTY, earning three Primetime Emmy awards, and AL FRANKEN: GOD SPOKE, following the political satirist during the 2004 election. Their latest film, KINGS OF PASTRY, follows three renowned pastry chefs in their pursuit of the prestigious Meilleurs Ouvriers de France title. The film has been broadcast around the world and was most recently shown on PBS and in cinemas in the US. Frazer Pennebaker, their producer/executive producer, has expanded their focus into live webcasts, beginning with the National’s YouTube concert at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. They are currently preparing THE WAR ROOM for reissue next year. |
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