Video History Project

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Laura Poitras

A former chef, Laura Poitras studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and the New School. Laura Poitras received a Peabody Award for her documentary, FLAG WARS (2003). A documentary about gentrification in Columbus, Ohio, FLAG WARS received numerous other awards, including Best Documentary at the 2003 SXSW Film Festival, Best Documentary, Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the Filmmaker Award at the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival. FLAG WARS had its U.S. television premiere on PBS's P.O.V. documentary series and was nominated for both a 2004 Independent Spirit Award and a 2004 Emmy Award. Laura's past work includes OH SAY CAN YOU SEE...? (2003), and EXACT FANTASY (1995).

She studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and the New School. Before making films, she worked as a chef. She currently resides in New York City. The state of democracy, both Iraq's and the United States', is the focus of Laura Poitras's documentary, "My Country, My Country," an unforgettable journey into the heart of war-ravaged Iraq in the months leading up to the January 2005 elections.

Cite this record

"Laura Poitras." Video History Project, Experimental Television Center, 2011. https://www.videohistoryproject.org/laura-poitras.

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Summary

Laura Poitras, a former chef, studied filmmaking at the San Francisco Art Institute and the New School and resides in New York City. Her film FLAG WARS (2003), a documentary about gentrification in Columbus, Ohio, received a Peabody and awards including Best Documentary at SXSW 2003, Best Documentary at the Seattle Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and the Filmmaker Award at Full Frame; it had its U.S. television premiere on PBS's P.O.V. and was nominated for 2004 Independent Spirit and Emmy Awards. Her works include OH SAY CAN YOU SEE...? (2003), EXACT FANTASY (1995), and My Country, My Country, which documents the state of democracy in Iraq and the United States in the months before the January 2005 elections.

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Last modified 18 June 2011