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Steven Cantor is an American film and television director and producer. Eight of his films have been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards, with two winning, including the 2022 Outstanding Documentary prize for When Claude Got Shot. While as a student in graduate school, Cantor was nominated for an Academy Award for his first film, Blood Ties.

Notable works include the films Twyla Moves, Citizen Ashe, Hood River, Tent City, USA,[1] Unraveled, No One Dies in Lily Dale,[2] Reporter with Nicholas Kristof, I Am an Animal, What Remains, Loudquietloud: A Film about Pixies,[3] American Masters: Willie Nelson,[4] Devil's Playground, and Dancer. Cantor directed and executive produced the HBO unscripted series Family Bonds, and has executive produced other television series through his Stick Figure Productions banner.[5] In 2017, Cantor produced STEP, documenting the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize and sold to Fox Searchlight.

Biography

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Cantor graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television. He is the founder of NY based Stick Figure Productions, which he ran for 12 years, prior to selling it in 2013 to Ora, the digital network owned by Carlos Slim Helu.[6] In 2016, Cantor reacquired the company from the Slims and is now once again the sole proprietor.

Film

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Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann (1994), directed and produced by Cantor; nominated for a 1994 Academy Award in the category of Best Short Subject Documentary;[7] examines photographer Sally Mann's pictures of her children.

Devil's Playground (2002), produced by Cantor; explores the supposed tradition in Amish culture called Rumspringa; the film follows several Amish teenagers who leave their communities to explore the non-Amish world (widely but erroneously believed a normative practice among the Amish). At some point they must decide whether to commit to the strict rules of the Amish Church, or leave their families behind to join "English" society. The film spawned a reality series, "Amish in the City", which Cantor's Stick Figure banner executive produced, as well as a non-fiction book Rumspringa by Tom Shachtman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007).

American Masters: Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving (2002), directed and produced by Cantor, is an inside look at an American icon as he deals with two families, his relations and his nearly lifelong bandmates.

What Remains (2005), directed and produced by Cantor, studies a further project of Mann's, a provocative photo series exploring the way in which nature assimilates the body once life has left it, directly confronting American attitudes towards death.[8] The film screened first at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006 before premiering on HBO.[9]

loudQUIETloud (2006), directed and produced by Cantor, follows the ups and downs of alternative music group the Pixies in their unexpected reformation and the reunion tour.

I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA (2007), produced by Cantor, is a candid and introspective look at the extreme beliefs and motives of Ingrid Newkirk, the British-born co-founder and driving force behind People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal-rights organization.

Reporter (2009), produced by Cantor, follows journalist Nicholas Kristof to the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the growing humanitarian crisis.

No One Dies in Lily Dale (2011), directed and produced by Cantor, explores the idyllic community of Lily Dale, a small town boasting the world's largest concentration of mediums (people who claim to communicate with spirits of the deceased).[10]

Unraveled (2011), produced by Cantor, scrutinizes prominent lawyer Marc Dreier's financial crimes, and depicts his struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of his actions.

Tent City, U.S.A. (2012), directed and produced by Cantor, looks at a homeless community in Nashville, Tennessee.

Chasing Tyson (2015), directed and produced by Cantor, is about Evander Holyfield's career defining quest for respectability by beating his notorious rival.[11]

Dancer (2016), directed by Cantor, is about the life of talented but controversial ballet phenom, Sergei Polunin.

STEP (2017), produced by Cantor, documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore.

Between Me and My Mind (2019), directed and produced by Cantor, is a documentary about Phish frontman Trey Anastasio.[12]

What Will Become of Us (2019), directed by Cantor, is a documentary about Sir Frank Lowy, the self-made billionaire and founder of Westfield Corporation.[13]

When Claude Got Shot (2021), produced by Cantor, is a documentary that follows three families for four years as they wind through the criminal justice system, physical rehabilitation, and personal and family trauma, all stemming from one fateful weekend.

Citizen Ashe (2021), produced by Cantor, explores the tennis career of Arthur Ashe and his impact on tennis and HIV activism.

Hood River (2021), directed and produced by Cantor, is about a high school soccer team in a small Oregon community that struggles to overcome class and racial divide in a quest for both individual and team success.

Television

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Amish in the City (2004), executive produced by Cantor; during the traditional "trying-out-the-world" season of rumspringa, five Amish young adults become roommates with six non-Amish city folk. Cultures collide in this reality-TV offering.

Family Bonds (2004), directed and executive produced by Cantor, explores the lives of the Evangelistas, a family of bail bondsmen and bounty hunters in Long Island.[14]

The Biz (2005), executive produced by Cantor, is about nine contestants competing to become the president of their own record label under Warner Music Group.

#1 Single (2006), executive produced by Cantor, documents the dating life of singer Lisa Loeb.[15]

Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane (2007–2008), executive produced by Cantor, documents the life and Baby Phat fashion empire of former model Kimora Lee Simmons.[16]

Repossessed! (2009–2010), executive produced by Cantor, is about "repo men" who repossess peoples' possessions.

Amish: Out of Order (2012) Executive produced by Cantor, documents Mose Gingerich, an Ex-Amish man living in Missouri, and the group of Ex-Amish youths he guides and helps to adapt to English society.

American Gypsies (2012), executive produced by Cantor, is a look into the clandestine world of gypsies, through the eyes of one of the most powerful families in New York, the Johns Family.

Catching Hell (2014), executive produced by Cantor; a team of underwater spear fishermen battle the challenges of the seas, while trying to eke out a living.

The Mask with Henrik Lundqvist (2015), executive produced by Cantor, is a series that features Lundqvist in one-on-one interviews with his celebrity friends as they design the perfect goalie masks.

30 for 30 Shorts (2013 and 2015), executive produced by Cantor; inspired by ESPN's anniversary, ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is a documentary series featuring films from various storytellers.

The Collectors (2014–2015), executive produced by Cantor; the staff of the blog FiveThirtyEight tell the stories of professional statisticians, such as the official scorer at a baseball game, a U.S. Census taker or meteorologist.

30 for 30 (2015), produced by Cantor, is a collection of documentary films focused on sports.

Born in Synanon (2023), produced by Cantor; Cassidy Arkin searches for truth about Synanon, the program she grew up in which descended into a cult.[17]

Filmography

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Year Film Role Notes
1994 Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann Director/Producer Nominated — Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)
1996 Recon Director/Producer
2000 Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope Director/Producer
2001 Crossover Producer
2002 Devil's Playground Producer Nominated — Emmy Award
2002 Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving Director/Producer Won — Emmy Award
2003 The AMC Project Executive Producer
2004 Slasher Producer
2004 Amish in the City Executive Producer
2004 Family Bonds Executive Producer Nominated — Emmy Award
2005 What Remains Director/Producer Nominated — Emmy Award
2005 The Biz Executive Producer
2006 #1 Single Executive Producer
2006 loudQUIETloud: A film about the Pixies Director/Producer
2007 James Blunt: Return to Kosovo Director/Producer
2007 I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA Producer
2007–2008 Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane Executive Producer
2009 Reporter Producer Nominated — Emmy Award
2009 Inside: Night Shift – Repo Men Executive Producer
2009 Guardian Angels Executive Producer
2009–2010 Repossessed! Executive Producer
2010 Amish at the Altar Executive Producer
2010 Amish: Out of the Order Executive Producer
2011 Tent City, U.S.A. Producer
2011 No One Dies in Lily Dale Producer Nominated — Emmy Award
2011 Unraveled Producer
2012 Amish: Out of Order Executive Producer
2012 American Gypsies Executive Producer
2013 30 for 30 Shorts Executive Producer
2014 Catching Hell Executive Producer
2014–2015 The Collectors Executive Producer
2015 30 for 30 Shorts Executive Producer
2015 30 for 30 Producer
2015 Chasing Tyson Director
2015 The Mask with Henrik Lundqvist Executive Producer
2015 Spike Lee's Lil Joints and of the Son: The Legacy of David & Jackie Robinson Executive Producer
2016 Dancer Director
2017 STEP Producer
2018 Ballet Now Director
2019 Between Me and My Mind Director
2019 What Will Become of Us Director
2021 When Claude Got Shot Producer Won - Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking 2022
2021 Citizen Ashe Producer
2021 Hood River Director/Producer
2021 Relentless Executive Producer
2021 Twyla Moves Director

References

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  1. ^ Tent City, USA Trailer. Oprah.com
  2. ^ No One Dies in Lily Dale. HBO.com
  3. ^ http://loudquietloud.com/
  4. ^ American Masters: Willie Nelson. PBS.org
  5. ^ "Steven Cantor". Stick Figure Productions. Retrieved September 13, 2010.
  6. ^ "Steven Cantor". Quora. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  7. ^ "66th Academy Awards (1994) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  8. ^ Bellafante, Ginia (January 31, 2007). "Sally Mann Portrait in Which She's the Star". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 5, 2024.
  9. ^ "What Remains". Sundance Institute. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  10. ^ "No One Dies in Lily Dale". HBO. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "Steven Cantor". Fire Movies. Retrieved July 23, 2015.
  12. ^ Scheck, Frank (April 27, 2019). "'Between Me and My Mind': Film Review | Tribeca 2019". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ^ Quinn, Karl (May 3, 2019). "Frank Lowy reflects on love, loss and the trauma that shaped him". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved July 6, 2020.
  14. ^ "Family Bonds". TV.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  15. ^ "#1 Single". TV.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  16. ^ "Kimora Life in the Fab Lane". TV.com. Retrieved December 15, 2011.
  17. ^ "Born in Synanon to Premiere on Tuesday, December 12". Paramount Press Express. November 16, 2023. Retrieved April 11, 2024.
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