| Robert Rippberger | |
| Birth Place: | Boulder, Colorado |
| Nationality: | American |
| Education: | University of California, Berkeley |
| Occupation: | Film director, film producer, and screenwriter |
| Years Active: | 2006–present |
Robert Rippberger is an American film director, film producer, and screenwriter. He is the director of the upcoming sci-fi movie, Renner, producer of The Inventor, writer/director of Those Who Walk Away (film) starring BooBoo Stewart, the director/producer of Strive with Oscar winner Danny Glover, the director of the feature documentary Public Enemy Number One (film) from Executive Producer Ice-T, and director/producer of the Hulu released documentary 7 Days in Syria.[1] [2] Robert executive produced with Jason Blum the feature documentary Alive and Kicking.[3] [4] The film was sold to Magnolia Pictures and Netflix after its debut at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival, where it received a Grand Jury nomination.[5]
Rippberger directed and produced the upcoming sci-fi movie, Renner, which wrapped filming in 2023.[6] The film stars Frankie Muniz and Violett Beane and is a futuristic AI thriller.[7]
In 2023, Robert produced The Inventor which was released theatrically on September 23 by Blue Fox Entertainment, and then on VOD on November 7.[8] The Inventor is a stop-motion feature film written and directed by Jim Capobianco, the Oscar-nominated writer of Pixar's Ratatouille.[9] The film stars Marion Cotillard, Daisy Ridley, Stephen Fry and Matt Berry and is about the life of Leonardo da Vinci.[10] [11] The Inventor had its worldwide premier at the 2023 Annecy Film Festival and was also named one of the ten best animated films of 2023 by The Wrap.[12] [13]
In 2021, Rippberger wrote and directed the horror feature Those Who Walk Away starring Booboo Stewart. Like 1917 (film) the film was completed in one shot. It was lauded in The New York Times and on KTLA after its U.S. theatrical release.[14] [15] [16]
Rippberger is the director of the 2019 drama Strive, about a girl from the projects in Harlem who works to attend Yale.[17] Inspired by true stories, Strive stars Grammy-nominated JoiStaRR, Shaylin Becton, Ricky Flowers Jr, Chelsea Lee Williams, and Oscar winner Danny Glover, with music composed by Grammy-winning producer Warryn Campbell.[18] [19]
Rippberger recently produced 'How To Build A Truth Engine' which follows award-winning investigative journalists, fact-checkers, scientists and engineers in their efforts to develop groundbreaking technology and understanding of the human psyche to help bring societies back to a common understanding of reality. The film is executive produced by Academy Award winners George Clooney and Grant Heslov and will have its World Premiere at the 2024 SXSW Film Festival.[20]
Rippberger is also currently producing 'The Mouse That Roared', directed by Academy Award nominee Judith Ehrlich.[21]
In 2019, Rippberger directed and produced Public Enemy Number One (film)—a documentary about America's war on drugs from Executive Producer Ice-T. The film won Best Documentary Feature at the Seattle Film Festival,[22] and Storyteller Award and Best Producer at Doc LA - Los Angeles Documentary Film Festival.[23]
In 2016, Rippberger's feature documentary 7 Days in Syria, which follows journalist Janine di Giovanni's 2012 trip to Aleppo, was screened at Britain's House of Lords.[24] The film has played in over 50 cities worldwide, on television in Denmark, Sweden, and China, and via streaming service Hulu.[25] The documentary is currently available via Amazon Prime and other VOD providers. The film was well received by critics and personally championed by United Nations Special Envoy Angelina Jolie.[26]
Rippberger went on to executive produce Alive and Kicking, a documentary about swing dancing, which premiered at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival to a Grand Jury nomination, and was released in 2017 by Magnolia Pictures. Alive and Kicking was named the film to watch by The New York Times watching section, received a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and was invited to be part of the 2018/19 American Film Showcase, the State Department's diplomacy through cinema program.[27] [28] The film is currently available on Netflix.
In 2011, Rippberger co-created a seven part documentary series published by The New York Times interviewing politicians and world leaders regarding the world's biggest crises.[29] He was the 2012 recipient of the Dan Eldon Activist Award for producing and directing A Ride With Matt, later retitled Breaking the Cycle, a documentary feature about Huntington's Disease. The award is given to filmmakers for best use of media to effect positive change.[30]
Rippberger is the previous president of I Imagine, a socially conscious technology and media organization that ran the I Imagine Film Festival in New York. He is also the co-founder and co-executive director of SIE Society whose mission is to create a central community with continuously relevant resources for social impact entertainment storytellers.[31]
In 2014, Rippberger directed the music video Ab Laut Aa by EDM DJ Sanjoy featuring Sunidhi Chauhan.[32] The video has 1.5 million views on YouTube and won Best Music Video that year at the VIMA Music Awards.[33] [34]
Thirty years after the song's initial release, in 2018 Rippberger directed the official music video for “Suicide” by Busy Bee Starski, the single off his gold album Running Thangs. Originating from New York City, Hip Hop Hall of Fame inductee Busy Bee Starski is considered one of the founders of modern hip-hop, and the star of the 1983 film Wild Style, billed as the first hip-hop motion picture.[35] The music video guest stars rapper Ice-T.
In 2022, Rippberger published, The Power of Storytelling: Social Impact Entertainment about the role film and TV has in society. The non-fiction book was published by Regent Press October 25, 2022.[36]
In 2014, Rippberger published a novel called Escape to Anywhere Else with a foreword by Mariel Hemingway.[37] [38]
Robert was the co-founder and co-editor of the magazine and podcast, Cinema of Change, along with Tobias Deml; since rebranded as SIE Magazine. He was previously a contributing writer to The Huffington Post.[39] [40]
Rippberger began filmmaking at age 13. As a freshman in high school, he enrolled in filmmaking classes at the University of Colorado Boulder, studied under directing teacher Judith Weston, and at UCLA Film School in Los Angeles. In 2005, at age 16, he made his first feature film, "The Hoodwink."
Rippberger received a B.A. in philosophy from the University of California, Berkeley in 2010, where he was awarded in 2009 the Roselyn Schneider Eisner Prize for his film "In the Middle." It is the highest award given for creativity on the UC, Berkeley campus.[41]
| Year | Award | Nominated Work | Category | Role | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Eisner Prize | In the Middle | Highest Achievement in Creativity | Director/Producer | [51] | |
| 2012 | Dan Eldon Activist Award | Breaking the Cycle | Activist Filmmaker Award | Director/Producer | [52] | |
| 2015 | Fingal Film Festival | 7 Days in Syria | Outstanding Achievement in Media | Director/Producer | [53] | |
| 2016 | Amsterdam Lift-Off Festival | 7 Days in Syria | Jury Selection Best Feature | Director/Producer | [54] | |
| 2016 | SXSW Film Festival | Alive and Kicking | Grand Jury Award | Executive Producer | [55] | |
| 2017 | Palm Springs Film Festival | Alive and Kicking | Best of Fest | Executive Producer | [56] | |
| 2019 | Harlem International Film Festival | Strive | Audience Award | Director/Producer | [57] | |
| 2019 | American Black Film Festival | Strive | Audience Award | Director/Producer | [58] | |
| 2019 | American Black Film Festival | Strive | Best Screenplay | Director/Producer | [59] | |
| 2019 | The Valley Film Festival | Strive | 10 Degrees Hotter Award: Best Narrative Feature | Director/Producer | [60] | |
| 2019 | Awareness Film Festival | Strive | Audience Award | Director/Producer | [61] | |
| 2020 | New Jersey International Film Festival | Strive | Best Feature Film | Director/Producer | [62] | |
| 2019 | DOCLA | Public Enemy Number One | Storyteller Award | Director/Producer | [63] | |
| 2019 | DOCLA | Public Enemy Number One | Best Producer | Director/Producer | [64] | |
| 2020 | American Black Film Festival | Public Enemy Number One | Grand Jury Prize, Best Documentary | Director/Producer | [65] | |
| 2020 | Seattle Film Festival | Public Enemy Number One | Best Documentary Feature | Director/Producer | [66] | |
| 2022 | International Motion Picture Awards | Duplicitous Minds | Best Director | Director | [67] | |
| 2022 | Canadian Cinematography Awards | Duplicitous Minds | Best Director | Director | [68] | |
| 2023 | Annie Awards | The Inventor | Best Feature—Independent | Producer | Nominated[69] | |
| 2023 | Annecy International Animation Film Festival | The Inventor | Feature Films | Producer | Nominated[70] |