Shane Boris Explained

Shane Boris
Birth Place:Littleton, Colorado
Alma Mater:Oberlin College (BA)Jawaharlal Nehru University (MA)
Years Active:2004–present
Occupation:Film producer

Shane Boris, (born 1981, Denver, Colorado) is a film producer and the founder of Cottage M, an independent production house.[1] [2] Boris was nominated for Best Documentary Feature for The Edge of Democracy at the 92nd Academy Awards in 2020. Later, in 2022, Boris produced two acclaimed documentaries, Fire of Love and Navalny, both securing Oscar nominations and marking him the first producer since Walt Disney to be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Documentary Feature in the same year. Unlike Disney, Boris not only garnered nominations but also won the Oscar in 2023 for Navalny. This dual accomplishment of two nominations and a win set a new record in film history.[3] [4] [5]

Career

Boris was born in Denver, Colorado.[6] After graduating from Colorado Academy in 2000, he pursued studies in religion and politics at Oberlin College, followed by a master's degree in international relations from Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, India.[7]

Boris started work as a film producer with "You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't" in 2010, which was featured on multiple seasons of PBS's Independent Lens.[8] His second feature, "Fuck For Forest" (2013) screened at various festivals including SXSW, winning Best Documentary at the Warsaw International Film Festival. In 2016, "All These Sleepless Nights," premiered at Sundance, earning Best Directing in the International Documentary Competition.[9]

In 2019, two major themes emerged as focuses for Boris' film work: the sentience of non-human nature as well as anti-authoritarianism.[10] With long time collaborator Sara Dosa, he produced "The Seer and The Unseen", a magic realist documentary set in Iceland about invisible elves, financial collapse and the surprising power of belief. In 2020, "Stray" a creative nonfiction film that follows the lives of stray dogs in the streets of Istanbul - had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win several awards as well as an Indie Spirit nomination.[11]

Boris achieved significant recognition with the Oscar Nominated The Edge of Democracy, a film that explored the complexities of democracy in Brazil.[12] Boris received multiple nominations for The Last Cruise, an HBO documentary short chronicling the first outbreak of the coronavirus outside of China on the Diamond Princess cruise liner.[13]

In 2023, Boris garnered dual Oscar nominations at the 95th Academy Awards."Fire of Love" was acquired by National Geographic Films at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to screen in theaters all over the world, as well as in partnership with museums including The Louvre and MoMA.[14] Simultaneously, "Navalny", which was commissioned by CNN Films, won Best Documentary at the BAFTAs and at the 95th Academy Awards.

In addition to sharing producing and writing credits on "Fire of Love", Boris was also a producer and contributing writer on "King Coal," a documentary set in Appalachia. The film made its debut at Sundance and received nominations at the IDA[15] and the 17th Cinema Eye Honors. Also in 2023, Boris wrote and produced Hollywoodgate, a documentary based in Berlin, which had its World Premiere[16] at the Venice Film Festival and then one day later its North American premiere at the Telluride Film Festival.[17]

Aside from producing, Boris has received an IDA award and Critics Choice nomination for writing, and has been a guest speaker at universities such as the Harvard Kennedy School and Columbia School of the Arts.[18] Boris is also co-founder of Joon, a multidisciplinary incubator, and has worked as a strategist for non-profits, as a writing consultant for authors, and a song lyricist for musicians.[19]

Filmography

Producer

Executive Producer

Awards and nominations

YearCategoryOrganizationFilmResult
2020DocumentaryPeabody awardsThe Edge of Democracy[20]
2020Documentary Feature92nd Academy AwardsThe Edge of Democracy
2023Best DocumentaryBritish Academy Film AwardsFire of Love
2023Best DocumentaryBritish Academy Film AwardsNavalny[21]
2023Outstanding Nonfiction FeatureCinema Eye HonorsFire of Love
2023Documentary Feature95th Academy AwardsFire of Love
2023Documentary Feature95th Academy AwardsNavalny[22]
2023Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures34th Producers Guild of America AwardsNavalny[23]
2023DocumentaryPeabody awardsFire of Love [24]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ABOUT. Cottage M.
  2. Web site: Shane Boris. IMDb.
  3. News: 'Fire Of Love' To Pass $1 Million At Global Box Office, Becoming Year's Top-Grossing Documentary. Jill Goldsmith. .
  4. News: Neon, Nat Geo to Release Sundance Opener 'Fire of Love'. Etan Vlessing. .
  5. Web site: On 'Fire': Denver filmmaker nominated for two documentaries at Academy Awards. John Moore, Senior Arts Journalist. john.moore@denvergazette.com. Denver Gazette.
  6. Web site: Casey . Michael J. . 2022-08-04 . Shane Boris on FIRE OF LOVE . 2024-03-02 . Michael J. Cinema . en.
  7. Web site: Shane Boris '00. Colorado Academy.
  8. Web site: You're Looking at Me Like I Live Here and I Don't Alzheimer's Independent Lens PBS . 2024-03-14 . Independent Lens . en-US.
  9. Web site: Shane Boris.
  10. Web site: SIGNPOST PICTURES . 2024-03-14 . SIGNPOST PICTURES . en-US.
  11. Web site: Laffly . Tomris . 2020-04-27 . 'Stray': Film Review . 2024-03-14 . Variety . en-US.
  12. News: Scott . A. O. . 2019-06-18 . Review: 'Edge of Democracy' Looks at Brazil With Outrage and Heartbreak . 2024-03-14 . The New York Times . en-US . 0362-4331.
  13. News: Horton . Adrian . 2021-03-30 . 'It was like a horror film': inside the terror of the Covid cruise ship . 2024-03-14 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.
  14. Web site: Jr . Mike Fleming . 2022-01-23 . National Geographic Documentary Films Breaks Sundance Deal Logjam With Mid-7 Figure WW Pact For Hot Docu 'Fire Of Love' . 2024-03-14 . Deadline . en-US.
  15. Web site: IDA Documentary Awards 2023 Winners & Nominees . 2024-03-14 . International Documentary Association . en.
  16. Web site: 2023-07-18 . Biennale Cinema 2023 Hollywoodgate . 2024-03-14 . La Biennale di Venezia . en.
  17. Web site: Goodfellow . Melanie . 2023-08-31 . 'Hollywoodgate' Clip: Watch Taliban Explore Abandoned U.S. Base In Afghanistan; Doc Plays At Venice & Telluride . 2024-03-14 . Deadline . en-US.
  18. Web site: NAVALNY: Political Opposition in Russia and the Power of Documentary The Institute of Politics at Harvard University . 2024-03-14 . iop.harvard.edu . en.
  19. Web site: Joon . 2024-03-14 . Joon . en-US.
  20. Web site: Peabody 30 Winners. August 24, 2020.
  21. Web site: Baftas 2023: the complete list of winners. Guardian. film. February 19, 2023. The Guardian.
  22. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/03/12/entertainment/oscar-winners-2023/index.html
  23. Web site: Producers Guild Awards Winners List 2023. February 25, 2023.
  24. Web site: Voyles . Blake . September 12, 2023 . 83rd Peabody Award Winners . September 12, 2023.