Mark Jonathan Harris is an award-winning director, writer, and producer of documentary films. He has been honored with numerous awards and accolades, including two Academy Awards, a Peabody Award, and two Emmy Awards. He is best known for his documentary films, which tell stories about important social, political, and economic issues of our time.
Harris was born in 1947 in New York City. He studied at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he earned a degree in English and Film. After graduating, he began working as a freelance photographer and editor. He then began directing short films and documentaries, including his first feature-length documentary, 'The Redwoods' (1967).
In 1979, Harris wrote, produced, and directed 'The Long Way Home', which was the first documentary to chronicle the plight of Holocaust survivors. The film was a critical and commercial success and won an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. Harris followed this success with 'The Natural World' (1980), a documentary about environmental issues, and 'A Decade Under the Influence' (2003), which examines the impact of the 1960s and 1970s on American cinema.
In the 1980s, Harris directed 'Hollywood on Trial', which examined the Hollywood blacklist, and 'The Redwoods' (1987), a sequel to his first documentary. He then wrote, produced, and directed 'Hoop Dreams' (1994), a documentary about two inner-city basketball players. The film was a critical and commercial success and earned Harris an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Harris has also written and directed numerous other documentary films, including 'The Lost Boys of Sudan' (2004), which tells the story of Sudanese refugees, and 'The Redwoods' (2010), a third installment in his Redwoods series. In 2017, he released 'The Rape of Recy Taylor', which tells the story of an African-American woman who was raped in 1944. The film earned Harris an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special.
Throughout his career, Harris has been dedicated to telling important stories that shed light on social issues. He has been lauded for his ability to tell powerful stories in an engaging and accessible way. His films have been praised for their high quality and have been recognized with numerous awards and accolades. Harris continues to write, direct, and produce documentary films.
