Deborah Dickson is an award-winning director and cinematographer who has been working in the film industry for over 30 years. She has directed and shot documentaries, feature films, and television series, including “The Times of Harvey Milk,” “American Masters,” “RFK in the Land of Apartheid,” and “The Betrayal.”
Dickson was born in New York City in 1953 and graduated from Oberlin College in 1975 with a degree in English literature. She began her career at the National Film Board of Canada in 1976, working as a film editor. In 1980, she moved to Los Angeles to pursue her directing and cinematography aspirations.
After working on “The Times of Harvey Milk,” Dickson went on to direct and shoot numerous documentaries. In 1988, she released “RFK in the Land of Apartheid,” a documentary about Robert F. Kennedy’s trip to South Africa in 1966. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature for this project. She then directed and shot the Emmy Award-winning feature documentary “American Masters,” which focused on the lives of five influential American artists.
In 2002, Dickson released her first feature film, “The Betrayal (Nerakhoon),” a widely praised story about the struggles of a Laotian refugee family. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary.
In addition to her work in film, Dickson has also taught cinematography and directing at the University of California, Los Angeles, and the University of Southern California. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, and the International Documentary Association.
Throughout her career, Dickson has received numerous awards and accolades for her work, including the International Documentary Association’s Inspiration Award, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Documentary Association, and the American Society of Cinematographers’ Cameraman of the Year Award.
With a career spanning over three decades, Deborah Dickson has established herself as one of the most respected directors and cinematographers in the film industry. Her work is an inspiration to filmmakers everywhere.
