Heidi Ewing is an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker. She is best known for her work on the acclaimed film Jesus Camp, which earned her a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 79th Academy Awards.
Ewing was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1974. She attended film school at New York University, graduating in 1998. After graduating, she worked on the production teams of several independent films.
In 2004, Ewing teamed up with Rachel Grady to create their first documentary, The Boys of Baraka, which followed a group of African-American boys from Baltimore who were sent to a school in Kenya. The film was well received and helped to launch Ewing and Grady’s career.
In 2006, Ewing and Grady released their most famous work, Jesus Camp. The film followed the lives of children attending a Pentecostal summer camp in Missouri, and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.
Following the success of Jesus Camp, Ewing and Grady released their third documentary, 12th & Delaware, in 2010. The film documented the conflict between abortion providers and anti-abortion activists near the intersection of 12th and Delaware in Fort Pierce, Florida.
In 2011, Ewing and Grady released their fourth documentary, Detropia. The film explored the struggles of Detroit and its residents as the city faced economic hardship. The film was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2013, Ewing and Grady released their fifth documentary, The Education of Muhammad Hussein. The film followed a Muslim boy in an Islamic school in Dearborn, Michigan. The film earned several awards, including a Special Jury Prize at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2015, Ewing and Grady released their sixth documentary, One of Us. The film followed the lives of three Hasidic Jews in New York City as they attempted to leave the insular world of the Orthodox Jewish community.
Heidi Ewing has established herself as one of the most influential documentary filmmakers of her generation. With her unique style and powerful stories, she has explored a wide range of subjects and has earned critical acclaim for her work.
