Rob Epstein | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Epstein in 2013 | |
| Born | Robert P. Epstein (1955-04-06)April 6, 1955 (age 70) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director andproducer |
| Years active | 1978–present |
Robert P. Epstein (born April 6, 1955),[1] is an American director, producer, writer, and editor. He is known for directing numerous documentaries, several of them focusing on theLGBTQ community and has won twoAcademy Awards, twoEmmy Awards, and aGrammy Award.
Epstein won theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Feature twice for the filmsThe Times of Harvey Milk (1984) andCommon Threads: Stories from the Quilt (1989).[2][3] He was nominated for theAcademy Award for Best Documentary Short Film forEnd Game (2018). He also directed the documentariesWord Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives (1977),The AIDS Show (1986),The Celluloid Closet (1996), andParagraph 175 (2000). He made his narrative directorial film debut with the historical dramaHowl (2010) followed byLovelace (2013).
In 1987, Epstein and his filmmaking partnerJeffrey Friedman founded Telling Pictures, a production company that focused on feature documentaries.[4] Epstein's works also include scripted narratives such asHowl, his award-winning film aboutAllen Ginsberg's controversialpoem by the same name (starringJames Franco), andLovelace, the story about the life and trials of pornographic superstarLinda Lovelace (starringAmanda Seyfried).
Epstein is the co-chair of the Film Program atCalifornia College of the Arts[2] in San Francisco and Oakland, California. He is gay.[5]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Write | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Howl | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2013 | Lovelace | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Editor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1984 | The Times of Harvey Milk | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1986 | The AIDS Show | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1989 | Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1989 | Where Are We? Our Trip Through America | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 1995 | The Celluloid Closet | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2000 | Paragraph 175 | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2005 | An Evening with Eddie Gomez | Yes | No | No | |
| 2014 | And the Oscar Goes to...[6] | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | End Game | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2019 | State of Pride | Yes | No | No | |
| 2019 | Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2023 | Taylor Mac's A 24-Decade History of Popular Music | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Underground Zero | Segment: "Isiah's Rap" | |
| 2002-2004 | Crime & Punishment | TV series | |
| 2006 | 10 Days That Unexpectedly Changed America | Episode: "Gold Rush" |
| Year | Association | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Academy Award | Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature | The Times of Harvey Milk | Won | |
| News & Documentary Emmy Awards | Interview/Interviewer - Programs | Won | |||
| 1989 | Academy Award | Best Documentary Feature | Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt | Won | |
| 1995 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Informational Special | The Celluloid Closet | Nominated | |
| News & Documentary Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Directors | Won | |||
| 2000 | News & Documentary Emmy Awards | Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft: Direction | Paragraph 175 | Nominated | |
| Outstanding Historical Documentary - Long Form | Nominated | ||||
| 2001 | GLAAD Media Award | Davidson/Valentini Award | Himself | Won | |
| 2018 | Academy Award | Best Documentary Short Film | End Game | Nominated | |
| 2019 | Grammy Award | Best Music Film | Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice | Won |
