Lesley Chilcott

Lesley Chilcott is an American documentary film director and producer. Notable feature documentary films include Watson,^[1][2] Waiting for "Superman",^[3] CodeGirl,^[4][5] It Might Get Loud,^[6] and An Inconvenient Truth which won two Academy Awards. Chilcott is known for documentaries about social justice issues such as climate change, the environment, women's equality, and education.^[7][8] She directed the audience-favored Netflix docuseries, Arnold (2023),^[9] about the life of Arnold Schwarzenegger as a bodybuilder, movie star, and politician.^[10]

Lesley Chilcott
Nationality	North American
Occupation(s)	Film producer, Film director
Years active	2003 - Current
Notable work	An Inconvenient Truth, Watson, Arnold
Website	http://www.lesleychilcott.com/

Career

Chilcot has explored social and environmental justice in projects such as An Inconvenient Truth, documenting former vice president Al Gore’s efforts to fight climate change. The film, which Chilcott produced, won two Oscars including Best Documentary and Best Original Song and helped spark a worldwide conversation about the state of our planet.^{[citation needed]} She directed and produced Watson, an action-adventure documentary centering on Sea Shepherd founder Paul Watson, a man seeking to protect the oceans and marine life. Shot in the United States, Costa Rica, and Tonga the film documents his adventures with underwater cinematography. After premiering at Tribeca, Watson was broadcast by Animal Planet/Discovery Channel and aired in over 50 countries in 2020. Previously, she directed and produced Codegirl, which follows an annual competition where teenage girls design an app that solves a problem in their community. Chilcott filmed teams all over the world from Moldova to Mexico, documenting how exposure to technology and computer science can transform girls' lives. Codegirl was the first movie to have its premiere exclusively on YouTube^{[citation needed]} before being released in theaters and other outlets. The idea for the film came after she directed the short film Codestars, which garnered over 20 million views online.^{[citation needed]} Filming again in Costa Rica in 2014, Chilcott directed the feature documentary, A Small Section of the World, about a village of women coffee producers from the Talamanca mountains.^[11]

Recent^[when?] projects have explored infamous true crimes that have fascinated our culture^[which?] for decades by dispelling the mythology that surrounds major moments in our culture. She produced the premium^{[clarification needed]} docuseries Amityville: An Origin Story which premiered on 23 April 2023 on MGM+ and directed and produced the six-part docuseries Helter Skelter: An American Myth which streamed on MGM+. She serves as executive producer of the recently^[when?] announced Hulu four-part docuseries Mastermind, about Ann Burgess, the architect of the FBI's infamous “mindhunter” method.^[12]

As a producer, she has also tackled the state of the American education system with Waiting for Superman, for which she won the Producers Guild Award for Best Documentary,^{[citation needed]} and in the cult rock documentary It Might Get Loud she examined the lives of guitarists The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White.^{[citation needed]} Other notable Chilcott-produced films include A Mother's Promise, a biographical short film about Barack Obama, and An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power a sequel to An Inconvenient Truth.^{[citation needed]}

She directed Arnold (2023),^[13] a three-part docuseries exploring the life and work of Arnold Schwarzenegger^[14] which premiered on Netflix on 7 June 2023, and after five days ranked fourth in the Netflix Global Top 10 most-watched.^{[citation needed]} Forthcoming projects include Wolves, which examines the plight of wolves in the West and examines their status as one of the most misunderstood animals on the planet and Hot Stuff,^[15] a look at the enduring influence of disco.

Chilcott is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Directors Guild of America, and the Producers Guild of America.^{[citation needed]} She directs commercials at Bodega Studios.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

When not in Los Angeles she and her husband love spending time in Costa Rica enjoying nature. As a longtime vegetarian, Chilcott enjoys seeking out vegetarian and vegan cuisine with her husband.

Filmography

Feature-Length Films:

• An Inconvenient Truth (2006)
• It Might Get Loud (2008)
• Waiting for “Superman” (2010)
• Gahan Wilson: Born Dead, Still Weird (2013)
• A Small Section of the World (2014)
• CodeGirl (2015)
• An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power (2017)
• Maxima (2019)
• Watson (2019)
• Wolves (Status: In Production)

Television Series:

• Helter Skelter: An American Myth (2020)^[16]
• Amityville: An Origin Story (2022)^[17]
• Arnold (2023)^{[18][19][20][21]}
• Mastermind (Status: In Production)^[22]

References

1. Walsh, Kate (October 24, 2019). Review: ‘Watson’ delivers fierce message from eco-warrior and Sea Shepherd captain.Los Angeles Times.
2. Hammond, Pete (April 25, 2019). Documentaries Are King As New Films On Linda Ronstadt And Captain Paul Watson Get Ready To Shine At Tribeca Film Festival. Deadline.
3. Waiting for Superman. Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Walsh, Kate (November 1, 2015). Review: ‘CodeGirl’: Documentary looks at bridging the tech gender gap, one app at a time. Los Angeles Times.
5. CodeGirl Official Website
6. Renner, Brian D. (November 26, 2009). It Might Get Loud Movie
7. March 2016 Cover Story: Lesley Chilcott. Produced By: The Official Magazine of the Producers Guild of America, vol.XX, no.1, (February 1, 2016).
8. Chilcott, Lesley (October 6, 2010). "My Crush on Finland: A Country That Values Its Teachers". The Huffington Post.
9. Lowry, Brian (2023-06-07). "Arnold Schwarzenegger gives a guided tour of his many lives in Netflix's 'Arnold'". CNN. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
10. "Lesley Chilcott Talks Arnold, Building Trust With The Action Star & Those Close To Him". ScreenRant. 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
11. T. H. R. Staff (2014-12-18). "'A Small Section of the World': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
12. Rice, Lynette (2023-04-28). "Hulu To Produce Docuseries About "Mindhunter" Architect Dr. Ann Burgess". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
13. https://chicago.suntimes.com/authors/richard-roeper (2023-06-06). "'Arnold' doc tells Schwarzenegger's amazing story in three acts". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2023-06-16. {{cite web}}: External link in |last= (help)
14. "TV review: 'Arnold' a fantastic portrait of mature, remorseful Schwarzenegger - UPI.com". UPI. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
15. Rice, Lynette (2023-01-10). "'Hoodlum' TV Remake & 'The Emperor of Ocean Park' Adaptation From John Wells Leads MGM+ Development Slate". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
16. "Review: 'Helter Skelter' a brilliant dive into Manson and the dark side of '60s counterculture | Datebook".
17. "The New York Times Replica Edition".
18. "Netflix Releases Arnold Schwarzenegger Documentary Trailer,The Hollywood Reporter". The Hollywood Reporter. 10 May 2023.
19. "'Schwarzenegger Jokes That He's Going to Live Forever': The Story Behind Netflix's 'Arnold'". Esquire. 2023-06-05. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
20. https://showsnob.com/author/dkumar (2023-06-05). "Arnold: A must-watch documentary series on the life of a living legend". Show Snob. Retrieved 2023-06-16. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help); External link in |last= (help)
21. Writer, Guest (2023-06-05). "Review: 'Arnold' Documentary on Netflix". The Cosmic Circus. Retrieved 2023-06-16.
22. Bell, BreAnna (2023-04-28). "Hulu Announces 'Mastermind' Documentary from Campfire Studios and Dakota and Elle Fanning's Lewellen Pictures". Variety. Retrieved 2023-06-16.

External links

• Lesley Chilcott at IMDb
• Lesley Chilcott on Twitter  
• Official Website