Stanley Nelson

In his latest project, Stanley Nelson recounts the turbulent summer of 1964 when a peaceful movement to register African Americans to vote in Mississippi turned violent. Freedom Summer revisits a pivotal moment in the Civil Rights movement and will air on PBS's American Experience in June to mark the 50th anniversary of the event. Many of Nelson’s films chronicle the stories of inspirational African American figures of the mid-20th century who helped spark the Civil Rights movement. He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, cofounder of Firelight Media and is the director of 12 documentary features. A 2002 MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow, Nelson is the winner of three Primetime Emmy Awards, and several of his films have been shown at the Sundance Film Festival.