Amy Ziering

  • Oscar-Nominated & Two-Time Emmy-Winning Investigative Filmmaker
  • The Woman Behind the Last Decade’s Most Important Films About Sexual Assault
  • Author of 'The Hunting Ground'
  • Activist and Changemaker

Award-winning investigative filmmaker and activist Amy Ziering is the woman behind the last decade’s most important films about sexual assault that have directly impacted American culture and politics.

Alongside her creative partner Kirby Dick, Ziering’s work is a lightning rod for conversation with lauded works such as The Invisible War, The Hunting Ground, The Bleeding Edge, On the Record, and Allen v. Farrow. Ziering is the recipient of countless prestigious awards including an Oscar nomination, two Emmy awards, a Peabody, an Independent Spirit Award, a duPont-Columbia award, and the George Polk Award. An advocate for equity and justice, Ziering has been instrumental in making documentaries that have resulted in real world change with over 35 laws and 5 congressional hearings directly related to her filmography.

Passionate, candid and inspiring, Ziering’s on-the-ground approach to her work makes her the perfect person to speak about the impact of media on transforming culture, improvising activism on topics that have previously been impenetrable for a national discourse, and on the difference equity and parity on screen makes.

 


Amy Ziering photo 3
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Amy Ziering headshot
Past Hosts Include:
  • The Little Market
Rave Reviews About Amy Ziering as a Speaker
Amy's willingness to tell hard stories without pulling punches, but always with empathy for those most deeply affected by abuse and violence, make her a fierce and effective advocate and an irresistible story teller. Her body of work on sexual violence centers the voices and agency of victims and has helped change how powerful institutions like the US military and colleges respond to and prevent sexual violence.

Keynote clip - #MeToo and You: Sexual assault and the power of storytelling | BlogHer Spotlight Talk [7:41] - Get Sharable Link
Talks & Conversations with Amy Ziering
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REEL/Real Impact

An in-depth talk about the power of film to effect meaningful and transformative change via case studies of the policy and cultural transformations effected by The Invisible War and/or The Hunting Ground. ...

An in-depth talk about the power of film to effect meaningful and transformative change via case studies of the policy and cultural transformations effected by The Invisible War and/or The Hunting Ground.

Improvising Activism

A humorous talk peppered with clips from different films, about Amy’s unusual journey as a filmmaker and activist - making unconventional films that attracted widespread interest and activism despite being told by everyone they were “unwatchable” and “unmarketable.” ...

A humorous talk peppered with clips from different films, about Amy’s unusual journey as a filmmaker and activist - making unconventional films that attracted widespread interest and activism despite being told by everyone they were “unwatchable” and “unmarketable.”

Activism 2.0

A remarkable story of how filmmakers could alter the national discourse on an issue long deemed intractable. ...

A remarkable story of how filmmakers could alter the national discourse on an issue long deemed intractable.

Feminism & Gender in Films

The difference gender makes behind the scenes and on the screen - analysis of the problem, its effects, and practical solutions. ...

The difference gender makes behind the scenes and on the screen - analysis of the problem, its effects, and practical solutions.

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Books by Amy Ziering
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Biography

Amy Ziering is a two-time Emmy award-winning and Academy award-nominated investigative filmmaker behind some of the most groundbreaking documentaries today with her creative partner Kirby Dick. Her most recent projects directly impacted American politics and culture, resulting in real-world change. Her latest project, Allen v. Farrow (2021), is a four-part documentary series that goes behind decades of sensational headlines to reveal the private story of one of Hollywood’s most notorious and public scandals: the accusation of sexual abuse against Woody Allen involving Dylan, his then seven-year-old daughter with Mia Farrow. On The Record (2020) is a searing examination on the intersection of #MeToo and Black Lives Matter, tells the powerful and haunting story of music executive Drew Dixon as she struggles with her decision to be one of the first women of color to come forward in the wake of #MeToo.

Her Oscar-nominated The Invisible War (2012) broke the story on the epidemic of rape in the US military and led to five congressional hearing and the passing of 35 reforms through congress. The Hunting Ground (2015) started a national discussion for sexual assault on college campuses and ignited sweeping policy reform at hundreds of institutions. The Bleeding Edge (2018) unearthed the fast-growing medical device industry’s corruption and malfeasance; compelling industry giant Bayer to remove a harmful device from the market, and catalyzing a worldwide debate about regulation and patient safety.

Ziering also co-directed and produced Derrida (2002), a complex portrait of the world-renowned French philosopher Jacques Derrida. Other films she produced include Outrage (2009), nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism; and Kristen Johnson’s Oscar-shortlisted Cameraperson (2016) and Josh Fox’s Awake: A Dream From Standing Rock (2017) as an executive producer.

Throughout Ziering’s filmography, notable accolades she has amassed include: an Oscar nomination, two Emmy awards, a Peabody, an Independent Spirit Award, a duPont-Columbia Award, the Nestor Almendros Prize for Courage and Filmmaking, an Upton Sinclair Award, the Ridenhour Documentary Film Prize, and the George Polk Award.