Kelly Anderson

Acclaimed filmmaker Kelly Anderson creates documentaries that tackle difficult issues and illuminate trends that negatively impact marginalized groups. Her most recent film, My Brooklyn, focuses on the gentrification and redevelopment of downtown Brooklyn, a once popular Caribbean and African-American shopping destination. Anderson also won acclaim for Every Mother’s Son, a documentary about mothers whose children have been killed by police officers and chosen to become national spokespeople on the issue of police reform. The award- winning filmmaker’s other projects include the documentaries Never Enough, about clutter, collecting, and Americans’ relationships with their stuff, and Out at Work (with Tami Gold). The one- hour drama SHIFT, about the volatile relationship between a North Carolina waitress and a prison inmate in a corporate work program conducting phone surveys, aired on PBS stations across the United States. Anderson is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies at Hunter College in New York City.

Why we love Kelly Anderson:

• Kelly is not afraid to tackle difficult issues and put herself in the line of fire, directing the eye-opening film My Brooklyn as a self-recognized gentrifier

• She found ways to gain an insider perspective for the film, even interviewing the head of the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership who heavily criticized her work

• Her film Every Mother’s Son was a moving portrayal of mothers who have lost their children to police brutality; it won numerous awards, including an Audience Award at the Tribeca Film festival