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Sarah Kunstler

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Sarah Kunstler
Born1976 (age 48–49)
CitizenshipUnited States of America
Alma materColumbia Law School
Occupation(s)
Attorney, Film director and producer,
Years active2003-present
SpouseJesse Ferguson
Children1
Parents
RelativesEmily Kunstler

Sarah Kunstler (born 1976) is an American documentary filmmaker and lawyer.[1] Her political documentaries have won awards at South by Southwest and the Seattle International Film Festival.[2][3] She is the daughter of famous lawyer and civil rights activist William Kunstler and civil rights lawyer Margaret Ratner Kunstler.[4]

Career

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Sarah Kunstler first began directing films in 2003 with her sister creating their debut short Tulia, Texas: Scenes from the Drug War. [5] The film focuses on the unlawful arrest and imprisonment of more than 10% of the black population of the small town of Tulia, Texas that occurred in 1999.[6][5] This began her career making political documentaries with her sister Emily Kunstler.[5]

In 2009, the sisters released their first documentary feature film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe at the Sundance Film Festival. [7][8]The film is a documentary about their father William Kunstler a civil rights lawyer, who was both widely admired and widely despised for his defense of people ranging from Martin Luther King, Jr. to John Gotti.[4][1] At Sundance the film was nominated for the Documentary Grand Jury Prize and was Shortlisted for Best Documentary for the 83rd Academy Awards in 2011.[9][10]

In 2021 Kunstler co-directed Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America. [11][12] It premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival where it won the Audience Award in the Documentary Spotlight Category.[2] The film focuses on anti-Black racism in America and a series of lectures given by criminal defense attorney Jeffery Robinson on the topic.[13]

In 2023, Kunstler co-directed How to Rig An Election: The Racist History of the 1876 Presidential Contest with her sister. [14] It was narrated by Tom Hanks and distributed by the Washington Post in their opinion section after it's premiere at South by Southwest.[14]

Awards

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In 2021, she won the Golden Space Needle for Best Documentary at the Seattle International Film Festival for Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America.[3]

Her film William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe won the Audience Award in the Documentary Spotlight Category at SXSW in 2009.[15]

Filmography

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References

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  1. ^ a b Rosenblum, Constance (15 Nov 2009). "Filmmakers' controversy: their dad". New York Times – via Gale OneFile.
  2. ^ a b "Audience Awards Winners for the 2021 SXSW Film Festival". SXSW. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
  3. ^ a b "SIFF 2021 Award Winners". www.siff.net. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  4. ^ a b Stevenson, Peter (June 2010). "Life with Father". The New Yorker. 86 (18): 21. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  5. ^ a b c Indiewire (2009-11-11). "Emily & Sarah Kunstler: "This is a film about legacy"". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  6. ^ "Racist arrests in Tulia, Texas". American Civil Liberties Union. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  7. ^ Indiewire (November 11, 2009). "Emily & Sarah Kunstler, "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe": Family, Legacy & Social Justice". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  8. ^ "Emily & Sarah Kunstler, "William Kunstler: Disturbing the Universe": Family, Legacy & Social Justice". IndieWire. 12 January 2009.
  9. ^ "2009 Sundance Film Festival announces films in competition. Festival celebrates 25 years of independent filmmaking and cinematic storytelling". Sundance Institute. 2008-12-03. Archived from the original on 2009-03-11. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
  10. ^ Knegt, Peter (2010-11-18). "Academy Announces Characteristically Controversial Documentary Feature Shortlist". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  11. ^ Byrd, Chris (May 14, 2022). "Vital, challenging film tackles America's original sin". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  12. ^ Huver, Scott (2021-11-21). "In 'Who We Are', Jeffery Robinson Deconstructs America's Enduring But Increasingly Challenged Myths About Race & Equality – Contenders Documentary". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  13. ^ Davis, Clayton (2022-01-04). "'Who We Are' Directors on the Legacy of Racism: 'It's a History That Requires White People to Reckon With It'". Variety. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  14. ^ a b Johnson, Ted (2023-03-13). "The Washington Post To Distribute Tom Hanks-Narrated Short 'How To Rig An Election'". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-01-09.
  15. ^ "Audience Awards Winners for the 2021 SXSW Film Festival". SXSW. 2021-03-23. Retrieved 2021-04-13.
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