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Tracy Droz Tragos

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Tracy Droz Tragos
Born
Tracy Tilden Droz

January 8, 1969
Missouri, U.S.
Occupation(s)Director, writer, producer
Years active1996–present
Notable workBe Good Smile Pretty, Rich Hill, Plan C
SpouseChristian George Tragos
ChildrenCharlotte Dorothy Tilden Droz Tragos, Samuel Glenn Tilden Droz Tragos

Tracy Droz Tragos is an American documentary filmmaker.[1][2] She is known for her documentary films Rich Hill, Abortion: Stories Women Tell, and Plan C.[3][4][5]

Life and career

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Tragos received her undergraduate degree in fiction writing from Northwestern University and her MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California.[6] In 2003, she directed her first documentary, Be Good, Smile Pretty, it aired on PBS's Independent Lens and won an Emmy in the category of best documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2004.[7]

In 2014, along with her first cousin Andrew Droz Palermo, she co-directed Rich Hill, a family drama set in the small Missouri town of Rich Hill. It won the best documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[8][9] Though the film highlights family issues in rural America, Traz Dragos and Palermo, who was also the DP, made sure not to sensationalize poverty, they said when the film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival.[9] Droz Tragos said their deep family roots in the community helped in terms of gaining people's trust. She said that her grandparents, a school teacher and a postal worker "were respected members of the community. So it was on their good name that we made the connections with the subjects. I also made a film [Be Good, Smile Pretty] about my father, who was from that town, and a lot of people in town had seen that film and felt comfortable with me. There was a lot of trust from the get-go."[9]

For Rich Hill, the filmmakers spent so much time with their subjects that they captured nearly 450 hours. The film's editor, Jim Hession, was tasked with paring that down to 93 minutes for the finished film.[5]

In 2016, Tragos directed and produced the documentary Abortion: Stories Women Tell, which was broadcast on HBO and nominated for an Emmy for outstanding social issue documentary at the 37th News and Documentary Emmy Awards.[10] She was the recipient of a 2020 Guggenheim fellowship.[11] In 2021, She directed The Smartest Kids in the World, based on the New York Times bestseller The Smartest Kids in the World.[12]

In 2023, Tragos' documentary Plan C, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival.[13] Shot over four years, Plan C captures the work of the Plan C campaign activists and providers who began to mail abortion pills during the pandemic.[14]

She is an adjunct professor teaching documentary filmmaking at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.[6]

Tragos has two children, Charlotte Dorothy Tragos and Samuel Glenn Tragos, and is married to advertising executive Christian George Tragos.[15]

Selected filmography

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Year Title Contribution Note
2003 Be Good, Smile Pretty Director and producer Documentary
2004 The Last Full Measure Writer Short film
2005 E! True Hollywood Story Producer 1 episode
2014 Rich Hill Director and producer Documentary
2016 Abortion: Stories Women Tell Director and producer Documentary
2021 The Smartest Kids in the World Director and producer Documentary
2023 Plan C Director and producer Documentary

Awards and nominations

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Year Result Award Category Work Ref.
2004 Won News and Documentary Emmy Awards Best Documentary Independent Lens:Be Good, Smile Pretty [7]
2014 Won Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary Independent Lens:Rich Hill [8]
Won Sarasota Film Festival Documentary Directing [16]
Won Traverse City Film Festival Best Film [17]
Nominated Champs-Élysées Film Festival Best American Feature Film
2015 Nominated Docaviv Best International Film [18]
Won ZagrebDox Special awards [19]
2016 Nominated News and Documentary Emmy Awards Outstanding Business and Economic Reporting - Long Form [20]
2018 Nominated Outstanding Social Issue Documentary Abortion: Stories Women Tell [21]
Nominated Cinema Eye Honors Outstanding Achievement in Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking [22]
Nominated Doc NYC Viewfinders Grand Jury Prize The Smartest Kids in the World [23]
2023 Nominated Cleveland International Film Festival Best Film Plan C [24]
Nominated Nashville Film Festival Best Documentary Feature [25]
Nominated South by Southwest Festival Favorites [26]

References

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  1. ^ "SCA Alumni Stories: Tracy Droz Tragos". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  2. ^ "'Plan C' Director Tracy Droz Tragos on Braving COVID to Make Her Abortion Documentary: 'There Was an Urgency I Couldn't Ignore'". indiewire.com. 22 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  3. ^ "Tracy Droz Tragos On The Specific Challenges Of 'Rich Hill'". tribecafilm.com. August 2014. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  4. ^ "How 'Plan C' Director Tracy Droz Tragos Plans to Make Noise About Abortion Access at Sundance Film Festival". variety.com. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  5. ^ a b Debruge, Peter (2014-01-27). "Sundance Film Review: 'Rich Hill'". Variety. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  6. ^ a b "Directory of SCA Faculty". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  7. ^ a b "Be Good, Smile Pretty Wins Best Documentary Emmy". itvs.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  8. ^ a b "Sundance Awards: 'Whiplash' & 'Rich Hill' Win Grand Jury Prizes; Dramatic Directing Goes To Cutter Hodierne For 'Fishing Without Nets'". Deadline Hollywood. 26 January 2014. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  9. ^ a b c "Tracy Droz Tragos On The Specific Challenges Of 'Rich Hill'". Tribeca. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  10. ^ "HBO'S ABORTION: STORIES WOMEN TELL IS AN ENRAGING TEARJERKER OF A DOCUMENTARY". laweekly.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  11. ^ "Tracy Droz Tragos". gf.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  12. ^ Winkelman, Natalia (19 August 2021). "'The Smartest Kids in the World' Review: Putting School to the Test". The New York Times. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  13. ^ ""Plan C": The Fight for Reproductive Rights Continues Without Fear". sundance.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  14. ^ "Plan C | A Documentary Film by Tracy Droz Tragos". www.plancpills.org. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  15. ^ "Tracy's Bio". Tracy Droz Tragos. Retrieved 2024-08-02.
  16. ^ "2014 Sarasota Film Festival Award Winners". filmmakermagazine.com. 13 April 2014. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  17. ^ "TCFF10 Award Winners". traversecityfilmfest.org. 3 August 2014. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
  18. ^ "Citizenfour to open Israel's DocAviv festival". screendaily.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  19. ^ "INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION". zagrebdox.net. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  20. ^ "Awards". pbs.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  21. ^ "NOMINEES". theemmys.tv. 28 September 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  22. ^ "Cinema Eye Honors Announces Nominees; 'Strong Island,' 'City of Ghosts,' 'Brimstone & Glory' Lead Pack". indiewire.com. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  23. ^ "DOC NYC ANNOUNCES AWARDS FOR NINTH ANNUAL FESTIVAL". docnyc.net. 14 November 2018. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  24. ^ "PLAN C". clevelandfilm.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  25. ^ "PLAN C". nashfilmfest2023.eventive.org. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
  26. ^ "2023 FILM & TV LINEUP". sxsw.com. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
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