
Stanley Nelson
Biography
Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 7, 1951) is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 National Humanities Medal from President Obama. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Among his notable films are Freedom Riders (2010), Wounded Knee (2009), Jonestown: The Life & Death of People's Temple (2006), Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice (2005), A Place of Our Own (2004), The Murder of Emmett Till (2003), and The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords (1998).
Acting (1 movie)
Directing (25 movies)

Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
2006

Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom
2021

Becoming Frederick Douglass
2022

Freedom Summer
2014

Attica
2021

The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
2015

Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre
2021

The Story of Access
2018

The Murder of Emmett Till
2003

Freedom Riders
2010

Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise
2004

Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
2017

A Place of Our Own
2004

The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords
1999

Sound of the Police
2023

Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
2019

BOSS: The Black Experience in Business
2019

Vick
2020

Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind
2001

Two Dollars and A Dream: The Story of Madame C.J. Walker
1987

Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
2021

San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood
2024

Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas
2012

We Want the Funk!
2025

Critical Condition: Health in Black America
2025