film AWARDS
EMMY AWARDS
Outstanding Investigative Documentary — (T)ERROR
Outstanding Production Design — SONGS FROM THE HOLE
SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL
Special Jury Award for Break Out First Feature — (T)ERROR
Special Jury Award for Social Impact — CRIME + PUNISHMENT
INDEPENDENT SPIRIT AWARDS
Best Documentary — (T)ERROR, Nominee
SXSW
Visions Audience Award, Best Documentary — SONGS FROM THE HOLE
TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL
Best Cinematography, Documentary — 499
FULL FRAME DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL
Grand Jury Award — (T)ERROR
HOT DOCS
Special Jury Prize, International Feature Documentary — 499
CAMERIMAGE
Golden Frog, Best Docudrama — 499
BLACKSTAR FILM FESTIVAL
Jury Award, Best Feature Documentary — SONGS FROM THE HOLE
SING SING FILM FESTIVAL
Excellence in Criminal Justice Storytelling — SONGS FROM THE HOLE
TOP TEN FILMS OF THE YEAR
Newsweek · Indiewire · Paste Magazine — (T)ERROR
NATIONAL BOARD OF REVIEW
Top Five Documentaries — CRIME + PUNISHMENT
FELLOWSHIPS
PEW CENTER FOR ARTS & HERITAGE
Pew Arts Fellowship
OPEN SOCIETY FOUNDATIONS
Soros Equality Fellowship
SUNDANCE INSTITUTE
Edit & Story Lab Fellowship
Creative Producing Lab Fellowship
IFP
Documentary Lab Fellowship
TEACHING
GUEST LECTURES
Columbia University · Stanford University · UMass Amherst · Vassar College · Skidmore College
TEACHING ARTIST
Tribeca Film Institute · Harlem Children's Zone · HBO Reel Works · FilmAid
ABOUT
David Felix Sutcliffe is a two-time Emmy-Award winning producer dedicated to ambitious cinema that challenges colonial norms. His debut feature (T)ERROR (Netflix/Independent Lens) exposed corrupt FBI entrapment tactics and won a Special Jury Prize at Sundance for Breakout First Feature, and an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary. His films have been distributed by Netflix, Hulu, IFC Films, POV, Independent Lens, BBC Storyville, Cinema Guild, CANAL+ and featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, CNN, This American Life and Democracy Now. In addition to Sundance, his work has received awards at SXSW, Tribeca, CPH:DOX, Blackstar, New Orleans Film Fest, Hot Docs and Full Frame, and funding support from Sundance, Ford Foundation, Impact Partners, BBC Storyville, Field of Vision, among others. Named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film,” he is an Independent Spirit Award nominee and a former recipient of the International Documentary Association’s Emerging Filmmaker Award.
Recent credits include Débora Souza Silva’s FOR OUR CHILDREN (Netflix), Sisa Bueno’s FOR VENIDA, FOR KALIEF (POV) and Contessa Gayles’ SONGS FROM THE HOLE (Netflix), winner of Audience Awards for Best Documentary at SXSW, New Orleans Film Festival, the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Blackstar Film Festival and Sing Sing Film Festival, and an Emmy for Outstanding Art Direction. Sutcliffe also co-produced Rodrigo Reyes’ 499 (Tribeca premiere, Cinema Guild theatrical release), and was a consulting producer on Jonathan Olshefski’s QUEST (Sundance premiere, POV broadcast) and Stephen Maing’s CRIME + PUNISHMENT (Sundance premiere, Hulu release). He is currently producing Daniel Chein and Mushiva’s TIME HUNTER and Khaula Malik’s ALIEN NATION, both supported by the Sundance Institute.
David grew up with six sisters in a mixed-race, working-class family in upstate New York and is an alum of the Anne Braden Anti-Racist Training for White Organizers. He recently relocated to Manchester, UK and is still adjusting to his 3-year-old son’s new English accent.
David also loves to dance.
SELECTED FESTIVALS
Sundance · SXSW · Tribeca · IDFA · CPH:DOX · Hot Docs · BFI London Film Festival · True/False · Human Rights Watch Film Festival · BlackStar · Full Frame · Camden · DokuFest · Jihlava · Thessaloniki
SELECTED SUPPORT
FORD FOUNDATION · SUNDANCE INSTITUTE · BBC STORYVILLE · IMPACT PARTNERS · FIELD OF VISION · DOC SOCIETY · CATAPULT FILM FUND · SANDBOX FILMS · TRIBECA FILM INSTITUTE · ITVS · INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION · FORK FILMS · VPRO · DR
HONORS
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY ASSOCIATION
Emerging Documentary Filmmaker Award
FILMMAKER MAGAZINE
25 New Faces of Independent Film
INDIEWIRE
20 Directors to Watch
