Steven Cantor
Steven Cantor is an American film and television director and producer. Eight of his films have been nominated for Primetime Emmy Awards, with two winning, including the 2022 Outstanding Documentary prize for When Claude Got Shot. While as a student in graduate school, Cantor was nominated for an Academy Award for his first film, Blood Ties.
Notable works include the films Twyla Moves, Citizen Ashe, Hood River, Tent City, USA, Unraveled, No One Dies in Lily Dale, Reporter with Nicholas Kristof, I Am an Animal, What Remains, Loudquietloud: A Film about Pixies, American Masters: Willie Nelson, Devil's Playground, and Dancer. Cantor directed and executive produced the HBO unscripted series Family Bonds, and has executive produced other television series through his Stick Figure Productions banner. In 2017, Cantor produced STEP, documenting the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. It premiered at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize and sold to Fox Searchlight.
Biography
Cantor graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television. He is the founder of NY based Stick Figure Productions, which he ran for 12 years, prior to selling it in 2013 to Ora, the digital network owned by Carlos Slim Helu. In 2016, Cantor reacquired the company from the Slims and is now once again the sole proprietor.Film
Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann was nominated for a 1994 Academy Award in the category of Best Short Subject Documentary; examines photographer Sally Mann's pictures of her children.Devil's Playground explores the supposed tradition in Amish culture called Rumspringa; the film follows several Amish teenagers who leave their communities to explore the non-Amish world. At some point they must decide whether to commit to the strict rules of the Amish Church, or leave their families behind to join "English" society. The film spawned a reality series, "Amish in the City", which Cantor's Stick Figure banner executive produced, as well as a non-fiction book Rumspringa by Tom Shachtman.
American Masters: Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving is an inside look at an American icon as he deals with two families, his relations and his nearly lifelong bandmates.
What Remains studies a further project of Mann's, a provocative photo series exploring the way in which nature assimilates the body once life has left it, directly confronting American attitudes towards death. The film screened first at The Sundance Film Festival in 2006 before premiering on HBO.
loudQUIETloud follows the ups and downs of alternative music group the Pixies in their unexpected reformation and the reunion tour. I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA is acandid and introspective look at the extreme beliefs and motives of Ingrid Newkirk, the British-born co-founder and driving force behind People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the world's largest animal-rights organization.
Reporter follows journalist Nicholas Kristof to the Democratic Republic of Congo to investigate the growing humanitarian crisis. No One Dies in Lily Dale explores the idyllic community of Lily Dale, a small town boasting the world's largest concentration of mediums. Unraveled scrutinizes prominent lawyer Marc Dreier's financial crimes, and depicts his struggle to come to terms with the aftermath of his actions. Tent City, U.S.A. looks at a homeless community in Nashville, Tennessee. Chasing Tyson is a documentary about Evander Holyfield's career defining quest for respectability by beating his notorious rival.
Dancer is a documentary about the life of talented but controversial ballet phenom, Sergei Polunin. STEP documents the senior year of a girls' high-school step dance team against the background of inner-city Baltimore. Between Me and My Mind is a documentary about Phish frontman Trey Anastasio. What Will Become of Us is a documentary about Sir Frank Lowy, the self-made billionaire and founder of Westfield Corporation. When Claude Got Shot is a documentary that follows three families for four years as they wind through the criminal justice system, physical rehabilitation, and personal and family trauma, all stemming from one fateful weekend. Citizen Ashe explores the tennis career of Arthur Ashe and his impact on tennis and HIV activism. Hood River is about a high school soccer team in a small Oregon community that struggles to overcome class and racial divide in a quest for both individual and team success. Satisfied is a look behind the scenes at the making of the hit musical Hamilton, through the eyes of the female star, Renée Elise Goldsberry. In partnership with Amblin Entertainment. I'm Your Venus investigates the legacy and unsolved murder of Venus Xtravaganza, a star of Paris Is Burning.
Four Down is the survival story of Nick Schuyler following a tragic boating accident that cost the lives of three friends, including two NFL stars. Executive produced by Mark Wahlberg and Snoop Dogg.
Television
Amish in the City is a film in which, during the traditional "trying-out-the-world" season of rumspringa, five Amish young adults become roommates with six non-Amish city folk. Cultures collide in this reality-TV offering.Family Bonds, explores the lives of the Evangelistas, a family of bail bondsmen and bounty hunters in Long Island. The Biz, is about nine contestants competing to become the president of their own record label under Warner Music Group. #1 Single, documents the dating life of singer Lisa Loeb. Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane, documents the life and Baby Phat fashion empire of former model Kimora Lee Simmons. Repossessed!, is about "repo men" who repossess peoples' possessions.
Amish: Out of Order, documents Mose Gingerich, an Ex-Amish man living in Missouri, and the group of Ex-Amish youths he guides and helps to adapt to English society. American Gypsies, is a look into the clandestine world of gypsies, through the eyes of one of the most powerful families in New York, the Johns Family.
Catching Hell ; is about a team of underwater spear fishermen battle the challenges of the seas, while trying to eke out a living. The Mask with Henrik Lundqvist, is a series that features Lundqvist in one-on-one interviews with his celebrity friends as they design the perfect goalie masks.
30 for 30 Shorts, inspired by ESPN's anniversary, ESPN Films' 30 for 30 is a documentary series featuring films from various storytellers.
The Collectors is a film in which the staff of the blog FiveThirtyEight tell the stories of professional statisticians, such as the official scorer at a baseball game, a U.S. Census taker or meteorologist. 30 for 30 is a collection of documentary films focused on sports. Born in Synanon is a film in which Cassidy Arkin searches for truth about Synanon, the program she grew up in which descended into a cult.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1994 | Blood Ties: The Life and Work of Sally Mann | Director/producer | Nominated — Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject) |
| 1996 | Recon | Director/producer | |
| 2000 | Bounce: Behind the Velvet Rope | Director/producer | |
| 2001 | Crossover | producer | |
| 2002 | Devil's Playground | Producer | Nominated — Emmy Award |
| 2002 | Willie Nelson: Still is Still Moving | Director/producer | Won — Emmy Award |
| 2003 | The AMC Project | Executive producer | |
| 2004 | Slasher | Producer | |
| 2004 | Amish in the City | Executive Producer | |
| 2004 | Family Bonds | Executive producer | Nominated — Emmy Award |
| 2005 | What Remains | Director/Producer | Nominated — Emmy Award |
| 2005 | The Biz | Executive producer | |
| 2006 | #1 Single | Executive producer | |
| 2006 | loudQUIETloud: A film about the Pixies | Director/producer | |
| 2007 | James Blunt: Return to Kosovo | Director/producer | |
| 2007 | I Am an Animal: The Story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA | Producer | |
| 2007–2008 | Kimora: Life in the Fab Lane | Executive producer | |
| 2009 | Reporter | Producer | Nominated — Emmy Award |
| 2009 | Inside: Night Shift – Repo Men | Executive producer | |
| 2009 | Guardian Angels | Executive producer | |
| 2009–2010 | Repossessed! | Executive producer | |
| 2010 | Amish at the Altar | Executive producer | |
| 2010 | Amish: Out of the Order | Executive producer | |
| 2011 | Tent City, U.S.A. | Producer | |
| 2011 | No One Dies in Lily Dale | Producer | Nominated — Emmy Award |
| 2011 | Unraveled | Producer | |
| 2012 | Amish: Out of Order | Executive producer | |
| 2012 | American Gypsies | Executive producer | |
| 2013 | 30 for 30 Shorts | Executive producer | |
| 2014 | Catching Hell | Executive producer | |
| 2014–2015 | The Collectors | Executive producer | |
| 2015 | 30 for 30 Shorts | Executive producer | |
| 2015 | 30 for 30 | Producer | |
| 2015 | Chasing Tyson | Director | |
| 2015 | The Mask with Henrik Lundqvist | Executive producer | |
| 2015 | Spike Lee's Lil Joints and of the Son: The Legacy of David & Jackie Robinson | Executive producer | |
| 2016 | Dancer | Director | |
| 2017 | STEP | Producer | |
| 2018 | Ballet Now | Director | |
| 2019 | Between Me and My Mind | Director | |
| 2019 | What Will Become of Us | Director | |
| 2021 | When Claude Got Shot | Producer | Won - Exceptional Merit In Documentary Filmmaking 2022 |
| 2021 | Citizen Ashe | Producer | |
| 2021 | Hood River | Director/producer | |
| 2021 | Relentless | Executive producer | |
| 2021 | Twyla Moves | Director |