Lisa Hepner

Lisa Hepner
Born	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Occupations	Director writer producer
Years active	1996 – present

Lisa Hepner is a Canadian-American writer, documentary filmmaker, and professor. ^{[1] [2]} She is best known for directing the documentary features, The Human Trial and Women on the Frontlines. ^{[3] [4]}

Career

Lisa graduated from Victoria College at the University of Toronto in 1993. ^[5] She began her career as a journalist in Canada, but turned her writing into producing non-fiction projects when she moved to New York City. ^[5] From 1995 to 2011, she produced documentaries for the CBC, PBS, HBO, MTV, Sony Pictures Classics, working alongside directors, Michael Apted, Jonathan Demme, and Lisa F. Jackson, among others. ^[6]

In 2004, Lisa co-directed the documentary feature, Women on the Frontlines, that premiered at the United Nations in New York and aired on PBS. ^[7] Soon after, Lisa and her cinematographer husband Guy Mossman started Vox Pop Films, a production company in Tribeca. ^[5] In 2009, the couple moved to Los Angeles where Vox Pop focused on branded content and commercials. ^[6]

In 2022, Lisa directed her first documentary feature, The Human Trial. The film follows a radical stem cell treatment that might be the cure for type 1 diabetes. ^[3] Since the film's release, it has been featured in the New York Times, NPR, The National News and Forbes, as well as the CBC and the Toronto Star. ^{[8] [9]}

In 2024, Lisa executive produced SPEAK. a feature documentary that premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. ^[10] Since the film's premiere, it has been featured in Variety, Deadline, The Hollywood Reporter and IndieWire. ^{[11] [12]} She also works as an adjunct professor at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts. ^[13] Lisa is a member of the Producers Guild of America, New York Women in Film & Television, the Writers Guild of America, and Roco Voices, a speaker's platform for documentary filmmakers. ^{[6] [14] [15]}

Filmography

Year	Title	Contribution	Note
2025	Speak.	Executive producer	Documentary
2022	The Human Trial	Director, writer and producer	Documentary
2011	Dreamland	Field producer	Documentary
2011	Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope	Field producer	Documentary
2011	Buck	Field Director	Documentary
2010	Native Century	Line producer	1 Episode
2009	The Winemakers	Field producer	TV Series
2008	The Making of 'Across the Universe'	Field producer	Documentary
2008	Pressure Cooker	Post Producer	Documentary
2007	Man from Plains	Post-production supervisor	Documentary
2007	Right to Return: New Home Movies from the Lower 9th Ward	Executive Producer	TV Series
2006	Exposé: America's Investigative Reports	Coordinating producer	12 Episodes
2006	Texas Ranch House	Story Producer	8 Episodes
2005	Operation Homecoming	Field producer	TV Series
2004	Women on the Frontlines	Director and producer	Documentary
2003	Naked World: America Undercover	Producer	Documentary
2003	Married in America	Associate producer	Documentary
2000	Face to Face: The Schappell Twins	Associate producer	Documentary
2000	Life Afterlife	Co-producer	Documentary
2000	Intimate Portrait  : Cokie Roberts	Field producer	1 Episode
1998-2000	True Life	Producer	2 Episodes
1998	Molly O'Neill's New York: A Taste of the City	Co-producer	Documentary
1996	Travels with Mom	Producer	1 Episode

Awards and nominations

Year	Result	Award	Category	Work	Ref.
2023	Nominated	Humanitas Prize	Best Documentary	The Human Trial	[16]
	Won	Brussels International Film Festival	Best Documentary
2022	Won	Mumbai International Film Festival	Best Documentary Feature		[17]
	Won	Cine Paris Film Festival	Best Documentary Feature		[18]
	Won	Filmocracy Fest	Best Documentary Feature		[19]
	Won	Raw Science Film Festival	Raw Breakthrough Award in Science Communication
2014	Nominated	Clio Awards	Long Form	The Comeback Initiative	[20]
2004	Won	Golden Eagle Cine Award	Professional Telecast Non-Fiction Division	Women on the Frontlines	[21]

References

1. ""A Day In The Life" with Documentary Filmmaker Lisa Hepner". vancouverguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
2. "My life with diabetes - and search for a cure". thenationalnews.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
3. "'The Human Trial' Documents Emotional Struggle To Find Cure For Type 1 Diabetes". forbes.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
4. "Women's History Month: Peace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines". caltech.edu. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
5. "Lisa Hepner's New Documentary Explores the Search for Diabetes Cure". vicu.utoronto.ca. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
6. "2023 NYWIFT Creative Workforce STEM Summit: Day 1 at The Paley Center for Media". nywift.org. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
7. "Peace by Peace". alternet.org. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
8. "The Long, Long Wait for a Diabetes Cure". The New York Times . Retrieved 2023-09-03.
9. "'The Human Trial' raises hope for a cure for type 1 diabetes — but shows the cost of finding it is steep". thestar.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
10. "'Speak.': High Schoolers Try To Follow In Footsteps Of Springsteen, Oprah, Josh Gad As Oratory Stars — Sundance Studio". deadline.com. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
11. "'Speak.' Review: A Rousing Documentary About Five Teenagers Vying to Win an Oratory Competition". variety.com. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
12. "'Speak' Review: A Competitive Public Speaking Doc Gives a Voice to the Marginalized When It's Needed Most". indiewire.com. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
13. "School of Cinematic Arts Directory Profile". cinema.usc.edu. Retrieved 2025-04-05.
14. "Lisa Hepner". directories.wga.org. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
15. "Roco Films and Gathr Launch Documentary Speakers Bureau". variety.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
16. "Humanitas Prize Winners Include 'The Last Of Us', Tyler Perry, Cooper Raiff's 'Cha Cha Real Smooth'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved 2023-09-03.
17. "Mumbai International Film Festival". imdb.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
18. "Winners 2022". cineparisfilmfestival.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
19. "Filmocracy Touts Hybrid Festival Format". villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
20. "The Comeback Initiative". clios.com. Retrieved 2023-09-03.
21. Oldham, Gabriella (August 2012). First Cut 2: More Conversations with Film Editors. University of California Press. ISBN   9780520273504 . Retrieved 2023-09-03.

External links

• Lisa Hepner at IMDb