Signe Taylor

Last updated
Signe Taylor
NationalityAmerican
Education Barnard College (BA, 1987)
Stanford University (MA, Communication)
Occupation(s)Documentary filmmaker, media educator
Years active1992-present
Known for Greetings from Iraq , Circus Dreams , It's Criminal
Awards Seattle International Film Festival Youth Jury Award
Boston International Film Festival Indie Spec Special Recognition Award

Signe Taylor is an American documentary filmmaker and media educator based in Norwich, Vermont. [1] Her work has received recognition at film festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and various others. [2]

Contents

Early life

Taylor graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. [3] She subsequently earned a Master of Arts in Communication from Stanford University's Documentary Film Program. [4] Her Master's project was Greetings From Iraq, which explored the effects of Operation Desert Storm and the international embargo on Iraqi families. [5]

Career

Taylor began her career in media education, collaborating with teenagers on videos addressing social issues such as conflict resolution and substance abuse. She worked as a media educator in Somerville, Massachusetts, produced segments for the PBS children's program ZOOM and directed coverage of political candidates for C-SPAN. [6]

Taylor's directorial debut, Greetings from Iraq (1993), was a 28-minute documentary examining the humanitarian impact of Operation Desert Storm and the international embargo on Iraqi families. [7] Completed while she was a graduate student at Stanford, the film screened at film festivals around the country and aired on public television in 1993. [8]

Taylor's first feature-length documentary, Circus Dreams (2011), followed performers aged 12 to 18 at Circus Smirkus, the only traveling youth circus in the United States, documenting their summer in 2006 during a financial crisis for the organization. [9] The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS in 2012. It received recognition at festivals including the Seattle International Film Festival and Boston International Film Festival. [6]

It's Criminal (2017) documented a collaborative project between incarcerated women at Sullivan County Department of Corrections in New Hampshire and Dartmouth College students creating an original theatrical work. [10] The production process spanned several years, with filming completed in 2010 and post-production extending until 2017 due to funding constraints. [11] The documentary premiered at the Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival in 2017 and was broadcast on FUSE television in 2018. [12]

Taylor currently serves as Senior Producer at Dartmouth College, where she creates content featuring faculty, staff, and students. Her collaboration with author Kimberly Juanita Brown on "Slavery's Afterlife" received a CASE Award in 2022. [13]

Selected awards and nominations

YearAwardFestival/OrganizationFilmResult
2011Youth Jury Award Seattle International Film Festival Circus DreamsWon [14]
2011Indie Spec Special Recognition Award Boston International Film Festival Circus DreamsWon [15]
2017Award of Merit Special MentionImpact DOC AwardsIt's CriminalWon [16]
2017Best Documentary Vermont PBS It's CriminalWon [17]
2018Best International DocumentaryMonterrey International Film FestivalIt's CriminalWon
2022Best of District Case I Award Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Short Talks on Big Ideas: Slavery's Afterlife"Won [18]

Filmography

YearTitleRole(s)TypeNotes
1993Greetings from IraqDirector28-minute documentaryMaster's project at Stanford; broadcast on PBS in 1993
2011Circus DreamsDirector, ProducerFeature documentaryPremiered at Toronto International Film Festival; broadcast on PBS in 2012
2017It's CriminalDirector, ProducerFeature documentaryPremiered at Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival; broadcast on FUSE in 2018

References

  1. ↑ Sananes, Rebecca (2017-06-05). "New Documentary Goes Behind The Scenes Of Dartmouth Students And N.H. Inmates' Performance Showcase". Vermont Public . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  2. ↑ Stranger Staff (2011-05-18). "SIFF 2011: The Reviews Every Damn Review We Wrote, All on One Really Long Page". The Stranger . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  3. ↑ Blanding, Michael (2018). "A Bright Legacy Barnard filmmakers bring stories to light". Barnard College . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  4. ↑ Potter, Jon (2011-11-03). "Filmmaker captures joy of Circus Smirkus". Brattleboro Reformer . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  5. ↑ Coleman, Sandy (1994-02-27). "'Greetings from Iraq': A look at the consequences of war". The Boston Globe . ProQuest   2968880099 . Retrieved 2025-08-14– via proquest.com.
  6. 1 2 The Republican Entertainment Desk (2011-05-14). "Circus Smirkus documentary to be shown at Boston International Film Festival". masslive.com. The Republican . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  7. ↑ Matchan, Linda (1994-05-10). "A harrowing look inside Iraq". The Boston Globe . ProQuest   294857195 . Retrieved 2025-08-14– via proquest.com.
  8. ↑ Karkabi, Barbara (1993-03-03). "Aftermath of a war - Documentary of children in Iraq paints heart- rending picture". newsbank.com. Houston Chronicle . Retrieved 2025-08-14– via newsbank.com NewsBank.
  9. ↑ King, Loren (2011-10-21). "From premieres to a night of fright". The Boston Globe . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  10. ↑ Castillo, Monica (2018-06-09). "'It's Criminal' brings students and inmates together for conversation and performance". The Washington Post . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  11. ↑ Albright, Charlotte (2018-02-19). "Students Work With Female Inmates to Make 'It's Criminal'". Dartmouth College . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  12. ↑ Becker, Deborah; Mitchell, Zoe (2018-03-05). "Documentary Film 'It's Criminal' Brings Together Incarcerated Women And Dartmouth Students". WBUR . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  13. ↑ Demidenko, Eugene (2022-11-29). "Kudos: Jerome Powell Praises Fed Challenge Teams". Dartmouth College . Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  14. ↑ Bell, Mark (2011-06-13). "2011 SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL HANDS OUT JURY AND AUDIENCE AWARDS". Film Threat. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  15. ↑ "Boston International Film Festival Announces 2011 Winners". Boston International Film Festival. 2011-04-24. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  16. ↑ "Awards of Merit 2017". Impact Docs Awards. 2017-07-26. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  17. ↑ "VTIFF Made Here Film Festival – For Filmmakers - VTIFF". 2015-06-06. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
  18. ↑ Council for Advancement and Support of Education (2022). "Short Talks on Big Ideas: Slavery's Afterlife". Council for Advancement and Support of Education. Retrieved 2025-08-14.
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