Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Encyclopedia
Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi is an award-winning film director and producer. Her first film A Normal Life won Best Documentary at the Tribeca Film Festival
in 2003. Her second film, Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love, was released in theaters in the US and internationally, and won numerous awards including the Special Jury Prize at the Middle East International Film Festival
in 2008 and a nomination for the Pare Lorentz Award at the 2009 International Documentary Association
Awards. Vasarhelyi was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2005. She lives in New York City
.
where she majored in Comparative Literature
. She worked as assistant to director Mike Nichols
on the film Closer
and has worked extensively with Emmy-Award winning cinematographer Scott Duncan documenting events such as The Dakar Rally
.
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
in 2003. Her second film, Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love, was released in theaters in the US and internationally, and won numerous awards including the Special Jury Prize at the Middle East International Film Festival
Middle East International Film Festival
Abu Dhabi Film Festival is an international film festival. Created in 2007, the ceremony is held annually in October in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates by the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage , under the patronage of Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of the ADACH...
in 2008 and a nomination for the Pare Lorentz Award at the 2009 International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association
International Documentary Association , founded in 1982, is a non-profit organization promoting documentary film, video and new media, to support the efforts of documentary filmmaking and video production makers around the world and to increase public appreciation and demand for the art of the...
Awards. Vasarhelyi was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2005. She lives in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Early life
Vasarhelyi is a graduate of The Brearley School and Princeton UniversityPrinceton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
where she majored in Comparative Literature
Comparative literature
Comparative literature is an academic field dealing with the literature of two or more different linguistic, cultural or national groups...
. She worked as assistant to director Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols
Mike Nichols is a German-born American television, stage and film director, writer, producer and comedian. He began his career in the 1950s as one half of the comedy duo Nichols and May, along with Elaine May. In 1968 he won the Academy Award for Best Director for the film The Graduate...
on the film Closer
Closer (film)
Closer is a 2004 romantic drama film written by Patrick Marber, based on his award-winning 1997 play of the same name. It was produced and directed by Mike Nichols and stars Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts, Jude Law and Clive Owen...
and has worked extensively with Emmy-Award winning cinematographer Scott Duncan documenting events such as The Dakar Rally
Dakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
.