Jon Shenk

Jon Shenk is a founder, director, and producer at Actual Films. A member of the Academy of Motion Pictures, Arts, and Sciences, he has produced and photographed dozens of documentaries for PBS, the BBC, A&E, Bravo, CBS, NBC, and National Geographic. His features include The Island President and Lost Boys of Sudan. As a first-time filmmaker, he chronicled George Lucas and the making of Star Wars: Episode 1 — The Phantom Menace in the documentary The Beginning. Previously, Shenk was a documentary producer and director at Lucasfilm and JAK Films. His films have won an Emmy Award and the Independent Spirit Award and Best Documentary at Toronto International Film Festival.

Jon Shenk has directed and photographed many award-winning films. Most recently, Jon co-directed and photographed AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER which was selected to be the opening night film of the 2017 Sundance Film Festival and will be released by Paramount in summer 2017. In 2016 Jon co-directed and photographed AUDRIE & DAISY, which premiered in competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up as a Netflix Original film. In 2011 Jon directed THE ISLAND PRESIDENT, winner of the 2011 TIFF’s People’s Choice Award and IDA’s Pare Lorentz Award. Jon was awarded the 2004 Independent Spirit Award for directing LOST BOYS OF SUDAN. Shenk was the DP for the 2008 Academy Award-winning SMILE PINKI, and he won an Emmy for BLAME SOMEBODY ELSE, 2007.