Alison Klayman
Born1984 (age 39–40)
EducationBrown University

Alison Klayman (born 1984) is an American filmmaker and journalist best known for her award-winning 2012 documentary Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry.[1]

Life and career

Klayman grew up in Philadelphia and graduated from Brown University in 2006 with a bachelor of arts degree in history. After her studies she went on a five-month trip to China with a college classmate and wound up staying to learn Chinese and work. She has contributed to PBS Frontline, National Public Radio and The New York Times.[2]

After meeting artist Ai Weiwei while filming his exhibit for a local gallery, she started shooting footage for a longer documentary in December 2008.[3][1][4] Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Special Jury Prize and a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Award.[5]

Klayman's documentary on Abercrombie & Fitch focused on the store's success and controversies, including its racist and exclusionary practices.[6] White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch was released on Netflix in 2022.[7]

In that same year, Klayman also released "Unfinished Business," a documentary centered on the WNBA, primarily the New York Liberty, one of the league's original franchises. The film centered upon the Liberty's debut season along with the rest of the league in 1997 as well as their 25th anniversary campaign in 2021. ""Unfinished Business," to me, means that there's a potential that has yet to be fulfilled for this league and its place in the culture," Klayman told Geoff Magliocchetti of Sports Illustrated. It stands for progress for women, trans, gay, black athletes, and so many things. But, fundamentally, I do think the biggest thing that this film talks about is the WNBA's trajectory."[8]

Klayman is Jewish.[9]

Filmography

Awards and honors

  • Alfred I. DuPont-Columbia Award[10]
  • Alliance of Women Film Journalists[10]
  • Ashland Independent Film Festival[10]
  • DGA Award nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary[10]
  • Filmmaker Magazine "25 New Faces of Independent Film"[11]
  • New York Times International List of 20 Directors to Watch[12]
  • Sundance Film Festival – Special Jury Prize for Spirit of Defiance[10]
  • Taiwan International Documentary Film Festival[10]

References

  1. 1 2 Rohter, Larry (July 20, 2012). "Inside the Documentary 'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  2. ↑ "Alison Klayman | HuffPost". HuffPost. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  3. ↑ Dargis, Manohla (July 26, 2012). "'Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry,' on the Chinese Artist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ Hawksley, Rupert (November 26, 2013). "Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry – Alison Klayman, the woman who showed the world Ai the man". ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Graduate School of Journalism Announces 14 Winners of the 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Awards". Columbia News. December 19, 2012. Archived from the original on December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 27, 2017.
  6. ↑ Gleiberman, Owen (April 17, 2022). "'White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch' Review: How Youth Fashion Turned Fascist". Variety. Retrieved April 23, 2022.
  7. ↑ White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch. Netflix.
  8. ↑ Magliocchetti, Geoff (May 24, 2023). "EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker Alison Klayman Talks Liberty Doc 'Unfinished Business'". Sports Illustrated.
  9. ↑ Garcia, Maria (March 28, 2019). "Documentarian Alison Klayman takes the long view on Stephen Bannon in 'The Brink'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved April 29, 2019.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Alison Klayman". IMDb.
  11. ↑ "Alison Klayman". July 20, 2011.
  12. ↑ "20 Directors to Watch". The New York Times.
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