Don Hardy is an award-winning filmmaker who has made films about wrongful convictions, terrorism, chemicals, international aid, and music. His films are often very personal while illuminating social justice issues and inequities in our world.
Please List the Title of Your Film at BIFF 2025
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What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
When I was twelve, I watched a documentary that changed my life. The Thin Blue Line, a film by Errol Morris, helped free a man from death row. It blew my mind that a movie could have such a profoundly positive effect on the world. It changed everything for me and put me on a quest to find a way to make documentaries myself. My first feature documentary, Witch Hunt, is about people wrongly convicted of crimes and the corrupt justice system that led to these incarcerations.
Who is (are) your favorite filmmakers?
Errol Morris
Francis Ford Coppola
David Fincher
Jonathan Demme
Matthew Heineman
Spike Jonze
Sarah Polley
PTA
What are you working on that no one knows about?
There are so many things. I’m really excited about a project I’m developing about injustice in a small town near where I grew up in upstate New York.
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
I’d love to say Bradley Cooper, but it would probably be Zach Galifianakis, which is totally fine. He’s adorable.
Popcorn with buttery topping
Boogie Nights
