Directed credits
26
Established
Strong directing catalog.
Director
Stanley Nelson
Directing
Career Snapshot
ExplainedThese indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.
TMDB popularity
1.5
Low visibility
TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.
Directed movies: 23Directed series: 3All crew credits: 54
TMDB ID: 115893
IMDb ID: nm0625747
Known for: Directing
Born: July 7, 1955
Age: 71
Place of birth: New York City, New York, USA
Gender: Male
Adult content flag: No
Career span: 1976 - 2026
Years active: 51
Average TMDB rating: 6.89
Wikidata: Q7599819
Also known as
Stanley Nelson Jr.
Frequent jobs
Director (26)Executive Producer (19)Producer (3)Writer (3)Assistant Editor (1)Script Supervisor (1)Sound Recordist (1)
Biography
Stanley Earl Nelson Jr. (born June 7, 1951) is an American documentary filmmaker and a MacArthur Fellow known as a director, writer and producer of documentaries examining African-American history and experiences. He is a recipient of the 2013 National Humanities Medal from President Obama. He has won three Primetime Emmy Awards. Among his notable films are Freedom Riders (2010), Wounded Knee (2009), Jonestown: The Life & Death of People's Temple (2006), Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raise Your Voice (2005), A Place of Our Own (2004), The Murder of Emmett Till (2003), and The Black Press: Soldiers without Swords (1998).
Movies
Directed Movies
Movies directed by Stanley Nelson.
The Color of Cola
Director
2026 Movie
Critical Condition: Health in Black America
Director
2025 Movie
We Want the Funk!
Director
2025 Movie
San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood
Director
2024 Movie
Sound of the Police
Director
2023 Movie
Becoming Frederick Douglass
Director
2022 Movie
Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom
Director
2021 Movie
Attica
Director
2021 Movie
Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre
Director
2021 Movie
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
Director
2021 Movie
Vick
Director
2020 Movie
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Director
2019 Movie
The Story of Access
Director
2018 Movie
Tell Them We Are Rising: The Story of Black Colleges and Universities
Director
2017 Movie
The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution
Director
2015 Movie
Freedom Summer
Director
2014 Movie
Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas
Director
2012 Movie
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
Director
2006 Movie
A Place of Our Own
Director
2004 Movie
Beyond Brown: Pursuing the Promise
Director
2004 Movie
The Murder of Emmett Till
Director
2003 Movie
Marcus Garvey: Look for Me in the Whirlwind
Director
2001 Movie
Two Dollars and A Dream: The Story of Madame C.J. Walker
Director
1987 Movie
Series
Directed Series
Series directed by Stanley Nelson.
Black Panthers
Director • 2 eps
2020 Series
30 for 30
Director • 2 eps
2009 Series
We Shall Remain
Director • 1 eps
2009 Series
Movies
Top Rated Movies
Highest rated movies linked with Stanley Nelson.
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Director
2019 Movie
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
Director
2006 Movie
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
Director
2021 Movie
Series
Top Rated Series
Highest rated series linked with Stanley Nelson.
The Daily Show
as Self • 1 eps
1996 Series
Movies
Most Popular Movies
Most viewed movie titles linked with Stanley Nelson.
Becoming Frederick Douglass
Director
2022 Movie
Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool
Director
2019 Movie
Crack: Cocaine, Corruption & Conspiracy
Director
2021 Movie
The Inquisitor
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
We Want the Funk!
Director
2025 Movie
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
Executive Producer
2026 Movie
The Color of Cola
Director
2026 Movie
Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple
Director
2006 Movie
Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre
Director
2021 Movie
Focus Forward: Short Films, Big Ideas
Director
2012 Movie
Picket Line
Executive Producer
2017 Movie
True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
Series
Most Popular Series
Most viewed series linked with Stanley Nelson.
The Daily Show
as Self • 1 eps
1996 Series
American Experience
Writer • 1 eps
1988 Series
30 for 30
Director • 2 eps
2009 Series
Hollywood Black
as Self • 4 eps
2024 Series
We Shall Remain
Director • 1 eps
2009 Series
Black Panthers
Director • 2 eps
2020 Series
Movies
Other Crew Work in Movies
Additional movie credits for Stanley Nelson.
American Pachuco: The Legend of Luis Valdez
Executive Producer
2026 Movie
Becoming Thurgood: America's Social Architect
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
True North: Canadian Myths and Black Power
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
Sun Ra: Do the Impossible
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
The Inquisitor
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
Free for All: The Public Library
Executive Producer
2025 Movie
Sister Úna Lived a Good Death
Executive Producer
2024 Movie
Disco's Revenge
Executive Producer
2024 Movie
Bulls and Saints
Executive Producer
2023 Movie
Birthing a Nation: The Resistance of Mary Gaffney
Executive Producer
2023 Movie
Jonathan Thunder: Good Mythology
Executive Producer
2023 Movie
Sydney G. James: How We See Us
Executive Producer
2023 Movie
After Jackie
Producer
2022 Movie
Hazing
Executive Producer
2022 Movie
Lynching Postcards: Token of a Great Day
Executive Producer
2021 Movie
BOSS: The Black Experience in Business
Producer
2019 Movie
Series
Other Crew Work in Series
Additional series credits for Stanley Nelson.
American Experience
Writer • 1 eps
1988 Series
Movies
Acting Appearances in Movies
Movie cast credits for Stanley Nelson.
A Place of Our Own
as Self - Narrator (voice)
2004 Movie
Series
Acting Appearances in Series
Series cast credits for Stanley Nelson.
Hollywood Black
as Self • 4 eps
2024 Series
The Daily Show
as Self • 1 eps
1996 Series