Nanette Burstein

Nanette Burstein Headshot

Director • Producer

Birth Date: May 23, 1970

Age: 54 years old

Birth Place: Buffalo, New York

Director Nanette Burstein has toyed with non-fiction film's traditional boundaries throughout her work. Growing up in Buffalo, New York, she was inspired by filmmakers like Woody Allen and Francis Ford Coppola but was afraid to pursue a career in the movie industry without any connections. After studying at NYU, Burstein teamed with director Brett Morgen for their jointly-made debut, the 1999 boxing documentary "On The Ropes," which grew out of her friendship with her gym trainer Harry Keitt. The duo's aggressive use of a musical score raised eyebrows among documentary purists, but Burstein and Morgen went even further in their 2002 follow-up, "The Kid Stays In The Picture," using hallucinatory animation to illustrate the dramatic life of producer Robert Evans.

For her solo directorial debut, Burstein spent 10 months filming every day in the lives of high schoolers in Warsaw, Illinois for the controversial 2008 documentary "American Teen," whose glossy resemblance to MTV's reality series "The Hills" annoyed some critics. In 2010, Burstein made the leap to narrative film with the romantic comedy "Going The Distance," starring Drew Barrymore and Justin Long. Along with her film work, Burstein directs commercials and co-owns Manhattan pub The Half King with two war journalists, Sebastian Junger and her husband, Scott Anderson.

Credits

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost TapesStream

Director
Movie
2024
97%

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost TapesStream

Executive Producer
Movie
2024
97%

Elizabeth Taylor: The Lost TapesStream

Writer
Movie
2024
97%

Killer SallyStream

Executive Producer
Docuseries
2022

HillaryStream

Director
Miniseries
2020
78%

HillaryStream

Executive Producer
Miniseries
2020
78%

Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee

Actor
Movie
2016

Gringo: The Dangerous Life of John McAfee

Director
Movie
2016

The Price of Gold

Director
Show
2014

The Carrie DiariesStream

Director
Series
2013
84%

Don't Trust the B---- in Apartment 23Stream

Director
Series
2012
85%

Going the Distance

Director
Movie
2010

30 for 30Stream

Director
Series
2009

American Teen

Director
Movie
2008

American Teen

Film Editing
Movie
2008

American Teen

Producer
Movie
2008

American Teen

Writer
Movie
2008

The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet

Guest
Show
2007

American Shopper

Executive Producer
Movie
2007

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Director
Movie
2002

The Kid Stays in the Picture

Producer
Movie
2002

Storyville

Director
Show
2000

On the Ropes

Director
Movie
1999

On the Ropes

Film Editing
Movie
1999

On the Ropes

Producer
Movie
1999

On the Ropes

Production Sound Editor
Movie
1999

20/20Stream

Guest
News
1978

News aboutNanette Burstein