Nancy Kelly

For more than 20 years, Nancy Kelly has produced and directed independent documentary and narrative films. She developed, produced and directed the highly critically acclaimed American Playhouse Theatrical film Thousand Pieces of Gold, which stars Rosalind Chao and Chris Cooper. The film follows the journey of a young Chinese woman who comes to America during the late Gold Rush as a slave. She also produced and directed the acclaimed, award-winning documentaries Cowgirls: Portraits of American Ranch Women, Downside Up, and Sweeping Ocean Views.

Her most recent documentary, Rebels with a Cause, tells the story of the activists who fought to keep developers from taking over the Northern Californian coast, which then brought about the creation of the national seashore. Her work has been featured in film festivals around the world, including the Sundance Film Festival, San Francisco International Film Festival, National Educational Film Festival, and the American Film Festival. Her work has been exhibited at the Directors Guild of America, National Film Theater, Centres Pompidou, Gene Autry Museum, and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame.