Nancy Buirski obit

Nancy Buirski, ‘The Loving Story’ Director and Full Frame Doc Festival Founder, Has Died

She was not on the list.

Nancy Buirski, the award-winning documentary filmmaker known for “The Loving Story” and “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy,” has died.

Her production company Augusta Films shared the news of her death on Wednesday in a statement, writing, “Nancy’s extensive and rich body of work delved into a wide range of social, cultural and historical issues with keen insight, humanity and above all, artistry.”

Buirski directed 2011’s “The Loving Story,” a documentary about the Supreme Court case of Loving v. Virginia, which led to the landmark civil rights decision that struck down state laws banning interracial marriage. She received a News & Documentary Emmy for outstanding historical programming, long form, as well as a Peabody Award.

In 1998, Buirski founded the Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, which spotlights independent documentary filmmakers from around the world. She served as director of the festival until 2008.

Buirski’s most recent documentary, “Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of the Midnight Cowboy,” premiered at the Venice and Telluride Film Film Festivals in 2022; the film was nominated for the Venezia Classici Award and Queer Lion at Venice.

Her other films include “A Crime on the Bayou,” “The Rape of Recy Taylor,” “By Sidney Lumet” and “Afternoon of a Faun.” Buirski also served as a producer on “Time Piece,” “Althea,” “American Masters” and “Loving,” the Oscar-nominated drama directed by Jeff Nichols and starring Ruth Negga and Joel Edgerton. She and Nichols co-wrote the screenplay for the 2015 feature.

Buirski is survived by her sister Judith Cohen and her niece and nephew Erica and Ted Rosen.

Producer

The Donner Party

executive producer

In Development TV Mini Series

 

Gunfighter Paradise

executive producer

Post-production

 

Endangered

producer

Completed Short

 

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy (2022)

Desperate Souls, Dark City and the Legend of Midnight Cowboy

7.7

producer

2022

 

A Crime on the Bayou (2020)

A Crime on the Bayou

6.5

producer

2020

 

Recy Taylor in The Rape of Recy Taylor (2017)

The Rape of Recy Taylor

6.7

producer

2017

 

American Masters (1985)

American Masters

8.2

TV Series

producer

2014–2017

3 episodes

 

Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga in Loving (2016)

Loving

7.0

producer (produced by)

2016

 

Sidney Lumet in By Sidney Lumet (2015)

By Sidney Lumet

7.2

producer (produced by)

2015

 

Althea (2014)

Althea

7.2

producer

2014

 

Private Violence (2014)

Private Violence

6.9

consulting producer

2014

 

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq (2013)

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq

7.2

producer

2013

 

The Loving Story (2011)

The Loving Story

7.6

producer

2011

 

Time Piece

7.0

producer

2006

 

Sweet Dreams (2006)

Sweet Dreams

8.6

consulting producer

2006