ABOUT
Director / Producer
Sharon Liese
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING
“Liese, it turns out, has done her job all too well”
PRIMETIMER
“Liese […] approaches her subjects with the utmost respect and sensitivity”
INDIE WIRE
“Liese […] lets her subjects speak for themselves”
THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Sharon Liese is an Emmy® award-winning director and producer. Her film, THE FLAGMAKERS (NatGeo, Disney+), won the Emmy® for Outstanding Short Documentary (2023) and was Oscar shortlisted. Her short documentary, PARKER, premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and is distributed through The New Yorker. Her HBO feature documentary, TRANSHOOD, won the audience award at AFI. Sharon’s film, THE GNOMIST (CNN Films), premiered at Tribeca Film Festival (won 14 awards and attracted 16M views on CNN’s Great Big Story platform). Other films include FIGHT FOR THE FIRST (Meet The Press Film Festival) and SELFIE (Clio winner, Sundance Institute).
Sharon has also created and directed documentary series for television: PINK COLLAR CRIMES (CBS); HIGH SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (WeTV, Gracie winner), as well as served as EP & Show Runner for series on Discovery, MTV, OWN, and Lifetime. She recently directed and executive produced LET US PREY, a four-part series on Discovery ID and Max.
Awards
Best Short Documentary: The Flagmakers – 2023 Crested Butte Film Festival
News & Doc Emmy® Winner, Outstanding Short Documentary: The Flagmakers – 75th Emmy® Awards, 2023
Short List, Best Documentary Short Film: The Flagmakers – 95th Academy Awards, 2022
Best Documentary Short: The Flagmakers – 2022 SCAD Savannah Film Festival
Best Short Documentary Nominee: The Flagmakers – 2022 Critics Choice Documentary Awards
Audience Award, Short: The Flagmakers – 2022 The Columbus, Indiana YES Film Fest
Audience Award, Short Film: The Flagmakers – 2022 Denver Film Festival
Short List: The Flagmakers – 2022 DOC NYC
Official Selection: The Flagmakers – 2022 SFFilm Doc Stories
Audience Award Winner Feature Documentary: Transhood – 2020 AFI Docs Festival
Top 20 Audience Favorite: Transhood – 2020 Hot Docs Film Festival
Best Doc Feature: Transhood – 2020 Sidewalk Film Festival
Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality Documentary Award: Transhood – 2020 St Louis International Film Festival
SHOUT Feature Film Winner: Transhood – 2020 Sidewalk Film Festival
Audience Award Best Documentary: The Gnomist – 2017 Pittsburgh Film Festival
Best Kids Film: The Gnomist – 2017 Wild & Scenic Film Festival
Jury Award: The Clover & Maggie Award – In Celebration of Life: The Gnomist – 2016 Cleveland International Film Festival
Audience Choice Award for Best Overall Short Film: The Gnomist – 2016 Cleveland International Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Documentary Short: The Gnomist – 2016 Cleveland International Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Short Film: The Gnomist – 2016 Sarasota Film Festival
Jury Commendation Award for Documentary Short: The Gnomist – 2016 Durango Independent Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Documentary: The Gnomist – 2015 LA Shorts Fest
Jury Award for Best Short Documentary: The Gnomist – 2015 Minneapolis St. Paul Film Festival
Audience Award for Best Short Documentary: The Gnomist – 2015 Fairhope Film Festival
Director’s Choice: The Gnomist – 2015 Underexposed Film Festival
Jury Award for Best Short Film: The Gnomist – 2015 Free State Festival
Audience Award for Best Short Film: The Gnomist – 2015 Free State Festival
Vimeo Staff Pick: The Gnomist – 2015
Official Selection: The Gnomist – 2015 Tribeca Film Festival
Official Selection: The Gnomist – 2015 Hot Docs Film Festival
Short Form Mass Video/Film Campaign: Selfie – 2014 CLIO Image Awards
Outstanding Reality Show: High School Confidential – 2009 American Women in Radio and Television’s (AWRT) Gracie Awards
Outstanding Director: High School Confidential – 2009 American Women in Radio and Television’s (AWRT) Individual Achievement Award
Outstanding Reality Series: High School Confidential – 2008 WIN Awards
Best Producer: High School Confidential – 2008 CableFAX Program Awards