Ben Proudfoot

Ben Proudfoot is a two-time Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker and the founder and CEO of Breakwater Studios, a Los Angeles-based production company specializing in short-form nonfiction storytelling. Proudfoot is recognized for his contributions to documentary film, particularly in the realm of short-form content. As a teenager, he competed as a sleight-of-hand magician, winning Canadian and international titles in magic competitions, and became the first international member of The Magic Castle Junior Program in Los Angeles. After being rejected from the University of Southern California's production program, Proudfoot attended the School of Cinematic Arts as a film history and theory student, where he developed creative partnerships that influenced his career.

Proudfoot's collaboration with The New York Times resulted in more than a dozen projects with significant viewership, including "A Concerto Is a Conversation," nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at the Academy Awards, and "The Queen of Basketball," which won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short Subject. "The Queen of Basketball" highlights the story of basketball pioneer Lusia Harris and marked the first Oscar win for The New York Times. Proudfoot emphasizes the real-world impact of documentary storytelling, advocating for the recognition of underrepresented figures in sports history.

His second Academy Award came for "The Last Repair Shop," co-directed with Kris Bowers. The film documents a Los Angeles workshop providing free instruments and repairs to public school students and was distributed by Searchlight Pictures. After winning the Oscar, the documentary became a highly searched title on Disney+. Proudfoot and Bowers also launched a capital campaign to upgrade instrument repair facilities in the Los Angeles Unified School District featured in the film.

Proudfoot's work includes directing and producing "MINK!," which tells the story of Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress and a key author of Title IX. The film was nominated for Outstanding Short Documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. His film "The Final Copy of Ilon Specht" received the Grand Prix in the Film category at Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity and earned additional honors in entertainment and film craft categories. Breakwater Studios' projects have been recognized by the Academy Awards, Emmys, Peabody Awards, Critics Choice Documentary Awards, James Beard Awards, Sundance Film Festival, Telluride Film Festival, and Tribeca Film Festival.

Proudfoot directed "The Eyes of Ghana," a feature-length documentary executive produced by Barack and Michelle Obama. The film explores the life of Chris Hesse, the personal cinematographer of Kwame Nkrumah, and examines Nkrumah's influence on African history. "The Eyes of Ghana" premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. Proudfoot has been named to Forbes Magazine's 30 Under 30 for his leadership in documentary filmmaking. He also founded the Vita Brevis Foundation, dedicated to advancing the art of short documentary film.