Biography
Scott’s debut feature film, Peace Officer, won both the Grand Jury and Audience Awards for best documentary at the SXSW Film Festival. Scott’s films have played at Hot Docs, Full Frame, Montclair, Camden, Traverse City, New Zealand International, Melbourne International, Taiwan, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Scott was one of ten documentary filmmakers featured in Variety Magazine’s “Docu-makers to Watch” list in 2015. Scott cut his teeth in documentary working for Ross McElwee at Harvard University on his film In Paraguay. Ross helped guide Scott’s first film titled Only the Pizza Man Knows, which was broadcast internationally for over a year on the satellite cable network BYUtv. Scott worked as the Documentary Arts Director for Spy Hop Productions and the Sundance Institute’s youth documentary workshops. While living in San Francisco for graduate school, Scott shot, directed, and edited short films for Project Runway’s season six. Scott received his MFA in documentary cinema from San Francisco State University and also earned an MA degree in Anthropology from UW-Madison. He is fluent in the Thai and Lao languages and has shot several documentaries in Southeast Asia. He is currently an Assistant Professor of non-fiction film at Brigham Young University in Provo, UT.
Research Interests
I direct and produce non-fiction films that explore complex social issues through the lens of individual stories. My films look at how social issues affect individuals and families. With a background in sociocultural anthropology, my films explore themes and threads that highlight problems and movements of culture within many societies. The regions I focus on (but aren't limited to) include: Southeast Asia, the United States, Scotland, and others.Teaching Interests
Documentary/Non-Fiction film production, Documentary History and Theory, Film Production, Storytelling, Digital Media, New Media, Cinematography, Ethnography and AnthropologyEducation
- Master of Arts, Anthropology , Sociocultural Anthropology, University of Wisconsin-Madison (2012)
- Master of Fine Arts, Cinema , Documentary Cinema, San Francisco State University (2012)
- BA, Theatre and Media Arts , Asian Studies, Brigham Young University (2007)
Honors and Awards
- Best Director, Lost Weekend Film Festival 2021 (2021 - 2021)
- Best Film, Lost Weekend Film Festival 2021 (2021 - 2021)
- Best Narrative Feature, Desertscape International Film Festival (2021 - 2021)
- Best Supporting Actress, Lost Weekend Film Festival (2021 - 2021)
- Review in "Variety" Magazine, Variety Magazine (2021 - 2021)
- Review in Indiewire online magazine, Indiewire Online Magazine (2021 - 2021)
- Review in the New York Times (for Stop & Go), New York Times (newspaper) (2021 - 2021)
- SXSW Film Festival World Premiere (for "Recovery" now titled "Stop & Go"), SXSW Film Festival (2021 - 2021)
- World Premiere at Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, Visions du Reel: International Film Festival Nyon (2021 - 2021)
- Rotten Tomatoes 100% Score (for Peace Officer), Rotten Tomatoes (2015 - 2021)
- Best Narrative Feature Film (for "The Killing of Two Lovers"), Atlanta Film Festival (2020 - 2020)
- Sundance Film Festival World Premiere, NEXT Category for "The Killing of Two Lovers", Sundance Film Festival (2020 - 2020)
- BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Film Festival for Independent Cinéma) South American Premiere 2019 for "The Insufferable Groo", BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Film Festival for Independent Cinéma) (2019 - 2019)
- Best Documentary for "The Insufferable Groo", Stockholm Independent Film Festival (2019 - 2019)
- Best Documentary Feature for "The Lonely Master", Association for Mormon Letters (2019 - 2019)
- Best Documentary for "The Insufferable Groo", Film Quest International Film Festival (2018 - 2018)
- Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival, (World Premiere) for "The Insufferable Groo", Sheffield International Documentary Film Festival (2018 - 2018)
- Best Documentary Winner, Associaton for Mormon Letters (2016 - 2016)
- Outstanding Achievement in a Debut Feature Film nomination (for "Peace Officer"), Cinema Eye Honors (2016 - 2016)
- Unforgettables List, honoring “the unique collaboration between filmmakers and their subjects,” , Cinema Eye Honors (2016 - 2016)
- AFI DOCS / NBC Universal Impact Grant, AFI DOCS / NBC (2015 - 2015)
- Audience Award for Documentary Feature, Montclair Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- Audience Award for Documentary Feature, South by Southwest Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- Best Documentary Feature , IndieWire 2015 South by Southwest Critics Survey (2015 - 2015)
- David Carr Award for Truth in Non-Fiction Filmmaking, Montclair Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- Full Frame Documentary Film Festival, NEW DOCS Program, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- Grand Jury Prize for Documentary Feature, South by Southwest Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- HotDocs Canadian International Documentary Festival (International Premiere), World Showcase Program, HotDocs Canadian International Doc. Festival (2015 - 2015)
- Named to Variety’s 10 Documakers to Watch list, Variety Magazine (2015 - 2015)
- Official Selection, Traverse City Film Festival, Traverse City Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
- The Kathleen Bryant Edwards Award for Human Rights, Full Frame Documentary Film Festival (2015 - 2015)
Memberships
- University Film and Video Association (2012 - Present)
- International Documentary Organization (2008 - Present)
Professional Citizenship
- Other, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards, 40th Annual (2019 - Present)
- Other, The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Emmy Awards, 39th Annual (2018 - Present)
- Media Interview, CBC Radio (2018 - 2018)