Matthew Heineman

Matthew Heineman (born November 30, 1983) is an American documentary filmmaker, director, and producer. He found early success with the documentary film Cartel Land, which received critical acclaim, fetching an Academy Award nomination for Best Documentary Feature Film, a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Documentary, and winning three Primetime Emmy Awards. Heineman founded his New York–based production company Our Time Projects, Inc., in 2009, which released his first documentary about American youth named Our Time. His 2021 film The First Wave won the Pare Lorentz Award from the International Documentary Association and was nominated for seven Emmy Awards.

Heineman's career span from 2006 onwards has been studded with high-profile documentary works tackling huge, complicated subjects such as vigilantism, border security, and drug war. He was born and grew up in Washington D.C., in a Jewish family and majored in history at Dartmouth College. His career began with a road trip across the U.S., shooting video along the way, which led to his documentary Our Time. Heineman worked with HBO, mentored by director Susan Froemke and producer John Hoffman, which enabled him to work on The Alzheimer's Project, a significant documentary series by HBO. His work includes directing and co-producing a five-part television docu-series The Trade, covering the opioid crisis from various perspectives. Notable works include his documentary film City of Ghosts, following a group of citizen-journalists exposing the horrors of ISIS. His admiration is seen in the awards he won including the Courage under Fire Award from the International Documentary Association in recognition of bravery in pursuit of the truth.