Anne Aghion, a renowned filmmaker, has embarked on a diverse range of projects, spanning from rural Rwanda to the ice fields of Antarctica and the slums of Managua, garnering widespread critical acclaim for her unique and poetic vision.
As a director, Aghion has been praised for her ability to convey a strong sense of the people and places she covers, earning her numerous honors, including the UNESCO Fellini Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, an Emmy, and the Human Rights Watch International Film Festival's Nestor Almendros Award for courage in filmmaking.
Her feature documentary "My Neighbor My Killer" marks the culmination of nearly a decade of filming in post-genocide Rwanda, where she has chronicled the emotional impact of the Gacaca Law, a daring experiment in reconciliation and justice. This system of local open-air courts adjudicates genocide crimes, and returns killers to their homes in exchange for confessions.
Throughout her career, Aghion has divided her time between New York and Paris, initially working in editorial and administrative capacities at The New York Times Paris bureau and the International Herald Tribune. She later transitioned into filmmaking, collaborating with renowned directors such as Richard Leacock, Valérie Lalonde, and Judith Abitbol, and producing documentaries for major cable networks like Canal+ and ARTE.
Aghion's achievements have been recognized with prestigious awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2005, and repeat grants from the Soros Documentary Fund, the Sundance Documentary Fund, and the United States Institute of Peace. She has also received funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Compton Foundation, and the Peter S. Reed Foundation, thanks to the significant impact of her documentary "Gacaca."
Anne Aghion holds a Bachelor of Arts Magna Cum Laude in Arab Language and Literature from Barnard College at Columbia University in New York, and spent two years living in Cairo following her studies.
