Profile

Nina Davenport has made five feature-length documentary films, all of which have won awards at film festivals, been broadcast on television stations around the world, and received critical recognition.

Her first film, HELLO PHOTO (1994), a poetic and cinematic essay about her travels in India, premiered at the Rotterdam International Film Festival and won “Best Documentary” at Melbourne. Her second film, ALWAYS A BRIDESMAID (2000), a humorous and poignant account of her love-life, aired on HBO/Cinemax and on Channel Four’s “True Stories.” Davenport’s third film PARALLEL LINES (2003), a lyrical road movie about her journey from California back home to New York in the aftermath of 9/11, premiered at IDFA and aired on the BBC series “Storyville.”

OPERATION FILMMAKER (2007) explored the relationship between filmmaker and subject, as it followed an Iraqi film student who traveled from war-torn Iraq to a Hollywood movie set: it premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and aired on the PBS series “Independent Lens.” FIRST COMES LOVE (2012), which follows Davenport’s journey into motherhood, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2012 and was broadcast on HBO in July of 2013. Davenport studied filmmaking at Harvard College (BA, 1990), where her mentors were Robb Moss, Ross McElwee, and Robert Gardner.

After graduating from Harvard, she became a Teaching Assistant in the Visual & Environmental Studies Department, where she taught students about all aspects of film production. Davenport has given talks at many universities and institutions, such as The New School and The Smithsonian and has been a fellow at Yaddo and The Bogliasco Foundation. She is the recipient of numerous grants, including from the National Endowment for the Arts and Harvard’s Film Study Center. She has worked as a cinematographer on many independent films.

Education

BA - Visual & Environmental Studies | Harvard

Selected work

Annie J. Howell

Faculty, MFA in Film

Emilie Upczak

Visiting Faculty, MFA in Film

Damon Davis

Faculty, MFA in Film

Marya Cohn

Faculty Chair, MFA in Film

Daphne McWilliams

Visiting Faculty, MFA in Film