Nancy Schwartzman

Nancy Schwartzman is a documentary film director, producer, and media strategist who uses storytelling and technology to create safer communities for women and girls. Roll Red Roll goes beyond the headlines of the notorious Steubenville, Ohio high school sexual assault case to uncover the social-media fueled “boys will be boys” culture that let it happen. Roll Red Roll premiered this April at the Tribeca Film Festival and at Hot Docs, and is currently playing at over 20 festivals. She is the recent winner of the Adrienne Shelly Foundation’s Excellence in Filmmaking Award. Roll Red Roll is her feature film debut. Her first film, The Line, a short documentary examining consent was used by the White House for a campaign around sexuality, and her follow-up film XOXOSMS, was on PBS’s POV and BBC exploring love between two teenagers, bridged by technology.

A globally recognized human rights activist, Schwartzman serves on Vice President Biden’s Advisory Council for Violence Against Women. She is a tech founder and created the White House award-winning mobile app Circle of 6 designed to reduce sexual violence among America’s youth and college students. Circle of 6 is used by over 350,000 people in 36 countries. The app is now open source and being adapted for women journalists working in Mexico. She has presented her work at the White House, the United Nations, TEDxSheffield, Good Pitch, DOCNYC and more.

Participating Sessions