Biography

Iwerks graduated with a BA from the University of Southern California.

In 1999, Walt Disney Pictures released her first feature documentary, The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story, chronicling the life of her grandfather, Ub Iwerks.

In 2000, Iwerks began working on numerous ethnographic documentaries in Guatemala which culminated in the film Recycled Life (2006), which was nominated for an Academy Award in the Short Documentary category. The film documented the lives of Guatemalans who live and work in the landfill in Guatemala City, Guatemala.

The Pixar Story (2007) was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Nonfiction Special category.

Iwerks released Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible (2010), which chronicles the developments of visual effects house Industrial Light & Magic. The documentary is narrated by Tom Cruise and features interviews with George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, Ron Howard, Robin Williams, J.J. Abrams, Jerry Bruckheimer, Samuel L. Jackson, Seth Green, Jon Favreau, and various ILM visual effects supervisor.

Iwerks' short environmental documentary Pipe Dreams (2011), about the controversy behind the Keystone XL pipeline, was narrated by Daryl Hannah and won the Ashland Independent Film Festival award for Best Documentary Short.

Iwerks' 2012 documentary, Citizen Hearst, premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival. The film is narrated by William H. Macy, and features interviews with Oprah Winfrey, Dan Rather, Mark Burnett, Ralph Lauren, Donna Karan, Bob Iger, Leonard Maltin, Dr. Oz, Heidi Klum and various members of the Hearst family and company.

In 2013, Iwerks was honored by the San Luis Obispo International Film Festival with the festival's Spotlight Award.

Current projects

Iwerks is currently producing and directing a feature-length documentary on the history of Walt Disney Imagineering, the division responsible for designing Disney theme parks and other attractions.

Filmography

Year	Film	Credited As	Awards/Film Festivals
1999	The Hand Behind the Mouse: The Ub Iwerks Story	Producer, Director, Writer	Official Selection Buffalo International Film Festival, Official Selection Philadelphia Film Festival, Official Selection Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Official Selection Hiroshima International Animation Festival
2004	The Ride	Director, Co-Producer	Best Picture X-Dance Film Festival, Official Selection Hawaii International Film Festival
2006	Pixar's 20th Anniversary Special	Executive Producer, Director, Writer
	Recycled Life	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor, Cinematographer	Academy Award Nomination for Best Documentary Short, Best Documentary Short Tahoe/Reno International Film Festival, Best Documentary Short Newport Beach International Film Festival, Best Documentary Short San Luis Obispo International Film Festiva, Best Documentary Short Ojai International Film Festival, Best Documentary Short Mendocino International Film Festival,Official Selection SXSW Film Festival, Official Selection Calgary Underground Film Festival
2007	The Pixar Story	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor	Emmy Nomination for Outstanding Nonfiction Special, Official Selection San Louis Obispo Film Festival, Official Selection Santa Barbara Film Festival, Official Selection Future Film Festival Bologna, Italy
2009	Downstream	Director, Writer	Official Selection Ojai International Film Festival, Official Selection Edmonton International Film Festival, Official Selection Calgary International Film Festival
	Dirty Oil	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor	Official Selection Calgary International Film Festival, Official Selection Global Visions Film Festival, Official Selection Hamptons International Film Festival, Official Selection Tri Continental Film Festival, Official Selection Wakefield International Film Festival
2010	Industrial Light & Magic: Creating the Impossible	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor	Official Selection Future Film Festival Bologna, Italy, Official Selection Annecy International Animation Festival, Official Selection FMFX Computer Animation Festival Stuttgart, Germany
2011	Pipe Dreams	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor, Cinematographer	Best Documentary Short Ashland Independent Film Festival, Official Selection Santa Barbara International Film Festival, Official Selection San Francisco Green Film Festival, Official Selection Omaha Film Festival, Official Selection Environmental Film Festival - Washington D.C.
2012	Citizen Hearst	Producer, Director, Writer, Editor	Official Selection Hamptons International Film Festival, Official Selection San Luis Obispo International Film Festival
2016	The Imagineering Story

[ Source: Wikipedia ]