Bonni Cohen

BONNI COHEN is an acclaimed documentary director and creative producer, as well as the co-founder of Actual Films and the Catapult Film Fund. Recent work includes directing In Waves & War with her partner Jon Shenk, and directing and producing The White House Effect- both of which premiered at the 2024 Telluride Film Festival.  She also produced Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore which premiered at Sundance in 2025. Other recent projects include producing the Oscar-nominated short Lead Me Home (Netflix) and directing Make A Splash (ESPN.) Prior, she co-directed the feature Athlete A, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Investigative Documentary and was a Netflix top 10 film for many weeks running. Previously, Cohen co-directed An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power, which was selected as opening night film at the Sundance Film Festival, shortlisted for the Oscars and was BAFTA-nominated for Best Documentary. 

Cohen co-directed the Peabody Award winner Audrie & Daisy, which premiered in competition at Sundance and was picked up as a Netflix Original. In addition to her directing work, Cohen produced The Island President, winner of People’s Choice Award for Documentary at the Toronto International Film Festival. Her work as producer and director on The Rape of Europa earned her both PGA and WGA award nominations and the film was Oscar shortlisted. 

Cohen has Executive Produced works for HBO, Disney+, and PBS including  Art and Craft and 3.5 Minutes, 10 Bullets, both of which were Oscar shortlisted. She strives to be a positive connector and contributor to the documentary community and continues to serve on the Catapult Film Fund Board of Directors and as a member of the PGA and the Academy of Motion Pictures’ Doc Branch.