Lesley Chilcott is an award winning filmmaker, documentarian, and producer whose films tend to center on themes of social or environmental justice. In 2019 Chilcott directed the feature documentary WATSON, an action-adventure documentary about Sea Shepherd founder Captain Paul Watson, a man willing to put his own life at risk in a relentless quest to protect the oceans and the marine life within. Shot in the US, Costa Rica, and Kingdom of Tonga the film interweaves Paul’s harrowing adventures with beautiful underwater cinematography. After premiering at Tribeca WATSON was picked up by Animal Planet/Discovery where aired in 50+ countries beginning in March, 2020.
Previously, Chilcott released the documentary CODEGIRL, which follows an annual competition where high school-aged girls from around the world, from Moldova to Mexico, design an app that solves a problem in their community. Chilcott documented how exposure to technology and computer science can transform young girl’s lives. CODEGIRL was the first movie to have its premiere exclusively on YouTube before hitting theaters and other outlets, and the first film to stream on Mashable. The idea for the film came after she directed the short film CODESTARS, which garnered over 20 million views online.
Chilcott directed the feature documentary, A SMALL SECTION OF THE WORLD (2014), about a village of women coffee producers from the Talamanca mountains of Costa Rica which played at The State Department and the UN in Geneva and aired in 40 countries.
She was a producer of the 2007 Academy Award winning documentary, AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH, and she also produced the cult rock documentary IT MIGHT GET LOUD (2009), about legendary guitarists, The Edge, Jimmy Page and Jack White. Other notable Chilcott-produced films include A MOTHER’S PROMISE, the Barack Obama biographic film and WAITING FOR SUPERMAN (2010) for which she was awarded a win by the PGA for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Documentary.
Her latest project, the six-part docuseries HELTER SKELTER: AN AMERICAN MYTH premieres in July, 2020 on EPIX. Chilcott is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), Directors Guild of America, The Producers Guild of America. She directs commercials and branded content out of Bodega Studios and lives in Los Angeles and Costa Rica.