Draft:Breakwater Studios
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Comment: In accordance with the Wikimedia Foundation's Terms of Use, I disclose that I have been paid by my employer for my contributions to this article. Arslonga4655 (talk) 00:07, 7 May 2025 (UTC)
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film |
| Founded | 2012 |
| Founder | Ben Proudfoot |
| Headquarters | |
| Services | Film Production |
| Website | breakwaterstudios.com |
Breakwater Studios is an Academy Award®-winning filmmaking company based in Los Angeles, California specializing in short documentary films. The company is known for its focus on humanist storytelling.
Founded in 2012 by Canadian filmmaker Ben Proudfoot, Breakwater Studios was named after the protective seawall Proudfoot and his father built on the south shore of Nova Scotia when he was 12. Following a model inspired by Old Hollywood studios, the company integrates all creative departments of the filmmaking process within a single campus, spread across multiple buildings in Los Angeles' Los Feliz neighborhood.
In addition to a slate of award-winning original films, Breakwater Studios has collaborated with brands to produce short documentaries and docuseries as an alternative to traditional advertising.
History
[edit]Early Years and Founding (2011–2013)
[edit]While attending the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, Proudfoot directed Dinner with Fred (2011), a live-action short film that showcased many of the hallmarks that would define Breakwater Studios' style, including an original orchestral score and bold cinematography. In the same year, he directed his first short documentary, Ink & Paper (2011). The film went viral, earning a Vimeo Staff Pick.
Upon graduating in 2012, Proudfoot established Breakwater Studios in a small rented office in the original building in which Disney Bros Studios was founded in 1923.
Growth and Experimentation (2013–2016)
[edit]In 2013, Breakwater Studios embarked on its first feature documentary, Rwanda & Juliet (2016). The studio also released The Ox (2013), a portrait of master woodworker Eric Hollenbeck. The film earned a Vimeo Staff Pick and set the tone for Breakwater’s signature character-focused storytelling approach.
In 2015, the Canadian government funded Life’s Work (2015), a documentary series profiling six master craftspeople. Life’s Work earned five Vimeo Staff Picks and further established Breakwater’s reputation for high-quality, cinematic shorts.
In 2016, Breakwater Studios began exploring the branded documentary format, producing Why This Road: Dan Portelance (2016) in collaboration with Charles Schwab. This marked a turning point, allowing the studio to grow through forging partnerships between brands and artists. After three years in production, Rwanda & Juliet premiered at Sheffield DocFest in 2016.
Breakthrough Years (2017–2020)
[edit]In 2017, Breakwater Studios partnered with Gigi Pritzker’s Madison Wells, becoming one of the first venture-backed branded film studios. The studio released Kunstglaser (2017), a portrait of stained-glass craftsman Norbert Sattler.
In 2018, Breakwater released George (2018), a hybrid documentary with live-action elements about a Canadian soldier’s experience in World War I, premiering on the 100th anniversary of the war’s end. The film starred the late Canadian actor John Dunsworth and screened as part of an ongoing exhibit at the Army Museum Halifax Citadel.
In 2019, the studio’s That’s My Jazz (2019) which features Milton Abel Jr., the former head pastry chef of Michelin-star restaurant The French Laundry, premiered at Tribeca Film Festival. The film later won a James Beard Media Award for Best Documentary.
In August 2019, Breakwater collaborated with The New York Times for the first time, releasing The King of Fish and Chips (2019) as an Op-Doc. The film profiled Haddon Salt, the unsung founder of H. Salt Esq. Fish & Chips a 1960s fast-food restaurant specializing in British-style fish and chips that was bought–then sold–by KFC. Its success led to the production of Almost Famous, a four-episode anthology series profiling individuals who came shockingly close to historical fame, including Kim I Am (2019) which features Kim Hill, the original singer of the Black Eyed Peas who quit the band in 2000, The Lost Astronaut (2019) which features Ed Dwight, the would-be first Black American astronaut whose rise in NASA was thwarted due to alleged prejudice and The Other Fab Four (2019) which features The Liverbirds, Britain’s first all-female rock band and peers to The Beatles.
In 2020, the studio released Cause of Life, an Emmy-nominated New York Times Op-Doc series memorializing individuals lost to COVID-19.
The New York Times and First Academy Award® (2021–2024)
[edit]The partnership between Breakwater Studios and The New York Times produced some sixteen films including A Concerto is a Conversation (2021) which was nominated for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 93rd Academy Awards® after screening at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. The film was directed by Ben Proudfoot and Kris Bowers, and executive produced by Ava DuVernay.
Breakwater partnered with the Los Angeles Times to launch LA Times Short Docs, a new short-documentary platform. The first film, The Beauty President (2021), features Terence Alan Smith A.K.A. Joan Jett Blakk, the first American drag queen to run for president. The film was directed by Whitney Skauge, executive produced by Lena Waithe and had its premiere at SXSW.
The Queen of Basketball (2021), a film about Lusia Harris, the first woman officially drafted into the NBA and a pioneer in women's basketball, won the Oscar® for Best Documentary Short Subject at the 94th Academy Awards®. In his acceptance speech, Director Ben Proudfoot advocated for the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner while she was detained by Russian authorities in February 2022 for the possession of cannabis oil and later released in December 2022 in a prisoner-swap. The film was executive produced by Shaquille O’Neal and Stephen Curry and made history as the first Oscar® win for The New York Times. The film was part of four more films—The Queen of Basketball (2021), The Unchosen One (2021), The Silent Pulse of The Universe (2021), and The First Report (2021)—produced within the Almost Famous series released by New York Times Op-Docs.
The Silent Pulse of the Universe (2021) features astronomer Jocelyn Bell Burnell whose instrumental role in the discovery of pulsars was not recognized when the Nobel Prize went to her professors Antony Hewish and Martin Ryle. The First Report (2021) features Jason Berry, the Louisiana reporter who broke the Catholic Church sex abuse scandal in the 1980s before it gained traction. The Boston Globe covered the story in 2002, receiving a Pulitzer Prize and inspiring the Academy Award-winning feature film Spotlight. The Unchosen One (2021) features Devon Michael who, as a child actor in the 1990s, was shortlisted to play young Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, but ultimately did not get chosen.
In 2022, the studio released If You Have (202), a UNICEF-backed documentary executive produced by Sofia Carson, Orlando Bloom, and Lucy Liu, highlighting global vaccine distribution efforts.
Two more Breakwater films were released by The New York Times. MINK! (2022) tells the story of Patsy Takemoto Mink, the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress and who helped author the Title IX law prohibiting sex-based discrimination in education. The film was executive produced by Naomi Osaka and was nominated for an Outstanding Short Documentary at the 44th News and Documentary Emmy Awards. The Best Chef in the World (2022) tells the story of Sally Schmidt, the original owner and cook of The French Laundry before it became the world-renowned Michelin-star restaurant run by celebrity chef Thomas Keller.
Second Academy Award® and Major Partnerships (2024–Present)
[edit]On March 10, 2024, Breakwater Studios founder Ben Proudfoot became the first person born in the 1990s to win a second Academy Award®, this time for The Last Repair Shop, his second collaboration with composer and filmmaker Kris Bowers and the first Oscar® for The Los Angeles Times. The film documents the work of artisans employed by Los Angeles Unified School District who restore and maintain over 130,000 musical instruments provided at no cost to students. The documentary was distributed by Searchlight Pictures, an arm of The Walt Disney Company.
In 2024, ESPN Films partnered to release Breakwater’s short documentary film Motorcycle Mary (2024) that features Mary McGee, the first woman to road race motorcycles in U.S. history and first person ever to solo the infamous Baja 500 on a motorbike. The film was directed by Haley Watson and produced by Rachel Greenwald while Proudfoot and seven-time Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton served as executive producers.
In 2024, Netflix acquired The Turnaround (2024), Breakwater’s short documentary about Jon McCann, a devoted Philadelphia Phillies fan who helped spark a standing ovation for struggling shortstop Trea Turner. The film was directed by Philadelphia-born filmmaker Kyle Thrash. Proudfoot served as co-director and producer. The film was produced in partnership with Major League Baseball, Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Cookie Jar and A Dream Studios, and the Barack and Michelle Obama-led Higher Ground Media.
In March 2025, Proudfoot announced that Breakwater Studios is producing its second full-length documentary, which is set in Ghana. No additional details, including the release date, have been revealed.
Advocacy and Social Impact
[edit]Breakwater Studios focuses on social advocacy through the art of documentary filmmaking, often highlighting underrepresented voices and communities. The studio’s work is based on the belief that the short documentary is one of the most accessible forms of entertainment due to its runtime and its ability to spark discussions on critical social issues.
The Queen of Basketball (2021) not only introduces audiences to female basketball player Lusia Harris’s remarkable achievement, but also underscores the broader issue of gender disparities in sports. Its Academy Award® win increased public recognition of Harris’s legacy, inspiring renewed discussions about the visibility and recognition of female athletes.
Another of the studio’s most notable films, The Last Repair Shop (2023), highlights the role of music education in public schools and the challenges faced in sustaining public arts programs. Following the film’s Academy Award® win, the conversation around music program funding in public schools gained momentum, prompting advocacy efforts and new initiatives aimed at preserving arts education.
In February 2024, at a screening at Hollywood High School, Breakwater Studios and LAUSD Education Foundation announced the launch of a $15 million fundraising campaign to ensure the future of the repair shop featured in the film. The funds aim to build “an apprenticeship program for the next generation of craftspeople, augment highly specialized equipment and make facility improvements to increase the number of instruments serviced annually”(ref).
In 2024, Breakwater Studios established The Vita Brevis Foundation to provide support for short documentaries and a new generation of storytellers.
Filmography
[edit]Feature Films
[edit]| Release Date | Title | Director | Distributor | Co-Production Companies | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Rwanda & Juliet | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | N/A | 2016 Phoenix Film Festival Copper Wing Award for Best Documentary
2016 Red Rock Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary Feature 2016 Parrsboro Film Festival Audience Award for Favorite Feature Film 2015 Nevada International Film Festival Special Jury Award for Best Documentary Feature |
| TBA | (Untitled Ghana Feature) | Ben Proudfoot |
Short Films
[edit]| Release Date | Title | Director | Distributor | Co-Production Companies | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Dinner With Fred | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | N/A | 2011 Tulsa International Film Festival Award for Best Short Film, Best Director (Short Film)
2011 Flint Film Festival Award for Best Short Film 2011 Southern California Business Film Festival Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Adam John Harrington) 2011 Van Wert Independent Film Festival Award for Outstanding Original Score 2011 Redemptive Film Festival Award for Best Student Short |
| 2012 | ink&paper | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | N/A |
| 2013 | The Ox | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | Honorable Mention – 2014 Atlantic International Film Festival’s Atlantic Canadian Award for Best Film, Atlantic Short Award for Best Short |
| 2015 | Stone | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | N/A |
| 2015 | Ladybug | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | N/A |
| 2015 | Fibre & Wood | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | N/A |
| 2015 | Rust | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | 2015 Raindance Film Festival Webfest Award for Best Director |
| 2015 | Mother Earth | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | N/A |
| 2016 | Montage: Great Film Composers and the Piano | Joey Forsyte | Prime Video | Twilight Merengue Studios | 2018 Los Angeles Area Emmy Award for Best Independent Programming |
| 2017 | Kunstglaser | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | 2017 Red Rock Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary Short |
| 2017 | A Love Letter to Lisbon | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | N/A |
| 2018 | Still Here | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | N/A |
| 2018 | George | Ben Proudfoot | Breakwater Studios | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | That’s My Jazz | Ben Proudfoot | The Atlantic | N/A | 2020 James Beard Media Award for Best Documentary
2020 The Webby Awards People’s Voice Award for Video: Best Editing |
| 2019 | The King of Fish and Chips | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | Kim I Am | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | N/A |
| 2019 | The Other Fab Four | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | 2020 Coronado Island Film Festival Audience Award for Documentary Short |
| 2019 | The Lost Astronaut | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | 2021 FLICKFAIR Film Festival Best Picture
2021 Cleveland International Film Festival AwardBest Black Cinema Short 2020 Port Townsend Film Festival Special Jury Commendation Award, Audience Award for Best Documentary Short 2020 Loft Short Film Festival Audience Award Nominated – 2020 IDA Award for Best Short Documentary Nominated – 2020 AFI Docs Festival Grand Jury Prize for Short Documentary |
| 2020 | A Concerto is a Conversation | Ben Proudfoot, | The New York Times | N/A | Nominated – 2021 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)
2021 San Francisco International Film Festival Special Jury Award for Best Family Film 2021 Woods Hole Film Festival Jury Award for Best Documentary Short, Audience Award for Best Documentary Short 2021 Cleveland International Film Festival Best Black Cinema Short 2021 Cordillera International Film Festival Special Jury Award for John Singleton Impact Award 2021 Indy Shorts International Film Festival Jenni Berebitsky Legacy Award 2021 Shorts México Special Jury Mention 2023 Echoes Film Festival Award for Best Documentary Film Special Mention |
| 2020 | The Last Supper | Michael Risley | Breakwater Studios | Drive LA Films/JUMP 42 | N/A |
| 2021 | The Silent Pulse of the Universe | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | Finalist – 2022 FOCAL International Awards |
| 2021 | The First Report | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | The Unchosen One | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | N/A |
| 2021 | The Beauty President | Whitney Skauge | Los Angeles Times | Hillman Grad Productions | 2021 Mountainfilm Women in Film Award
2021 Outfest Los Angeles LGBTQ+ Film Festival Freedom Award |
| 2021 | The Queen of Basketball | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | 2022 Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject)
2021 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Short Documentary Nominated – 2022 Peabody Award for Best Documentary 2021 Palm Springs International ShortFest Best Documentary 2021 Sulmona International Film Festival Best Documentary Short Best Editing 2021 Nevada City Film Festival Best of Fest, Best Short Documentary 2022 The Webby Award for Video: Documentary: Shortform |
| 2022 | If You Have | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | UNICEF | 2022 Better Cities Film Festival Award for Best Film and Best of the Best |
| 2022 | MINK! | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | Hana Kuma | 2022 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score - Short Film (Documentary)
2023 Nominated – News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Short Documentary Shortlisted – 2022 IDA Award for Best Short Documentary |
| 2022 | The Best Chef in the World | Ben Proudfoot | The New York Times | N/A | 2023 Key West Film Festival Award for Best Documentary Short Film
Honorable Mention – 2023 Women’s International Film Festival |
| 2022 | Never Done | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | Publicis Sapient | |
| 2023 | Forgiving Johnny | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | Publicis Sapient | |
| 2023 | The Last Repair Shop | Ben Proudfoot, | Searchlight Pictures, Los Angeles Times | N/A | 2024 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Film
2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Short Documentary Nominated – 2023 Critics Choice Documentary Award for Best Score 2024 Music + Sound Award for Best Original Composition in A Short Film Nominated – 2023 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score (Short Film, Documentary) Nominated – 2024 Black Reel Award for Outstanding Short Film Nominated – 2024 ASTRA Award for Best Short Film Nominated – 2024 ASCAP Composer Choice Awards for Documentary Score of The Year Shortlisted – 2024 Cinema Eye Honors |
| 2024 | Everybody’s Business | Ben Proudfoot | N/A | ||
| 2024 | Motorcycle Mary | Haley Watson | ESPN | N/A | 2024 Hollywood Music in Media Award for Best Score - Short Film (Documentary) |
| 2024 | The Turnaround | Ben Proudfoot, | Netflix | Higher Ground Productions, A Cookie Jar and A Dream Studios, Major League Baseball | Nominated – 2024 Critics’ Choice Documentary Award for Best Sports Documentary, Best Short Documentary
Nominated – 2024 Hollywood Music In Media Award for Best Original Score - Short Film (Documentary) |
| 2025 | The Final Copy of Ilon Specht | Ben Proudfoot | TED, Prime Video, AMC+ | TRAVERSE32, L’Oreal Paris, McCann Worldgroup | 2025 BrandStorytelling Director Award for Documentary
2025 Sedona International Film Festival Audience Choice Award for Best Documentary Short 2024 HollyShorts Film Festival Award for Best Documentary 2024 Lunenberg DocFest Award for Best Short Doc and Best Atlantic Filmmaker 2024 Chelsea Film Festival Award for Best Documentary Short 2024 Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival Award for Best Short Film 2024 Coronado Island Film Festival Audience Award for Best Documentary Short |
| 2025 | The First Rain | Ben Proudfoot | Los Angeles Times | N/A | |
| 2025 | Doc Albany | Ben Proudfoot | Publicis Sapient |
Docuseries
[edit]| Year | Title | Distributor | Co-Production Companies | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Life’s Work: Six Conversations with Makers | Breakwater Studios | Craft Alliance Atlantic Association | 2015 Raindance Film Festival Webfest Award for Best International Webseries |
| 2019 - 2021 | Almost Famous | The New York Times | N/A | Nominated – 2020 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding New Approaches: Arts, Lifestyle and Culture
Nominated – 2020 IDA Award for Best Short Form Series |
| 2020 | Cause of Life | The New York Times | N/A | Nominated – 2021 News and Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Arts, Culture or Entertainment Coverage |
| 2023 - 2024 | Flowers | YouTube | YouTube | 2024 Anthem Award for DEI: Best Influencer Collaboration and DEI: Film, Video, Television or Show
2024 Clio Entertainment Award for Branded Entertainment & Content 2024 Gold Telly Award for Branded Content: Campaign/Series - Non-scripted Documentary 2024 Silver Telly Award for Branded Content: Campaign/Series - DEI: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion 2024 Bronze Telly Award for Branded Content: Campaign/Series - Brand Collaboration (Use of Creator, Celebrity & Influencer) |