Penny Lane

Penny Lane released her acclaimed feature-length documentary Our Nixon in 2013, which premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam and garnered significant critical acclaim. The film, which utilized never-before-seen home movies of Nixon staffers, earned the Ken Burns Award for “Best of the Festival” at the Ann Arbor Film Festival and the Best Documentary Award at the Seattle International Film Festival, both in 2013. Prior to this, Lane established her unique voice with experimental short films including The Abortion Diaries (2005), co-directed Sittin’ on a Million (2008), and The Voyagers (2010). Her distinctive approach to nonfiction storytelling was recognized when she was named one of ’25 New Faces of Independent Film’ by Filmmaker magazine in 2012, the same year she received a Creative Capital Award.

Following this success, Lane directed Nuts! in 2016, an experimental, mostly-animated documentary that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it earned the Special Jury Award for Editing. The same year, she also released Just Add Water: The Story of the Amazing Live Sea-Monkeys. She continued to challenge traditional documentary formats with Normal Appearances (2017) and The Pain of Others (2018).

Currently, Lane has several projects in development, including the feature film Wild Inside (Post-production) and Happy and You Know It (2025). She is also attached to the upcoming Mrs. America TV series slated for 2025. Complementing her filmmaking, Lane has shared her expertise by teaching film and media arts at institutions including Bard College, Hampshire College, Williams College, and Colgate University.