
Directing
Rory Kennedy
Born 1968-12-12 · Washington, D.C., USA
Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy (born December 12, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker. Kennedy has made documentary films that center on social issues such as addiction, nuclear radiation, the treatment of prisoners-of-war, and the politics of the Mexican border fence. Her films have been featured on many television networks. She is the youngest child of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel.
Acting credits
7.0Twenty million people live within a 50-mile radius of the Indian Point Energy Center and its three nuclear reactors. This film takes a cautionary look at the possible consequences of an accident or terrorist attack on the facility--a catastrophe that could potentially render much of the Hudson River Valley and New York City uninhabitable.
Indian Point: Imagining the Unimaginable
2004
6.9Filmmaker Rory Kennedy interviews her mother, Ethel Kennedy, who discusses family, marriage and politics.
Ethel
2012
6.9In Oct. 2006, the U.S. government decided to build a 700-mile fence along its troubled 2000-mile-plus border with Mexico. Three years, 19 construction companies, 350 engineers, thousands of construction workers, tens of thousands of tons of metal and $3 billion later, was it all worth it? When Arizona recently enacted one of the most extreme immigration laws in the country, the Obama administration responded by filing a lawsuit against the state. This dispute was merely the latest symptom of a greater national problem: the lack of a comprehensive, workable U.S. immigration policy. In its place, lawmakers have resorted to a series of half-measures, the most expensive of which — the U.S.-Mexico border fence — extends through the desert 150 miles south of the Arizona state capital.
The Fence (La Barda)
2010
Behind the camera
6.9Following the highly publicized death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, the investigation continues into the once-iconic aviation giant, uncovering startling new revelations and insider accounts in the wake of a deepening corporate crisis..
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing
2026
6.9Following the highly publicized death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, the investigation continues into the once-iconic aviation giant, uncovering startling new revelations and insider accounts in the wake of a deepening corporate crisis..
Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing
2026
7.5A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time.
Queen of Chess
2026
7.2A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari
2022
7.2A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.
The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari
2022
7.1Investigators reveal how Boeing’s alleged priority of profit over safety could have contributed to two catastrophic crashes within months of each other.
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
2022
7.1Investigators reveal how Boeing’s alleged priority of profit over safety could have contributed to two catastrophic crashes within months of each other.
Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
2022
10.0A documentary short about the growing number of African children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The film was screened at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) for World Aids Day in December 1999, and before members of US Congress as part of a briefing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in April 2000.
Epidemic Africa
1999
10.0A documentary short about the growing number of African children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The film was screened at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) for World Aids Day in December 1999, and before members of US Congress as part of a briefing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in April 2000.
Epidemic Africa
1999
6.4This documentary follows the lives of the Bowling family as they fight to survive in dirt-poor Appalachia. Matriarch Iree has given birth to 13 children, but only two have left to seek better lives in Ohio while the rest have married and started their own impoverished families near home. Uneducated and unskilled, all are unemployed, and domestic violence and alcoholism pose serious problems. The filmmakers explore the family's relationships through interviews and footage of their daily lives.
American Hollow
1999
7.0This documentary profiles iconic journalist Helen Thomas who has held a front-row seat at White House press conferences for more than 60 years.
Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House
2008
A provocative examination Alec Baldwin as he faces charges of manslaughter, with a cross-examination of the American legal system and the court of public opinion.
The Trial of Alec Baldwin
2026
A provocative examination Alec Baldwin as he faces charges of manslaughter, with a cross-examination of the American legal system and the court of public opinion.
The Trial of Alec Baldwin
2026
7.3During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront a moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate only U.S. citizens.
Last Days in Vietnam
2014
7.3During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront a moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate only U.S. citizens.
Last Days in Vietnam
2014
6.6Documentary chronicling America's justice system. Follows two female inmates – victims of horrific violence and tragedy – who are serving time in a Maryland juvenile detention center.
Girlhood
2003
7.1An examination of the prisoner abuse scandal involving U.S. soldiers and detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the fall of 2003.
Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
2007
6.8The first documentary feature to explore the tragic and bizarre life of the late chess master Bobby Fischer.
Bobby Fischer Against the World
2011
Each year, mothers with mental impairment give birth to an estimated 120,000 children. Approximately half of these children remain with the mother. "Different Moms" briefly documents the lives of three mothers with mental impairment ~ Elaine Mayfield, Margaret Main, and Juanita Ingraham ~ as they raise their children of "normal", or "average", intelligence, following the challenges which they face, and overcome, on a daily basis.
Different Moms
1999
Each year, mothers with mental impairment give birth to an estimated 120,000 children. Approximately half of these children remain with the mother. "Different Moms" briefly documents the lives of three mothers with mental impairment ~ Elaine Mayfield, Margaret Main, and Juanita Ingraham ~ as they raise their children of "normal", or "average", intelligence, following the challenges which they face, and overcome, on a daily basis.
Different Moms
1999
6.4This is the remarkable story of an American icon who changed the sport of big wave surfing forever. Transcending the surf genre, this in-depth portrait of a hard-charging athlete explores the fear, courage and ambition that push a man to greatness—and the cost that comes with it.
Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton
2017
7.0Covers the key aspects of the world AIDS epidemic through powerful documentary stories about five victims and their communities, on five continents.
Pandemic: Facing AIDS
2003
7.0Covers the key aspects of the world AIDS epidemic through powerful documentary stories about five victims and their communities, on five continents.
Pandemic: Facing AIDS
2003
10.0
The Changing Face of Beauty
2000