history
Henry Corra is an American documentary filmmaker best known for pioneering living cinema. His films have been exhibited worldwide in theatrical venues and broadcast on streaming outlets such as HBO, Showtime, LOGO, CBS, PBS, Arte, Channel 4, Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, Hulu, Sundance and Fandor. His work has also been exhibited in museum and cultural venues internationally including MoMA, the Louvre, the National Gallery of Art, the Pacific Film Archive and the Smithsonian Institution, and is on permanent collection at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. A Sundance and Tribeca Institute Fellow, he has also done episodic TV projects for broadcasters including MTV, VH1, Bravo, and the Sundance Channel. In addition to his long form work, Corra has been singled out as one of the foremost directors of non-fiction commercials and advocacy advertising in America with groundbreaking campaigns for clients including the American Cancer Society, The NYC Department of Health, Mercedes-Benz USA, Safeway, Accenture, Jet Blue, Starbucks, and Google.
Henry made his feature directorial debut with the award-winning “Umbrellas” (PBS/Arte, 1995), following the artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude as they fought to realize their most ambitious project, covering Japan and California with thousands of giant umbrellas. It was the artists’ most ill-fated effort, bringing them face to face with the fatal (though unintended) consequences of their work.
In 2000, Corra partnered with HBO and made a film WITH and about his son. Together they created a unique cinematic language that dramatized their relationship and confronted preconceived notions of autism. “The film (“George”) is about how we define normalcy” - Amy Taubin, The Village Voice. "The more you know, the more you care. The more you care, the more your heart will break," - Ron Wertheimer, New York Times.
“Same Sex America” (Showtime, 2005) captures a watershed moment in civil rights history through the eyes of seven couples. “It sets the standard” - Dennis Harvey, Variety
“NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell” (VH1, 2007) was nominated for 2 Arts and Culture Emmy Awards. “No single year better exemplifies this tumultuous and productive period than 1977…It's hard to find a better primer than NY77: The Coolest Year in Hell.” Alex Dunbar - Vice.
“Jack” (2009) A loving and poetic portrait of a full-blown alcoholic that challenges conventional ideas about addiction. “I love this movie, I just wish it wasn’t about me.” - Jack Elkjer
“The Disappearance of McKinley Nolan” (2010) was short-listed for the Independent Spirit Award. It follows the Nolan family from the cotton belt of rural Texas, to the battlegrounds of Vietnam, to the killing fields of Cambodia and unfolds as a mysterious fever dream. “Few modern filmmakers have the guts to craft a story that trusts the intelligence of an audience and the integrity of a story, leaving viewers with more questions than answers that a pat conclusion might provide in a cinematic wake.” - Ashely Wren Collins, Huffington Post
“Farewell to Hollywood” (2015) The life’s wish of terminally-ill Regina Diane Nicholson (age 17) leads to a deep, loving, and controversial relationship with filmmaker Henry Corra. With mortality’s clock relentlessly ticking, Reggie risks everything to fight for the life, art and love she chooses. “a searingly brave and beautiful film.” - Filmmaker Magazine.