Mark Jonathan Harris
USC School of Cinematic Arts
Mark Harris was honored to receive the 2001 Academy Award for directing and writing the feature documentary, "Into the Arms of Strangers: Stories of the Kindertransport." But he wasn't as surprised to win the award as you might think he was. After all, it was his third one.
In 1988, he received the Oscar for Best Feature Length Documentary for "The Long Way Home," and in 1968, he won the award for Best Short Documentary for "The Redwood."
In 2003, his HBO documentary, "Unchained Memories: Readings From the Slave Narratives," received two Emmy nominations; and he has also written five children’s novels and two books of non-fiction.
Harris brings his experience into the classroom, teaching classes in documentary production in the USC School of Cinematic Art's division of Film and Television Production. And as USC graduate students Tiller Russell and Loren Mendell can attest, he serves as a mentor to the student filmmakers who come to USC to learn their trade. "He's our buddy," Mendell says. Adds Russell, "His advice was always right. We found ourselves constantly saying, 'I can't believe it. Mark's right again.'"