Grammy-nominated and Emmy-winning director and producer Lisa Cortés generates bold, explosive art that shines light on Important stories hidden from view. From executive producing the Academy Award®-winning film, Precious, to producing and directing 2023’s “enthralling documentary” (Variety Magazine) Little Richard: I Am Everything, Lisa sparks cultural change through works of unrivaled excellence.

Little Richard: I Am Everything (CNN Films) had its world premiere as the opening night selection in the  US documentary competition at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, and was nominated for 26 awards,  including a Grammy nomination for best music film. Also premiering at Sundance was Invisible Beauty,  the documentary about Black fashion industry pioneer Bethann Hardison, which she produced. In June  2023, The Space Race (National Geographic Documentary Films), premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival.  Cortés directed and produced this gripping saga of African American astronauts at NASA and in space, now  streaming on Hulu and Disney+. 

In 2020, Cortés directed and produced All In: The Fight For Democracy, tracing the violent history of the voting rights struggle. Emmy-winning HBO documentary, The Apollo (2019), which Cortés produced, explores African American cultural and political history through the story of the legendary Apollo Theater.  Cortés executive produced Precious (2009), which was nominated for six Academy Awards® and won two.  The film received the Sundance Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama. Her film productions have received over 100 international awards and nominations.  

Cortés launched her early career as a music executive at the iconic Def Jam label and Rush Artist Management; she also was VP of Artist & Repertoire at Mercury Records, and founded the Loose Cannon label. She is a graduate of Yale University. Cortés is a member of the Documentary Branch of the Academy  of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Director’s Guild of America. She serves on the Boards of Film  at Lincoln Center; Independent Television Services (ITVS); the Trajal Harrell Dance Company; Women  Make Movies and the DGA Focus on Women Committee.  

CORTÉS FILMWORKS, is an NYC-based multimedia production company founded by Lisa Cortés to  produce scripted and unscripted properties spanning music, social justice, crime, and other topics. Cortés Filmworks is committed to telling complex, powerful stories from new perspectives, and elevating the talent often overlooked by the mainstream.