Rachel Dretzin is an American documentary film director. She has produced and directed episodes of Frontline (1993–2011), and has directed and produced the documentary series Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey (2022) and Trust Me: The False Prophet (2026), for Netflix. Dretzin is the recipient of two News & Documentary Emmy Awards and has received nominations for a Independent Spirit Award, Cinema Eye Honors and IDA Awards.
Rachel Dretzin | |
|---|---|
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| Occupation | Documentary film director |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Early life
editDretzin graduated from Yale University where she majored in history.[1]
Career
editDretzin began her career by producing and directing episodes of Frontline for PBS.[2] The October 1999 episode directed and produced by Dretzin, The Lost Children of Rockdale County, which focused on an outbreak of syphilis among teenagers in Atlanta, won a Peabody Award.[3]
In 1996, Dretzin co-founded the production company Ark Media alongside Barak Goodman.[4] Dretzin has served as a producer on various projects produced by the company including Finding Your Roots for PBS,[5] Great Photo Lovely Life and Seen & Heard: The History of Black Television for HBO.[6][7]
In 2017, Dretzin directed the documentary feature Far from the Tree, an adaptation of the non-fiction book of the same name by Andrew Solomon, focusing on parents of children who have down syndrome, dwarfism and autism, and had its world premiere at DOC NYC, and acquired by Sundance Selects.[8][9]
Dretzin has directed and executive produced various projects for Netflix including Who Killed Malcolm X? alongside Phil Bertelsen[10] and Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey, focusing on the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and its leader Warren Jeffs.[11] In 2026, Dretzin directed a companion series Trust Me: The False Prophet following cult expert Dr. Christine Marie and her husband Tolga Katas who immersed themselves in FLDS culture and collected evidence against Samuel Bateman, who claims to be the successor of Jeffs.[12]
References
edit- ↑ "Alumni to discuss their documentary 'Far from the Tree'". Yale University. November 27, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ Mardesich, Stephanie (March 1, 2001). "Public Television's Triple Crown: In Practice". International Documentary Association. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Frontline: The Lost Children of Rockdale County". Peabody Awards. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Rachel Dretzin". Ark Media. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the series that explores race, culture and identity through genealogy and genetics, focuses on Latino ancestry in the season finale this Sunday, May 20 at 8 p.m." PR Newswire. May 17, 2012. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "HBO Original Documentary GREAT PHOTO, LOVELY LIFE: FACING A FAMILY'S SECRETS Debuts December 5". Warner Bros. Discovery. November 20, 2023. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "HBO Original Two-Part Documentary SEEN & HEARD: THE HISTORY OF BLACK TELEVISION Debuts September 9". Warner Bros. Discovery. August 28, 2025. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Far from the Tree". DOC NYC. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ Miller, Mike (April 25, 2018). "Parents of Children with Autism, Dwarfism Cope with Their Differences in 'Far from the Tree'". People. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ "Who Killed Malcolm X?". Ark Media. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ Bergeson, Samantha (May 26, 2022). "'Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey' Trailer: True Crime Docuseries Uncovers Abuse in Radical Mormon Sect". IndieWire. Retrieved April 12, 2026.
- ↑ Coulter, Christina (March 18, 2026). "Filmmakers Go Undercover Inside a Polygamist Sect Led by 'Prophet' Who Abused Girls". People. Retrieved April 7, 2026.