
Ora DeKornfeld
Directing
Biography
Ora DeKornfeld is a three-time-Emmy-nominated video journalist and filmmaker based in Mexico City and Tucson, Arizona. She's a former journalist at the New York Times, who uses cinematic documentary storytelling to shed light on the human condition behind the United States' most divisive political issues.
Known For

Ever wonder what's happening inside your head? From dreaming to anxiety disorders, discover how your brain works with this illuminating series.
The Mind, Explained

Four Mexican-American middle school boys in a Texas border town have developed an unusual obsession: Joseph Stalin. When their teacher tells them about the Texas State History Fair, they write a play about the Soviet dictator and his efforts to destroy all who opposed him. With cardboard props and fur hats purchased on the internet, the boys enter the competition as underdogs and leave home for the very first time.
Stalin Boys
If science allowed you to hold onto a piece of someone you lost, would you? When Christina’s fiancé dies suddenly, she faces the unexpected decision of whether or not to carry on his legacy via postmortem sperm retrieval.
Retrieval

Doris Muñoz is a young, ambitious music manager whose undocumented family depends on her ability to launch pop stars. When she loses her biggest client, Doris hustles to discover new talent and finds Jacks, another daughter of immigrants for whom "making it" isn't just a dream: it's a necessity.
Mija

At a unique training program in Southern California, people heal dogs and dogs heal people.
The School of Canine Massage

When an Arizona resident is charged with three felony counts and faces a 20-year prison sentence for helping migrants, his community grapples with moral questions posed by his arrest.
USA V SCOTT

Searching for a connection with her mysterious, austere grandfather, Ora DeKornfeld travels to his childhood home in Hungary, where she is swept up in nothing short of a fairytale. The childhood home turns out to be a castle on a 6,000-acre estate. Her grandfather was a baron, and their family was central to the economic and cultural lifeblood of the local community. Suddenly, Ora finds herself ushered through town, meeting curious locals at every corner who greet her with warm hospitality. A question emerges: why would her family leave all this behind? The town, like her grandfather, holds its painful history at arm’s length. Moving between fable and reckoning, whimsy and grief, this deeply personal film explores an identity shaped equally by what was lost and buried and what was lovingly preserved.