
James Spione
Directing
Biography
Academy Award and Emmy nominee James Spione is a director, producer, writer and editor of both documentary and fiction films.
Known For

Three National Security whistleblowers fight to reveal the darkest corners of America's war on terror, challenging a government that is increasingly determined to maintain secrecy.
Silenced

U.S. Army veteran Ethan McCord recounts his life-changing experiences at the scene of one of the most notorious events of the Iraq War: the slaying of two Reuters journalists, along with a group of mostly unarmed men, on the streets of Baghdad by American attack helicopters in July 2007.
Incident in New Baghdad

The Water Protectors at Standing Rock captured world attention through their peaceful resistance. While many may know the details, this film captures the story of Native-led defiance that forever changed the fight for clean water, our environment and the future of our planet.
Awake, a Dream from Standing Rock
Begins with the awkward return home of a young father who takes his wife and kids to an isolated woodland glade for a picnic--and builds quietly to climax of understated, shocking power.
Garden

Late one night, a mysterious young woman's casual conversation with a stranger spirals into a confrontation that threatens both their facades and lives.
Portia

Two years following an abuse of power, students and faculty at SUNY Purchase College must grapple with a changed campus community - and the lasting cost of speaking up.
Free Speech Zone

A dry comedy about a high school girl named Gilly that needs to make it through a school day of getting embarrassed in front of pretty girls, harassment, the Pacer Test, and a lack of tater tots, or she’ll get suspended for truancy.
Tater Tots

A Documentary about bird carving in the islands of Virginia.
Spirit of the Bird

Director James Spione's passionate portrait of his extended family is an intimate revelation of the inner workings of the American family farm. Unlike previous documentaries on the subject, Spione examines the impending demise of the farm where his Mom grew up as the result not of economic trends or political pressures, but rather, the increasingly strained intergenerational dynamics between family members. With extraordinary plain-spoken candor, the Ames family reveals how callous parenting and diverging religious views may have led an entire generation to turn away from the family tradition. On the other hand, the film makes abundantly clear that the work itself is still a back-breaking grind, a difficult path for even the hardiest farmer's son to follow, even in the era of air-conditioned tractor cabs. A powerful evocation of a vanishing way of life, and a moving tribute to the rare character it takes to persevere on a small American farm.