Field of Vision is a nonprofit filmmaking organization that was a fiscally sponsored project of First Look Media until it became independent in 2022. ^{1 2} Field of Vision funds and produces several short documentaries a year, most of which cover left-of-center social and political issues, including immigration, race, and gender. ³

Field of Vision has received Oscar recognition for its films, including for its financial support for 2024 “Best Documentary” No Other Land and 2020 “Best Documentary Feature” American Factory. ^{4 5 6 7}

In November 2020, Field of Vision’s then-parent company, First Look Media, separated from Field of Vision co-founder Laura Poitras. Poitras claimed she was fired for speaking out against First Look Media and its investigative journalism publication, The Intercept, which Poitras claimed failed to protect a source who leaked classified information; First Look denied the allegation and claimed the separation was a contract non-renewal that resulted from Poitras pursuing her own independent projects. ^{8 9}

Background

Field of Vision was founded in 2015 by Charlotte Cook, Laura Poitras, and A.J. Schnack as a project of First Look Media, the left-wing media nonprofit founded with funds from eBay founder Pierre Omidyar. ^{7 10} First Look Media has several other brands under its media umbrella, including news outlet The Intercept, comic website the NIB, entertainment and culture site Topic, and investigative journalism and filmmaking outlet First Look Institute. ^{11 12 13}

Field of Vision branched out on its own as an independent nonprofit organization in 2022, after which it sought new financial sponsors. It continues to sponsor the production of approximately a dozen short-form documentaries per year. ^{7 2}

A.J. Schnack stepped down from his role as co-creator and executive producer at Field of Vision in 2017. ⁷ Laura Poitras, who produced the Oscar winning Citizenfour about Edward Snowden, stepped down as co-creator and executive producer at Field of Vision in 2019. At the time, Poitras said she wanted to pursue filmmaking full-time. She later alleged she was fired for criticizing its then-parent company, First Look Media, and its main publication, the Intercept; First Look denied the allegation and claimed the separation was a contract non-renewal that resulted from Poitras pursuing her own independent projects. ^{8 8}

Initiatives

The main function of Field of Vision is to support and produce various documentaries. It also acts as a filmmaker and documentary network publishing hub that publishes interviews with filmmakers, news, and articles through its Field Notes initiative, an online publication. ^{14 15 16 17}

Field of Vision also has a mentorship program and an apprenticeship program through which it offers filmmakers consulting and advice on the creative and business processes of filmmaking and allows filmmakers to practice with others. ^{18 19} The group also offers filmmakers a free legal clinic in partnership with Lawyers for Reporters. The legal clinic helps journalists, filmmakers, and reporters navigate Freedom of Information requests and adhere to laws on copyright and content distribution. ²⁰

Field of Vision offers a digital security clinic in partnership with Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF). The clinic seeks to equip journalists and filmmakers with the technological skills necessary to protect their footage, devices, and communication. ^{21 22}

Field of Vision operates a project called If/Then, which is a fund and mentorship program for short documentaries  that seeks to elevate stories of those who face what it calls “barriers to access” in the filmmaking industry. If/Then’s 2024 theme was the “Nature Connection Pitch,” which encouraged on independent filmmakers to produce documentaries related to environmentalism and “reconnecting to nature and the outdoors.” ²³

In 2021, If/Then collaborated with Hulu to create the If/Then x Hulu Short Documentary Lab, a new space for nonfiction storytellers to produce short films. The program was awarded to four different filmmaking teams which were each awarded $25,000 in grants. Preference was given to stories dealing with left-of-center social issues such as gender, LGBT interests, and people of color. Black or Indigenous filmmakers, people of color, women, LGBT people, recent immigrants, and individuals who identify as having a disability were all given preference in the awarding of If/Then x Hulu Short Documentary Lab grants. ²⁴

Recognition

Field of Vision provided financial support for No Other Land, a pro-Palestinian documentary that received an Academy Award for “Best Documentary” at the 2025 Oscars. The film, set in the West Bank, was produced by two Palestinians and two Israelis and was the first ever Oscar win for Palestinian filmmakers. The film portrayed Israel as an oppressive regime engaged in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians living in the disputed territories. ^{4 5 6}

Field of Vision has had other Oscar-winning and nominated films. Field of Vision’s American Factory won an Oscar in 2020 for “Best Documentary Feature.” ²⁵ Field of Vision’s other “Best Documentary Feature” Oscar-nominated films include Ascension, a documentary on the economic conditions in modern China; Strong Island, an investigative film about the 1992 murder of a Black man and his murderer; and Hale County This Morning, This Evening, a documentary on the Black community in Hale County, Alabama. ^{7 26 27 28}

Departure of Laura Poitras

In October 2019, IndieWire reported that then-co-creator and executive producer of Field of Vision, Laura Poitras, was stepping down from her role at the organization. The article suggested Poitras’ move away from Field of Vision was to return her focus to full-time filmmaking. ⁸

In January 2021, Poitras wrote a blog post claiming that she had been fired from First Look Media, a company she co-founded and the parent company of Field of Vision and the investigative journalism publication, The Intercept. She said she was fired in November 2020 after she publicly criticized The Intercept’s handling of the case of Reality Winner, a former National Security Agency (NSA) intelligence specialist who, in 2017, sent The Intercept classified documents about Russian interference in the 2016 United States presidential election. Federal investigators traced the documents back to Winner before The Intercept published its story, and Winner was sentenced to prison for the leak. ⁸

Poitras accused First Look Media of failing to protect its source and subsequently attempting to cover up its failure. Poitras accused First Look of betraying its values and mission. Poitras claimed that at the time of her separation, she was told it was effective immediately and without cause, her email access was removed, and she was told the company had no plans to communicate her separation to the public. In the open letter she wrote following her separation, Poitras said, “First Look Media and The Intercept were founded upon Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing and the investigative journalism that Glenn Greenwald and I all risked our lives to bring to the public, exposing the National Security Agency’s illegal global mass surveillance programs.” Poitras then claimed that, in firing her and failing to protect Reality Winner, First Look and The Intercept were “exposing the gulf between the organization’s purported values and its practice.” ⁹

Poitras claimed to be proud of her work with Field of Vision, which she saw as “supporting filmmakers with uncompromising artistic and political vision who reach wide audiences and recognition.” ⁹

First Look denied that the separation was a firing and claimed the separation was a contract non-renewal that resulted from Poitras pursuing her own independent projects. The organization further denied Poitras’s allegation that the separation resulted from her speaking to the media about the Winner case. ²⁹

Leadership

Charlotte Cook is a co-creator and the executive producer at Field of Vision, in addition to being a curator, writer and producer. Prior to Field of Vision, she was the director of programming at Hot Docs, North America’s largest documentary festival. In London, Charlotte was the head of film programming at the Frontline Club. She has also worked with BBC Storyville, the Channel 4 BritDoc Foundation’s Puma Creative Catalyst Fund, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival. ³⁰

Kristen Fitzpatrick is the managing director at Field of Vision. Before joining Field of Vision, Fitzpatrick held several roles in film, including as the director of acquisition and distribution at Women Make Movies, the production and impact director at A Moment in Time Productions, a board member of NewFest, and a programmer at Spectacle Theater in Brooklyn. Fitzpatrick is also a JustFilms Rockwood Fellow. ³¹

Financials

Although Field of Vision became an independent entity in 2022, it still received financial sponsorship from its former parent company, the First Look Media, through 2024. The First Look Institute’s 2023 tax return shows that it approved a $9 million grant to Field of Vision to support its operations through December 2024. ³²

1. “About.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/about
2. Welk, Brian. “Documentary Company Field of Vision Spins Off as Independent Studio.” IndieWire. December 13, 2022. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/field-of-vision-independent-studio-1234791404/
3. “Home.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/
4. “MacArthur Foundation (@MacArthur Foundation), Post.” X. March 2, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://x.com/macfound/status/1896386032305832193
5. Carrey, Matthew. “Doc Talk Podcast Debates Oscar Results And Travels To The True/False Film Fest.” Yahoo News. March 4, 2025. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://uk.news.yahoo.com/doc-talk-podcast-debates-oscar-001129469.html?guccounter=1&guce_referrer=aHR0cHM6Ly9tYWlsLmdvb2dsZS5jb20v&guce_referrer_sig=AQAAAEzK0_NiW_so9pXSA_paloYCAskUJdLTpGqe4v4n1k1QjNbKjNmbnV9UdT3FY3K6YLNHrF-l1rT5MQILcjiLnGl7oZDRoUkRlyqP-keT838mYUmZ-ziUWqSXl0D_JiFtXwnX6I9z5tlEfMAMj6RFCSxfhrN37mvHbPSpLdOh4tj3
6. “Documentary Magazine – Winter 2024/2025.” International Documentary Association. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.documentary.org/magazine/winter-2024
7. Morfoot, Addie. “Doc Powerhouse Field of Vision Shops Four Films, Seeks New Backers at Sundance.” Variety. January 25, 2023. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://variety.com/2023/film/news/field-of-vision-sundance-seeking-new-backers-1235502226/
8. Lindahl, Chris. “Laura Poitras Says She Was Fired From First Look Media Over Reality Winner Controversy (Corrected).” IndieWire. January 14, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/intercept-laura-poitras-fired-first-look-media-1234609499/
9. “Open Letter (updated) – Laura Poitras.” Praxis Films. January 14, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.praxisfilms.org/open-letter-from-laura-poitras/
10. “Here’s Who’s Backing Glenn Greenwald’s New Website”. 2013. Huffpost. Accessed January 2 2018. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/15/glenn-greenwald-pierre-omidyar_n_4103026.html.
11. “Home.” First Look Media. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.firstlook.media/
12. “About.” First Look Media. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.firstlook.media/about
13. “Home.” First Look Institute. Accessed MArch 10, 2025. https://www.firstlookinstitute.org/
14. “Features.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/features
15. “Filmmaker Interviews.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/filmmaker-interviews
16. “News and Resources.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources
17. “Field Notes.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/field-notes
18. “Our Free Mentorship & Consultation is Re-Launching.” Field of Vision. December 13, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources/office-hours-2024-2025
19. “Apprenticeships.” Field of Vision. October 14, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources/apprenticeships
20.  “Free Legal Clinic for Documentary Freelancers in the US.” Field of Vision. January 31, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources/legal-clinic-2021
21. “Field of Vision and Freedom of the Press Foundation Launch Fourth Installment of the Digital Security Clinic for Filmmakers.” Field of Vision. July 31, 2024. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources/digital-security-clinic-2024
22. “Digital Security for Filmmakers – Home.” Digital Security for Filmmakers. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.digitalsecurity.film/
23. “If/Then.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/if-then
24. “If/Then x Hulu Short Documentary Lab.” Field of Vision. January 15, 2021. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/news-and-resources/if-then-x-hulu-short-documentary-lab
25. “American Factory – Awards.” IMDB. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt9351980/awards/
26. “Ascension.” IMDB. Accessed March 1o, 2025. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14505430/
27. “Strong Island.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/features/strong-island
28. “Hale Country This Morning, This Evening.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 1o, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/features/hale-county-this-morning-this-evening
29. Lindahl, Chris. “Laura Poitras Says She Was Fired from First Look Media Over Reality Winner Controversy (Corrected).” IndieWire, January 22, 2021. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/intercept-laura-poitras-fired-first-look-media-1234609499/.
30. “Staff – Charlotte Cook.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/staff
31. “Staff – Kristen Fitzpatrick.” Field of Vision. Accessed March 10, 2025. https://fieldofvision.org/staff
32. First Look Institute, Inc. – 2023 Federal Form 990, Schedule N. ProPublica. Accessed March 9, 2025. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/800951255/202423209349322902/IRS990ScheduleN