Filmmakers

Jill Godmilow (1943–2025) was an influential American independent filmmaker, writer, and teacher whose work challenged conventional approaches to documentary. Her films include Antonia: A Portrait of the Woman (1974), co-directed with Judy Collins and nominated for an Academy Award; Far From Poland (1984), about the Polish Solidarity movement; Waiting for the Moon (1987), which won the Grand Prize at the Sundance Film Festival; and What Farocki Taught (1998). Antonia was added to the National Film Registry in 2003.

Godmilow taught film production and critical studies for many years at the University of Notre Dame, where she became Professor Emerita. She was also the author of Kill the Documentary: A Letter to Filmmakers, Students, and Scholars (2022), which developed her ideas about “Post-Realist” documentary filmmaking. Her films on Folkstreams include The Popovich Brothers of South Chicago. Godmilow died on September 15, 2025, at the age of 81.