
Sam Pollard
- Known for
- Directing
- Born
- April 20, 1945
- Birthplace
- Harlem, New York, USA
Samuel D. Pollard (born 20 April, 1945; Harlem) is an American documentary director, producer and editor. His films have garnered numerous awards such as Peabodys, Emmys, and an Academy Award nomination. In 2020, the International Documentary Association gave him a career achievement award. Spike Lee, whose films Pollard has edited and produced, described him as being "a master filmmaker." Henry Louis Gates Jr. characterizes his work in this way: "When I think about his documentaries, they add up to a corpus — a way of telling African-American history in its various dimensions."
Filmography
- The Sound of Philadelphia
The Sound of Philadelphia TBA
Director
- Counting The Ballots
Counting The Ballots TBA
Director
- Murder in America: The Lynching of Emmett Till
Murder in America: The Lynching of Emmett Till TBA
Director

Tutu 2026
Director

Full Circle: The First All Black Everest Ascent 2026
Executive Producer

The Lorraine 2026
Director

Water Cooler 2026
Executive Producer

Natchez 2026
Executive Producer

Teaching America 2025
Executive Producer

The Perfect Neighbor 2025
Executive Producer

This Is Not a Drill 2025
Consulting Producer

I Was Born This Way 2025
Director

Keeper 2024
Executive Producer

Ol' Dirty Bastard: A Tale of Two Dirtys 2024
Director, Producer, Supervising Editor

Black Table 2024
Executive Producer

South to Black Power 2023
Director

Carlos 2023
Producer

LIFT 2023
Executive Producer
- The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools
The Harvest: Integrating Mississippi's Schools 2023
Director, Producer

The League 2023
Director

Max Roach: The Drum Also Waltzes 2023
Producer, Director

Subject 2023
as Self

Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power 2022
Director

The Picture Taker 2022
Editorial Consultant
- Rise and Rebuild: A Tale of Three Cities
Rise and Rebuild: A Tale of Three Cities 2022
Director

Outta the Muck 2022
Executive Producer

Citizen Ashe 2021
Director

Hold Your Fire 2021
Consulting Producer

A Crime on the Bayou 2021
Consulting Producer

Civil War (Or, Who Do We Think We Are) 2021
Executive Producer

Black Art: In the Absence of Light 2021
Director, Producer

MLK/FBI 2020
Director

D. Wade: Life Unexpected 2020
Producer

Shared Legacies: The African-American Jewish Civil Rights Alliance 2020
Consulting Producer

Mr. SOUL! 2018
Director

Wrestle 2018
Consulting Producer

Maynard 2017
Director, Writer

Sammy Davis, Jr.: I've Gotta Be Me 2017
Director

Acorn and the Firestorm 2017
Producer, Director, Writer

The Talk: Race in America 2017
Director

Two Trains Runnin' 2016
Director

August Wilson: The Ground on Which I Stand 2015
Director
- Style Wars In The Cutting Room
Style Wars In The Cutting Room 2014
as Himself / Editor of Style Wars

Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women 2014
Executive Producer

Remote Area Medical 2013
Editor

Venus and Serena 2012
Editor

Joe Papp in Five Acts 2012
Editor

Slavery by Another Name 2012
Director

Gerrymandering 2010
Editor
- Mr. Soul: Ellis Haizlip and the Birth of Black Power TV
Mr. Soul: Ellis Haizlip and the Birth of Black Power TV 2010
Director

By the People: The Election of Barack Obama 2009
Editor
- Chinatown Film Project
Chinatown Film Project 2009
Director
- Love That Movie
Love That Movie 2009
Director, Writer

Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun 2008
Director
- Marvin Gaye: What's Going On
Marvin Gaye: What's Going On 2008
Director, Writer

Pete Seeger: The Power of Song 2007
Editor

Lillie & Leander: A Legacy of Violence 2007
Editorial Consultant

John Ford/John Wayne: The Filmmaker and the Legend 2006
Director

Inside Man 2006
Additional Editing

Isn't This a Time! A Tribute Concert for Harold Leventhal 2004
Editor

Jim Brown: All-American 2002
Co-Producer

The Chinatown Files 2001
Consulting Editor

The Making of 'Bamboozled' 2001
Director, Producer

Half Past Autumn: The Life and Works of Gordon Parks 2000
Editor

Bamboozled 2000
Editor

4 Little Girls 1997
Editor, Producer

Girl 6 1996
Editor

Clockers 1995
Editor

Surviving the Game 1994
Editor

Goin' Back to T-Town 1993
Director, Producer

Juice 1992
Editor

Jungle Fever 1991
Editor

Mo' Better Blues 1990
Editor

A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly 1988
Editor

Langston Hughes: The Dream Keeper 1987
Editor

Private Resort 1985
Editor

Style Wars 1984
Editor

Metropolitan Cats 1983
Editor

Body and Soul 1981
Editor

Night of the Zombies 1981
Editor

Forever Young 1981
Editor

The Little Players 1981
Editor

Ganja & Hess 1973
Assistant Editor
Credits from TMDB.