Signe Taylor

Signe Taylor is an American documentary filmmaker and media educator based in Norwich, Vermont. Her work has received recognition at film festivals including the Chicago International Film Festival, Toronto International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival and various others.

Early life

Taylor graduated from Barnard College at Columbia University in 1987 with a Bachelor of Arts degree. She subsequently earned a Master of Arts in Communication from Stanford University's Documentary Film Program. Her Master's project was Greetings From Iraq, which explored the effects of Operation Desert Storm and the international embargo on Iraqi families.

Career

Taylor began her career in media education, collaborating with teenagers on videos addressing social issues such as conflict resolution and substance abuse. She worked as a media educator in Somerville, Massachusetts, produced segments for the PBS children's program ZOOM and directed coverage of political candidates for C-SPAN.

Taylor's directorial debut, Greetings from Iraq (1993), was a 28-minute documentary examining the humanitarian impact of Operation Desert Storm and the international embargo on Iraqi families. Completed while she was a graduate student at Stanford, the film screened at film festivals around the country and aired on public television in 1993.

Taylor's first feature-length documentary, Circus Dreams (2011), followed performers aged 12 to 18 at Circus Smirkus, the only traveling youth circus in the United States, documenting their summer in 2006 during a financial crisis for the organization. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was broadcast on PBS in 2012. It received recognition at festivals including the Seattle International Film Festival and Boston International Film Festival. The production process spanned several years, with filming completed in 2010 and post-production extending until 2017 due to funding constraints. The documentary premiered at the Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival in 2017 and was broadcast on FUSE television in 2018.

Taylor currently serves as Senior Producer at Dartmouth College, where she creates content featuring faculty, staff, and students. Her collaboration with author Kimberly Juanita Brown on "Slavery's Afterlife" received a CASE Award in 2022.

Selected awards and nominations Year Award Festival/Organization Film Result 2011 Youth Jury Award Seattle International Film Festival Circus Dreams Won 2011 Indie Spec Special Recognition Award Boston International Film Festival Circus Dreams Won 2017 Award of Merit Special Mention Impact DOC Awards It's Criminal Won 2017 Best Documentary Vermont PBS It's Criminal Won 2018 Best International Documentary Monterrey International Film Festival It's Criminal Won 2022 Best of District Case I Award Council for Advancement and Support of Education "Short Talks on Big Ideas: Slavery's Afterlife" Won

Filmography

Year Title Role(s) Type Notes 1993 Greetings from Iraq Director 28-minute documentary Master's project at Stanford; broadcast on PBS in 1993 2011 Circus Dreams Director, Producer Feature documentary Premiered at Toronto International Film Festival; broadcast on PBS in 2012 2017 It's Criminal Director, Producer Feature documentary Premiered at Los Angeles Women's International Film Festival; broadcast on FUSE in 2018