Margaret Lazarus is an independent documentary film producer and director. Her documentary film Defending Our Lives won the Academy Award for Best Short Documentary Film. Throughout her career she has combined her political activism with documentary filmmaking. She began by producing a weekly public affairs program for television in Boston.

With Renner Wunderlich, she founded Cambridge Documentary Films, Inc and has produced and directed numerous award-winning films including:

She is the Executive Co-Director of Cambridge Documentary Films, a non profit producing and distribution organization that distributes films about social justice to over 20,000 organizations and theaters that show documentary films. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Tisch School at Tufts University.

The following is a reverse chronological listing of some of the awards, festival awards, special screenings and honors:

"Excellence in Journalism" 20th Anniversary of the Victim Bill of Rights commemoration, "Pass Award" National Council on Crime and Delinquency--for two different films, "The Image Award for Vision and Excellence" Women in Film and Video/New England, "One of the Outstanding Documentaries of the Year" Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Foundation and the UCLA Department of Film and Television--for two different films, Special Screening, Women's Commission, United Nations, "Audience Award" Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival, "People's Choice Award" Moab Film Festival, "Women Who Dare Award" Jewish Women's Archives, Special presentation, UN General Assembly and 250 International, simultaneous locations, "People's Choice Award" Vermont International Film Festival, Second Place Columbus International Film Festival, First Place National Council on Family Relations Film Festival, "Leading Woman of the Year" Patriot's Trail Girl Scouts, "Women in Motion Film Award" Emerson College, "Oscar" Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject, "Outstanding Independent Film of the Year" the New England Film/Video Festival, "Silver Apple"-- the National Educational Film Festival--for two different films, First Place the National Council on Family Relations Film Festival--for three different films, "Chris Award" First Place at the Columbus International Film Festival, "Silver Plaque" the Chicago International Film Festival, "Exception Merit in Media Award" the National Women's Political Caucus, "Red Ribbon" the American Film and Video Festival for two different films, "Blue Ribbon" the American Film and Video Festival--for three different films, First Place--the Chicagoland Educational Film Festival, First Place--World Peace Film Festival "Best of the Independents"--WNET-TV--Independent Focus, First Place--the American Journal of Nursing Media Festival, "Family Life Film Award"--the National Council on Family Relations,"Best of the Independents"--WNET-TV--Independent Focus, "Best Documentary"--the San Francisco International Film Festival

Her films have also been screened at numerous non competitive festivals including:
American Association for the Advancement of Science Film Festival, American Public Health Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, Convergence Film Festival, Crested Butte Reelfest, Denver International Film Festival, DoubleTake Film Festival, Docside Touring Film Festival, Edinburgh Film Festival, Filmosav (India), Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival 2001, 2002, Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Peace and Human Security Film Festival (NY), American Film Institute's International Women's Film Festival, Joseph Papp's 13th Global Village Film Festival, Leipzig International Festival of Documentary and Animation, London Film Festival, Los Angeles Filmex, Mannheim Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival, New Orleans Film Festival, Reel to Real Film Festival, Canada, Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival 1989, 1994, 2002, Sao Paolo International Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Summit 98 National Violence Prevention Film Festival, the USA Film Festival (Dallas)1987, 2002, Vancouver International Film Festival, Washington D.C. International Film Festival, Welsh International Film Festival, Woods Hole Film Festival, Women in the Director's Chair Film Festival. Special Screenings The General Assembly of the United Nations, The White House, the Vice President's Office, the Senate Judiciary Committee, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the United Nations NGO Conference, Copenhagen, the Executive Office of the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Justice, State Legislatures, the Museum of Modern Art (NYC), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston), the Whitney Museum, the Chicago Peace Museum, the Portland Arts Center, the National College of District Attorneys, the American Bar Association, the National Women's Studies Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the American Public Health Association, the International Association of Women Judges

She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and has lectured at colleges, universities and conferences throughout the United States. She has written editorials on film, media and violence in society syndicated through the Scripps-Howard and Knight--Ridder services to over thirty major newspapers. is the co-author of the chapters on violence against women for Our Bodies, Ourselves, all editions and many articles in journals and magazines including "Producing Media" Feminist Media Studies and "The Documentary," for the Neiman Report.

Contact: margaret@cambridgedocumentaryfilms.org or margaret.lazarus@tufts.edu