Lisa Cortés

Lisa Cortés is an Academy Award-nominated and Emmy-winning director and producer known for her work in film, television, and music.

She served as executive producer on Precious (2009), which received six Academy Award nominations and won two. Her directorial credits include All In: The Fight for Democracy (2020), co-directed with Liz Garbus and featuring Stacey Abrams, and Little Richard: I Am Everything (2023), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and she was selected by the Black Film Critics Circle for its Pioneer Award. She was also a producer on The Apollo (2019), which won a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary.

Cortés’ production credits span narrative and documentary projects, including The Remix: Hip Hop X Fashion (2019), Invisible Beauty (2023), and Time (2020), which was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. She has collaborated with platforms such as Amazon Studios, HBO, CNN Films, and Netflix, focusing on stories that explore race, gender, and cultural transformation. Earlier in her career, she was a key music executive at Def Jam and Mercury Records, launching the careers of iconic artists and integrating music with broader cultural movements.

Through her company, Cortés Filmworks, she produces films that spotlight underrepresented voices and untold histories. A member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, she also speaks regularly on diversity in media and storytelling.