Ken Burns, "The American Revolution"

Ken Burns (born July 29, 1953, in Brooklyn, New York) is an acclaimed American documentary filmmaker renowned for his in-depth explorations of American history and culture. A graduate of Hampshire College, he co-founded Florentine Films and gained prominence with his 1990 series The Civil War, which introduced the “Ken Burns effect”—a technique of panning and zooming over still images. His extensive body of work includes Baseball (1994), Jazz (2001), The Vietnam War (2017), and Country Music (2019), among others. Burns’s documentaries are celebrated for their meticulous research, compelling narratives, and rich use of archival materials. His recent projects, such as The U.S. and the Holocaust (2022) and The American Buffalo (2023), continue to reflect his commitment to illuminating the complexities of American history. In 2025, he expanded his scope with a documentary on Leonardo da Vinci, showcasing his versatility in storytelling. Burns’s contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including multiple Emmy and Grammy Awards, and a National Humanities Medal.