# Vulcan Productions

Vulcan Productions produced documentary films, television programming and virtual reality experiences that drove awareness around environmental and social issues. The company was founded in 1997 by late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and his sister Jody Allen. It closed in 2021.
The company financed and co-produced films with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood and Robert Redford. Its films and TV series had aired on video on-demand services like Netflix, HBO and Hulu and across networks like The Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Films produced by Vulcan Productions won Peabody Awards and received Academy Award nominations. The company focused on raising awareness on issues like mental health, girl's education, veterans, parenting, wildlife conservation, ocean health, climate change and modern-day slavery.

## History

Vulcan Productions began under the name "Clear Blue Sky Productions" and received its first critical success with the feature film Titus (1999). The company continued to produce feature films including Far From Heaven, Where God Left His Shoes, and Hard Candy. With a name change in 2011, the then-Vulcan Productions shifted its measure of success from box office numbers and critical ratings to driving social impact and world change. The company exclusively produced Social impact entertainment with a focus on topics ranging from wildlife and conservation, global health, contemporary social issues, science, technology, history and exploration.
As part of the larger Vulcan Inc. organization, Vulcan Productions’ mission was to “change minds and ignite action through the power of storytelling.”
On May 27, 2020 Vulcan Inc. announced that Vulcan Productions would be shutdown in 2021 citing the "economic impacts of the COVID-19 crisis" as well as "the ongoing transition after Paul Allen's passing in 2018." A few weeks after winning top honors at the Sundance Film Festival for Summer of Soul, Vulcan Productions ceased operations.

## Films

| Year | Film | Type | Release Date | Director | Co-producers | Starring | Distributor |
| 1997 | Inspirations (film) | Documentary film | 1997 | Michael Apted | Argo Films | | |
| 1999 | Titus (film) | Feature film | 25 December 1999 | Julie Taymor | Overseas Film Group | Anthony Hopkins Jessica Lange Alan Cumming Colm Feore | Fox Searchlight Pictures |
| 1999 | Me & Isaac Newton | Documentary film | 1999 | Michael Apted | | Gertrude B. Elion Ashok Gadgil Michio Kaku Maja Matarić | First Look International Home Vision Entertainment |
| 2001 | Nova: Cracking the Code of Life | Television documentary | 17 April 2001 | Elizabeth Arledge | PBS | Robert Krulwich (Journalist) | PBS |
| 2001 | Evolution | Television special | 2001 | David Espar "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" Susan K. Lewis "Darwin's Dangerous Idea" Joel Olicker "Great Transformations" Kate Churchill "Extinction!" Richard Hutton "Extinction!" Gail Wilumsen "Evolutionary Arms race" | PBS | Liam Neeson (Narrator) | PBS |
| 2003 | Far from Heaven | Feature film | 10 January 2003 | Todd Haynes | Focus Features | Julianne Moore Dennis Quaid Dennis Haysbert Patricia Clarkson | Focus Features |
| 2003 | The Blues (film series) | Documentary series | 28 September 2003 | Martin Scorsese "Feel Like Going Home" Wim Wenders "The Soul of a Man" Richard Pearce (director) "The Road to Memphis" Charles Burnett (director) "Warming by the Devil's Fire" Marc Levin "Godfathers and Sons" Mike Figgis "Red, White and Blues" Clint Eastwood "Piano Blues" | Road Movies Filmproduktion | B.B. King Laurence Fishburne (Narrator) Ray Charles | PBS |
| 2004 | Black Sky: The Race For Space | Documentary film | 3 October 2004 | Sandy Guthrie Jill Shinefield Scott B Gail Willumsen | Discovery Channel Gemini Productions Antenna Films | Burt Rutan Paul Allen James Benson | Discovery Channel |
| 2004 | Lightning in a Bottle | Documentary film | 5 August 2004 | Antoine Fuqua | Jigsaw Productions | Aerosmith India Arie John Fogerty Gregg Allman | Sony Pictures Classics |
| 2004 | Strange Days on Planet Earth | Television series | 2004 | David Elisco | Sea Studios Foundation National Geographic Society | Edward Norton (Narrator) | PBS |
| 2005 | Hard Candy (film) | Feature film | 21 January 2005 | David Slade | Launchpad Productions | Elliot Page Patrick Wilson Sandra Oh | Lionsgate Films |
| 2005 | Success at the Core | Educational film | 2005 | Richard Hutton | Education Development Center | | Teaching Channel |
| 2005 | Rx For Survival | Documentary series | 2005 | Mike Beckham (Producer) “Disease Warriors” Sara Holt (Producer) “Rise of the Superbugs” Andy Young (Producer) “Deadly Messengers” Tabitha Jackson (Producer) “Back to the Basics” Rob Whittlesey (Producer) “How Safe Are We?” | WGBH Educational Foundation | Brad Pitt (Narrator) | PBS |
| 2007 | Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial | Documentary film | 13 November 2007 | Gary Johnstone Joseph McMaster | WGBH Educational Foundation | | PBS |
| 2007 | Where God Left His Shoes | Feature film | 2007 | Salvatore Stabile | | John Leguizamo Leonor Varela David Castro (actor) | IFC Films |
| 2010 | This Emotional Life | Documentary series | 4 January 2010 | Matt Boatright-Simon | Kunhardt Films McGee Media | Daniel Gilbert (psychologist) | PBS |
| 2013 | Girl Rising | Documentary film | 2013 | Richard E. Robbins | The Documentary Group Double Exposure Studios | Narration by Anne Hathaway Cate Blanchett Selena Gomez Liam Neeson Meryl Streep Kerry Washington | CNN Films Netflix |
| 2013 | Pandora's Promise | Documentary film | | Robert Stone (director) | Robert Stone Productions | | CNN Films |
| 2014 | We The Economy: 20 Short Films You Can't Afford To Miss | Documentary film | 2014 | 22 directors including, but not limited to: Morgan Spurlock Catherine Hardwicke Adrian Grenier Adam McKay Lee Hirsch | Cinelan | Morgan Spurlock James Schamus Adrian Grenier Judah Friedlander among others | 45 different distribution partners Including, but not limited to: Amazon Video Netflix Comcast Google Play Time Warner Cable |
| 2015 | Body Team 12 | Documentary film | 2015 | David Darg | RYOT Films | | HBO |
| 2015 | Racing Extinction | Documentary film | 18 September 2015 | Louie Psihoyos | Oceanic Preservation Society Okeanos Li Ka Shing Foundation Insurgent Docs | Elon Musk Jane Goodall Leilani Munter Joel Sartore | Discovery Channel |
| 2016 | Midsummer in Newtown | Documentary film | 1 April 2016 | Lloyd Kramer | Participant Media | Jimmy Greene | |
| 2016 | Naledi: A Baby Elephant's Tale | Documentary film | 5 June 2016 | Ben Bowie Geoffrey Luck | Off the Fence | | Netflix |
| 2016 | The Ivory Game | Documentary film | November 12, 2016 | Richard Ladkani Kief Davidson | Terra Mater Factual Studios Malaika Pictures Appian Way | Elisifa Ngowi Craig Millar Andrea Crosta Hongxiang Huang Ofir Drori Ian Craig Georgina Kamanga | Netflix |
| 2016 | Ocean Warriors | Television series | 4 December 2016 | Marc Benjamin Marc Levin | Sundance Productions Brick City TV | Sid Chakravarty Peter Hammerstedt | Animal Planet |
| 2017 | Unseen Enemy | Documentary film | 7 April 2017 | Janet Tobias | Sierra/Tango Productions CNN Films | | CNN Films Amazon Video |
| 2018 | Ballet Now | Documentary film | 4 June 2018 | Steven Cantor | Stick Figure Studios | Tiler Peck | Hulu |
| 2018 | X-Ray Fashion | VR short | 29 August 2018 | Francesco Carrozzini | MANND | Francesco Carrozzini | |
| 2018 | Chasing the Thunder | Documentary film | 2 February 2018 | Marc Benjamin Marc Levin | Brick City TV | Sid Chakravarty Peter Hammerstedt | Animal Planet |
| 2018 | Memphis Belle: The Restoration | Documentary film | 2018 | William Wyler | Creative Differences | | |
| 2019 | USS Indianapolis: The Final Chapter | Documentary film | 8 January 2019 | Kirk Wolfinger | Lone Wolf Media | | PBS Amazon Video iTunes |
| 2019 | Everest VR | VR short | 10 April 2019 | Jon Griffith Matthew Dejohn | Alpine Exposures Legend 3D | Sherpa Tenji Jon Griffith | |
| 2019 | Drop in the Ocean | VR short | 25 April 2019 | Philippe Cousteau Jr. | Vision3 Conservation International | Philippe Cousteau Ashlan Cousteau | |
| 2019 | Guardians of the Kingdom | VR short | 26 April 2019 | Sophie Ansel Christophe Bailhache | Underwater Earth Seaview 360 Projects for Good ITRAMAS Spinifex | Sylvia Earle Finau Molisi | |
| 2019 | The Cold Blue | Documentary film | 6 June 2019 | Erik Nelson | Creative Differences | | HBO |
| 2019 | Ghost Fleet | Documentary film | 7 June 2019 | Shannon Service Jeffrey Waldron | Seahorse Productions | Patima Tungpuchayakul Tun Lin Chutima "Oi" Sidasathian Bustar Maitar | TBD |
| 2019 | Oliver Sacks: His Own Life | Documentary film | August 31, 2019 | Ric Burns | Steeplechase Productions Motto Pictures PBS American Masters | Oliver Sacks | PBS American Masters |
Where God Left His Shoes
* Winner – The Humanitas Prize: 2008 Best Sundance Feature Film
* 2008 Imagen Awards
** Nominated - Best Film
** Nominated - Best Actor - John Leguizamo
** Nominated - Best Supporting Actor - David Castro
** Winner - Best Supporting Actress - Leonor Varela
Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas
* 2006 U.S. Comedy Arts Festival
** Best Actress - Olivia Wilde
Hard Candy (film)
* 2006 Malaga Film Festival
** Best Film
** Best Director - David Slade
** Best Actress - Elliot Page
** Best Cinematographer - Jo Willems
* 2005 Sitges Film Festival
** Best Motion Picture
** Best Screenplay
** Audience Award for Best Motion Picture
Coastlines
Far from Heaven
* 75th Annual Academy Award nominations
** Best Actress in a Leading Role - Julianne Moore
** Best Cinematography - Edward Lachman
** Best Writing (Original Screenplay) - Todd Haynes
** Best Music (Score) - Elmer Bernstein
* Independent Spirit Awards winner:
* Best Picture
* Best Director - Todd Haynes
* Best Female Lead - Julianne Moore
* Best Supporting Male - Dennis Quaid
* Best Cinematography - Edward Lachman, A.S.C.
* Golden Globe Award nominations:
** Best Actress - Julianne Moore (Drama)
** Best Supporting Actor - Dennis Quaid
** Best Screenplay - Todd Haynes
** Best Music Score - Elmer Bernstein
The Safety of Objects
* Deauville Festival of American Film
** International Critics Prize
** Best Performance: Patricia Clarkson,
** Ralph Lauren Fragrances Prize
* Seattle Women in Cinema Film Festival
** Third-place prize
* San Sebastian International Film Festival
** Nominated: Golden Seashell Award
The Luzhin Defence
Titus
* 2000 Academy Awards
** Nominated: Best Costume Design
* 2000 Art Directors Guild
** Nominated: Excellence in Production Design Award
* 2000 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
** Winner: Silver Ribbon Award – Best Production Design
* 2000 Edgar Allan Poe Awards
** Nominated: Best Motion Picture
* 2000 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
** Nominated: Sierra Award – Best Costume Design
** Best Screenplay – Adapted
* 2000 Satellite Awards
** Winner: Gold Satellite – Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role, Drama
** Nominated: Best Art Direction, Production Design
** Best Costume Design
** Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, Drama
** Best Screenplay – Adapted
** Best Visual Effects
* 2001 London Critics Circle Film Awards
** Nominated: Best British Actor of the Year
Men with Guns