She received an Academy Award nomination for her documentary Ferry Tales which turns the unlikely setting of the Staten Island Ferry women’s bathroom into a celebration of sisterhood. Esson’s other award-winning films include Poetry of Resilience, tracing the paths of five poets who survived some of the great atrocities of the 20th century; Skydancer, about Mohawk Indian ironworkers building New York City skyscrapers; and Hole in the Sky, a portrait of New York five years after 9/11. She is currently in production with Cantineros De Cuba, a film that reflects on the story of Cuba, a country undergoing its greatest transformation since 1959. Esson has received grants from the NEA, NYSCA and the Simons Public Humanities Fellowship