Ric Burns

The younger brother and sometimes collaborator of the famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, Ric Burns is an accomplished documentarian in his own right. Shaped largely by the teachings of his anthropologist father, his probing, life-long interest in all things sociology first manifested onscreen with an associate producer role on Ken's crackerjack "The Civil War "(1990), a doc widely considered to be among the most definitive, comprehensive historical examinations ever committed to film.

Five years later, he made his own directorial debut with "The Way West," a uniquely dynamic study of the seismic shifts in land ownership that occurred between Native Americans and early white settlers. The little-seen TV special effectively set the mold for a long line of expansive, galvanizing films chronicling the very people, places, and moments that have come to define America, not least of which was his grand magnum opus, "New York: A Documentary Film." Originally released in '99 and later expanded upon in the wake of 9/11, the colorful PBS miniseries took viewers on an 18-hour tour through a rapidly growing cityscape and the emerging sub-cultures therein, deftly weaving rich visuals and thoroughly penetrating narration into a bigger picture of social progress.

The filmmaker has also helmed decidedly more intimate portraits of American culture with two artist-profile companion pieces: the keen meditation on photography "Ansel Adams" (2002) and the compelling modern-art audit "Andy Warhol" ('06), both of which bear the signature Burns subtitle "A Documentary Film."