Lisa Cortés is an Academy Award® nominated and Emmy-winning producer and director. In
2020, Cortés co-directedAll In: The Fight For Democracy. Her upcoming film directing credits include Little Richard: I Am Everything, a documentary about the transgressive rock ‘n’ roll icon, which will premiere in the U.S. Documentary Competition section at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival. Also premiering at Sundance is the film Invisible Beauty, produced by Cortés, which tells the story of Bethann Hardison, a fashion revolutionary and racial justice trailblazer in her industry for over five decades. In 2020, Cortés co-directed All In: The Fight For Democracy, tracing the violent history of the voting rights struggle. Emmy-winning HBO documentary, The Apollo, (2019) which Cortés produced, explores African American cultural and political history through the story of the legendary Apollo Theater. The film Precious
(2009), which she executive produced, received the Sundance Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for best drama. Precious was nominated for six Academy Awards® and won two. Her film productions have received over
80 international awards and nominations.
Cortés's early career as a music executive was launched at the iconic Def Jam label and Rush Artist Management; she also was VP of Artist & Repertoire at Mercury Records and founded the Loose Cannon label. Cortés is a member of the Producers Branch of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She serves on the Boards of Film at Lincoln Center; Independent Television Services (ITVS); Yaddo, the celebrated artists’ community in Saratoga Springs; the Trajal Harrell Dance Company; and the DGA Focus on Women Committee.