{{short description|American documentary filmmaker and photojournalist}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox person | name = Maisie Crow | image = Maisiecrowedited.jpg | caption = Maisie Crow in 2020 | birth_place = Corpus Christi, Texas, U.S. | occupation = {{hlist|Documentary filmmaker|photojournalist|journalist}} | years_active = 2009–present | alma_mater = {{ubl|University of Texas at Austin|Ohio University}} }}
'''Maisie Crow''' is an American documentary filmmaker, photojournalist, and journalist based in Austin and Marfa, Texas. Beginning her career as a photojournalist, she has evolved into a documentary filmmaker known for character-driven work on social justice subjects, particularly reproductive rights and U.S.-Mexico border issues. Her feature documentary ''Jackson'' (2016) won the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary. Her second feature, ''At the Ready'' (2021), premiered in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. Her third feature, ''Zurawski v Texas'' (2024), co-directed with Abbie Perrault, premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was executive produced by Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jennifer Lawrence. She was also co-owner and editor of the ''Big Bend Sentinel'', a weekly newspaper in Marfa, Texas, from 2019 to 2025.
==Early life and education== Crow was born and raised in Corpus Christi, Texas.<ref name="maisiecrowabout">{{cite web|url=http://maisiecrow.com/about/|title=About|publisher=maisiecrow.com|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> She earned a Bachelor of Science in Journalism from the University of Texas at Austin, where she contributed to ''The Daily Texan'', and a master's degree in photojournalism from Ohio University, where she was named runner-up for the College Photographer of the Year award.<ref name="maisiecrowabout" /> She also studied at the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies and completed internships at the ''Vail Daily'', the ''Tico Times'' in Costa Rica, MediaStorm, and the ''Boston Globe''.<ref name="maisiecrowabout" />
==Career==
===Photojournalism=== Crow began her career as a photojournalist, contributing work to publications including ''The New York Times'', ''The Atlantic'', ''ProPublica'', ''Esquire'', and ''The Intercept''.<ref name="muckrack">{{cite web|url=https://muckrack.com/maisie-crow|title=Maisie Crow|publisher=Muck Rack|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref><ref name="propublica">{{cite web|url=https://www.propublica.org/people/maisie-crow|title=Maisie Crow|publisher=ProPublica|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> In 2009, she received the Ian Parry Scholarship for ''Love Me'', a long-term documentary photography project documenting a young woman living in a cycle of generational poverty in Ohio, which she has described as "the first time my work was recognized on such a large scale."<ref name="ianparry">{{cite web|url=https://www.ianparry.org/news/maisie-crow-stories-that-matter|title=Maisie Crow: Stories That Matter|publisher=Ian Parry Scholarship|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> Her multimedia work has been recognized by World Press Photo, the Overseas Press Club, and the Society of Professional Journalists.<ref name="worldpressphoto">{{cite web|url=https://www.worldpressphoto.org/maisie-crow|title=Maisie Crow|publisher=World Press Photo|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
===Short documentaries=== Crow's short documentary ''A Life Alone'' (2009), a portrait of a widowed farmer confronting solitude after 63 years of marriage, received a News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination in 2010.<ref name="imdbmaisie">{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4761660/|title=Maisie Crow|publisher=IMDb|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
Her short film ''Half-Lives: The Chernobyl Workers Now'' (2011) documented survivors and workers still dismantling the Chernobyl plant 25 years after the disaster. The film won the Overseas Press Club Award for Best Use of Online Video in 2012 and was recognized by the World Press Photo Multimedia Contest, Pictures of the Year International, and Best of Photojournalism.<ref name="worldpressphoto" /><ref name="imdbmaisie" />
In 2013, Crow directed ''The Last Clinic'', a short documentary about Mississippi's last remaining abortion clinic, published by The Atavist Magazine. The film received a News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination in 2014 and was named a finalist for the National Magazine Award.<ref name="maisiecrowabout" />
===''Jackson'' (2016)=== Crow's feature directorial debut, ''Jackson'', follows three women on different sides of the abortion debate in Jackson, Mississippi: Shannon Brewer, director of the Jackson Women's Health Organization — Mississippi's last abortion clinic — Barbara Beaver, leader of an anti-abortion pregnancy center, and April Jackson, a young mother of four facing an unplanned pregnancy.<ref name="hrwjackson">{{cite web|url=https://ff.hrw.org/film/jackson/|title=Jackson|publisher=Human Rights Watch Film Festival|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref><ref name="collectiveeye">{{cite web|url=https://www.collectiveeye.org/products/jackson|title=Jackson {{!}} Abortion in the Deep South|publisher=Collective Eye Films|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
The film had its world premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2016 and screened at over 40 festivals, including the Human Rights Watch Film Festival.<ref name="hrreviewjackson">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/jackson-laff-review-902875|title='Jackson': LAFF Review|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=June 2016|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> It won 15 festival awards including Best Documentary at the New Orleans Film Festival, Indie Memphis, the Portland Film Festival, and the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.<ref name="imdbmaisie" /> The film won the News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary in 2018.<ref name="bigbendownership">{{cite web|url=https://bigbendsentinel.com/2019/04/18/the-presidio-international-and-big-bend-sentinel-change-hands/|title=The Presidio International and Big Bend Sentinel Change Hands|publisher=Big Bend Sentinel|date=April 18, 2019|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
===''At the Ready'' (2021)=== Crow's second feature, ''At the Ready'', follows three Mexican-American high school students at Horizon High School in El Paso, Texas who participate in a law enforcement training program, aspiring to careers in border patrol, customs enforcement, and law enforcement. The film's subjects — Cristina, Cesar, and Kassy — navigate the tension between their career ambitions and the national debate over immigration and policing. One of the film's subjects, identified as Kassy during production, came out as transgender, a fact noted in the film's end credits.<ref name="moveablefest">{{cite web|url=https://moveablefest.com/maisie-crow-at-the-ready/|title=Maisie Crow on Exploring the Increasingly Complex Borders of the American Dream in 'At the Ready'|publisher=Moveable Fest|date=February 2, 2021|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref><ref name="varietyready">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/reviews/at-the-ready-review-1234891223/|title='At the Ready' Review|work=Variety|date=2021|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
The film premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2021 and opened theatrically on October 22, 2021.<ref name="moveablefest" /> The film received development support from the Catapult Film Fund.<ref name="catapult">{{cite web|url=https://catapultfilmfund.org/films/AtTheReady/|title=At the Ready|publisher=Catapult Film Fund|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> Writing in ''The Hollywood Reporter'', Daniel Fienberg reviewed the film positively at Sundance.<ref name="thrready">{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/at-the-ready-film-review-sundance-2021-4124828/|title='At the Ready': Film Review {{!}} Sundance 2021|last=Fienberg|first=Daniel|work=The Hollywood Reporter|date=January 2021|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The film is listed in the International Documentary Association project database<ref name="idaready">{{cite web|url=https://www.documentary.org/project/ready|title=At the Ready|publisher=International Documentary Association|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> and streams on Max.
===''The Pink House at the Center of the World'' (2022)=== Crow contributed video reporting to This American Life's episode 774, "The Pink House at the Center of the World" (2022), documenting the staff of the Jackson Women's Health Organization as they reacted to the Supreme Court's decision in ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'' overturning ''Roe v. Wade''.<ref name="tal774">{{cite web|url=https://www.thisamericanlife.org/774/the-pink-house-at-the-center-of-the-world|title=The Pink House at the Center of the World|publisher=This American Life|date=2022|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The episode won a Peabody Award in 2022.<ref name="peabody">{{cite web|url=https://peabodyawards.com/award-profile/this-american-life-the-pink-house-at-the-center-of-the-world/|title=This American Life: The Pink House at the Center of the World|publisher=Peabody Awards|date=2022|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
===''Zurawski v Texas'' (2024)=== Crow co-directed ''Zurawski v Texas'' (2024) with Abbie Perrault. The film follows three women who were denied medically necessary abortion care under Texas's abortion ban and subsequently sued the state with the Center for Reproductive Rights. The documentary was executive produced by Hillary Clinton, Chelsea Clinton, and Jennifer Lawrence.<ref name="togetherfilmssales">{{cite web|url=https://togetherfilms.org/sales/together-films-boards-zurawski-v-texas-for-international-sales-epd-by-jennifer-lawrence-hilary-clinton-and-chelsea-clinton/|title=Together Films Boards Zurawski v Texas for International Sales (EP'd by Jennifer Lawrence, Hillary Clinton, and Chelsea Clinton)|publisher=Together Films|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
The film had its world premiere at the Telluride Film Festival in 2024, where it played to a capacity crowd of approximately 700 people and received standing ovations. The ''Los Angeles Times'' described it as "the film that landed hardest" of those screened at the festival.<ref name="deadlinezur">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/jennifer-lawrence-produced-doc-zurawski-v-texas-theatrical-release-1236117282/|title=Jennifer Lawrence-Produced Doc 'Zurawski V Texas' To Hit Theaters|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 2024|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> It won the Artemis Rising Foundation Award for Social Impact, which carries a $15,000 cash prize, at the Hamptons International Film Festival.<ref name="varietyzur">{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/zurawski-v-texas-abortion-documentary-artemis-rising-foundation-award-hamptons-film-festival-1236175574/|title='Zurawski v Texas' Wins Artemis Rising Foundation Award at HIFF|work=Variety|date=2024|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The film also won both the Jury Prize and the Audience Award for Best Southern Feature at the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.<ref name="hotsprings">{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2024/10/2024-hot-springs-documentary-film-festival-awards-zurawski-v-texas-no-other-land-porcelain-war-1236160345/|title=Jennifer Lawrence Doc 'Zurawski V Texas,' 'No Other Land' & 'Porcelain War' Claim Top Prizes At Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival|publisher=Deadline Hollywood|date=October 2024|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The film was longlisted for the 2025 Grierson Awards for Best Crime and Justice Documentary and was named one of the best documentaries of 2024 by ''Variety'', ''IndieWire'', and ''The Hollywood Reporter''.<ref name="togetherfilms">{{cite web|url=https://togetherfilms.org/films/zurawski-v-texas/|title=Zurawski v Texas|publisher=Together Films|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref> The film opened theatrically on October 25, 2024. The Center for Reproductive Rights has cited the film in its advocacy work.<ref name="crr">{{cite web|url=https://reproductiverights.org/news/zurawski-v-texas-documentary-film/|title=Zurawski v. Texas Documentary Film|publisher=Center for Reproductive Rights|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
==The Big Bend Sentinel== In April 2019, Crow and her husband Max Kabat purchased the ''Big Bend Sentinel'', a weekly newspaper serving Marfa and surrounding Big Bend communities, as well as its sister publication the ''Presidio International''.<ref name="bigbendownership" /> Crow served as editor and publisher. In September 2025, ownership of the newspaper transferred to a nonprofit organization.<ref name="bigbendnonprofit">{{cite web|url=https://bigbendsentinel.com/2025/09/22/big-bend-sentinel-historic-texas-newspaper-is-going-nonprofit/|title=Big Bend Sentinel, Historic Texas Newspaper, Is Going Nonprofit|publisher=Big Bend Sentinel|date=September 22, 2025|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
==Teaching== Crow has taught photojournalism and video storytelling as an adjunct professor at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism, and the Salt Institute for Documentary Studies. She has also served as a Hearst Visitor at Pennsylvania State University's Bellisario College of Communications.<ref name="maisiecrowabout" /><ref name="pennstate">{{cite web|url=https://bellisario.psu.edu/events/hearst-visitor-maisie-crow|title=Hearst Visitor: Maisie Crow|publisher=Pennsylvania State University Bellisario College of Communications|access-date=April 7, 2026}}</ref>
==Filmography==
===Feature documentaries=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! width=65 | Director ! width=65 | Producer ! Notes |- | 2016 | style="text-align:left;" | ''Jackson'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | World premiere Los Angeles Film Festival 2016; News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary (2018); 15 festival awards |- | 2021 | style="text-align:left;" | ''At the Ready'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | U.S. Documentary Competition, Sundance Film Festival 2021; streams on Max |- | 2024 | style="text-align:left;" | ''Zurawski v Texas'' | {{yes}} | {{yes}} | Co-directed with Abbie Perrault; world premiere Telluride Film Festival 2024; Artemis Rising Foundation Award, Hamptons International Film Festival; Jury Prize and Audience Award, Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival |}
===Short documentaries=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! width=65 | Director ! Notes |- | 2009 | style="text-align:left;" | ''A Life Alone'' | {{yes}} | News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination (2010) |- | 2011 | style="text-align:left;" | ''Half-Lives: The Chernobyl Workers Now'' | {{yes}} | Overseas Press Club Award for Best Use of Online Video (2012) |- | 2013 | style="text-align:left;" | ''The Last Clinic'' | {{yes}} | Published by The Atavist Magazine; News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination (2014); National Magazine Award finalist |}
===Television and multimedia contributions=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes |- | 2022 | style="text-align:left;" | "The Pink House at the Center of the World" (''This American Life'', Episode 774) | Video reporter | Peabody Award (2022) |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb name|4761660|Maisie Crow}} * [http://maisiecrow.com Official website] * [https://www.zurawskivtexas.com ''Zurawski v Texas''] (official film site)
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Crow, Maisie}} Category:Living people Category:American documentary filmmakers Category:American women film directors Category:American photojournalists Category:Women photojournalists Category:Film directors from Texas Category:Journalists from Texas Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni Category:Ohio University alumni Category:People from Corpus Christi, Texas Category:People from Marfa, Texas Category:Emmy Award winners