Known for Directing
Rory Elizabeth Katherine Kennedy (born December 12, 1968) is an American documentary filmmaker. Kennedy has made documentary films that center on social issues such as addiction, nuclear radiation, the treatment of prisoners-of-war, and the politics of the Mexican border fence. Her films have been featured on many television networks. She is the youngest child of U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel.
Born
December 12, 1968 (age 57)
Birthplace
Washington, D.C., USA
Filmography
45 films, 8 shows


The Trial of Alec Baldwin
2026 · 1h 51m · US
A provocative examination Alec Baldwin as he faces charges of manslaughter, with a cross-examination of the American legal system and the court of public opinion.


Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing
2026 · 1h 35m · US
Following the highly publicized death of Boeing whistleblower John Barnett, the investigation continues into the once-iconic aviation giant, uncovering startling new revelations and insider accounts in the wake of a deepening corporate crisis..


Queen of Chess
2026 · 1h 33m · US
A Hungarian girl dreams of conquering international men’s chess. After a 15-year battle against world champion Garry Kasparov and her domineering father, Judit Polgár revolutionizes the sport’s patriarchal culture to become one of the greatest chess prodigies in history and the greatest woman chess player of all time.


Adrift
2023 · 1h 38m · US
A welcome intervention into the ongoing global refugee crisis. Adopting personal and historical perspectives as well as testimonies from experts and a passionate appeal for compassion and respect for the rights of refugees.


The Volcano: Rescue from Whakaari
2022 · 1h 37m · NZ
A close examination of the Whakaari / White Island volcanic eruption of 2019 in which 22 lives were lost, the film viscerally recounts a day when ordinary people were called upon to do extraordinary things, placing this tragic event within the larger context of nature, resilience, and the power of our shared humanity.


Downfall: The Case Against Boeing
2022 · 1h 29m · US
Investigators reveal how Boeing’s alleged priority of profit over safety could have contributed to two catastrophic crashes within months of each other.


Above and Beyond: NASA's Journey to Tomorrow
2018 · 1h 30m
Examine the remarkable role NASA plays both in our country and for our planet. Covering sixty years and beyond, the film celebrates past accomplishments, investigates current initiatives, and surveys future plans. Follows NASA to the moon, to the surface of Mars, to the outer reaches of our solar system and, above all, back to our home base: Earth.


Without a Net: The Digital Divide in America
2017 · 56m
Many of us assume that the world, or at least the country, is now fully connected, but throughout American classrooms there exists a digital divide. In a shockingly large number of schools, access to technology, connectivity, and teacher-training is nonexistent. Many of those underserved schools are located just a few miles from fully equipped schools with technologically adept teachers in better funded districts. This new film from Rory Kennedy, in which we see the situation through the eyes of students, educators, policy experts, and advocates across the country, clearly lays out the steps we must take a to bring our public education system into the 21st century.


Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton
2017 · 1h 58m · US
This is the remarkable story of an American icon who changed the sport of big wave surfing forever. Transcending the surf genre, this in-depth portrait of a hard-charging athlete explores the fear, courage and ambition that push a man to greatness—and the cost that comes with it.


Last Days in Vietnam
2014 · 1h 38m · US
During the chaotic final weeks of the Vietnam War, the North Vietnamese Army closes in on Saigon as the panicked South Vietnamese people desperately attempt to escape. On the ground, American soldiers and diplomats confront a moral quandary: whether to obey White House orders to evacuate only U.S. citizens.


Ethel
2012 · 1h 37m · US
Filmmaker Rory Kennedy interviews her mother, Ethel Kennedy, who discusses family, marriage and politics.


The Fence (La Barda)
2010 · 36m · US
In Oct. 2006, the U.S. government decided to build a 700-mile fence along its troubled 2000-mile-plus border with Mexico. Three years, 19 construction companies, 350 engineers, thousands of construction workers, tens of thousands of tons of metal and $3 billion later, was it all worth it? When Arizona recently enacted one of the most extreme immigration laws in the country, the Obama administration responded by filing a lawsuit against the state. This dispute was merely the latest symptom of a greater national problem: the lack of a comprehensive, workable U.S. immigration policy. In its place, lawmakers have resorted to a series of half-measures, the most expensive of which — the U.S.-Mexico border fence — extends through the desert 150 miles south of the Arizona state capital.


Thank You, Mr. President: Helen Thomas at the White House
2008 · 37m · US
This documentary profiles iconic journalist Helen Thomas who has held a front-row seat at White House press conferences for more than 60 years.


Ghosts of Abu Ghraib
2007 · 1h 18m · US
An examination of the prisoner abuse scandal involving U.S. soldiers and detainees at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison in the fall of 2003.


Indian Point: Imagining the Unimaginable
2004 · 45m · US
Twenty million people live within a 50-mile radius of the Indian Point Energy Center and its three nuclear reactors. This film takes a cautionary look at the possible consequences of an accident or terrorist attack on the facility--a catastrophe that could potentially render much of the Hudson River Valley and New York City uninhabitable.


A Boy's Life
2003 · 1h 17m · US
Follows a Mississippi family's attempts to deal with an increasingly violent and erratic child.


Pandemic: Facing AIDS
2003 · 1h 53m · US
Covers the key aspects of the world AIDS epidemic through powerful documentary stories about five victims and their communities, on five continents.


The Changing Face of Beauty
2000 · 1h · US
Different Moms
Different Moms
1999 · 1h · US
Each year, mothers with mental impairment give birth to an estimated 120,000 children. Approximately half of these children remain with the mother. "Different Moms" briefly documents the lives of three mothers with mental impairment ~ Elaine Mayfield, Margaret Main, and Juanita Ingraham ~ as they raise their children of "normal", or "average", intelligence, following the challenges which they face, and overcome, on a daily basis.


Epidemic Africa
1999 · 15m · US
A documentary short about the growing number of African children orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The film was screened at the United Nations Headquarters (NYC) for World Aids Day in December 1999, and before members of US Congress as part of a briefing on the HIV/AIDS epidemic in April 2000.


American Hollow
1999 · 1h 30m · US
This documentary follows the lives of the Bowling family as they fight to survive in dirt-poor Appalachia. Matriarch Iree has given birth to 13 children, but only two have left to seek better lives in Ohio while the rest have married and started their own impoverished families near home. Uneducated and unskilled, all are unemployed, and domestic violence and alcoholism pose serious problems. The filmmakers explore the family's relationships through interviews and footage of their daily lives.


Women of Substance
1994 · 1h
Narrated by Joanne Woodward, this video is a comprehensive portrait of the legal, moral and health care battles being waged to improve treatment opportunities for pregnant addicts and women with children. Revealing the human and social problems encountered and social problem encountered by pregnant and parenting addicts who seek treatment, their personal stories reveal the true face of this country's health care crisis.