Ian Cheney

Documentary filmmaker, producer, writer, and activist Ian Cheney has worn many hats in his effort to make a difference in the world. Born and raised in Maine, Cheney attended Yale University before relocating to Brooklyn and taking up filmmaking with the 2007 documentary "King Corn," an eye-opening investigation of industrialized farming that Cheney co-wrote, co-produced and starred in with his college friend Curt Ellis. "King Corn" began as a small film, but proved to be an enormous success, receiving positive reviews and winning the George Foster Peabody Award. In 2008, Cheney worked on "A Sense of Wonder," a documentary about environmentalist Rachel Carson, and directed "The Greening of Southie," a feature documentary concerning the first environmentally-friendly building in Boston. 2010 found Cheney reuniting with Ellis for another ecologically-minded film, "Big River," and the following year was a busy one for the sustainable-food advocate as he produced and directed "Glynwood: (Re)Building a Regional Food System," "Truck Farm," and "The City Dark," a personal project about the negative effects of light pollution in the city. After Cheney and Ellis founded Wicked Delicate--a film production company and food-advocacy project--in 2006, the pair started FoodCorps, a farm-to-school program that Cheney supports with a tiny local farm in the back of his pickup truck.