About

My name is Clare Major, and I'm a documentary filmmaker and cinematographer who specializes in handheld observational camerawork, beautifully lit interviews, and scene coverage that your editor will love. I'm passionate about stories that illuminate the intersection of cultures and the lives of women and girls.

Having worked as an editor, I instinctively shoot for the edit. I've filmed on four continents—from Liberia to Italy to the Philippines, and everywhere from research labs in California to a farming village in Azerbaijan.

Recent cinematography credits include Oscar-shortlisted HOLDING MOSES (short doc, 2022); IN THE BONES (feature doc, 2022), which was Gold Winner for Best Cinematography (Feature Film) at the Dubai Festival; and BELLY OF THE BEAST (feature doc, 2020), an Emmy winner and Peabody nominee. My work has played at festivals around the world and appeared on HBO, PBS, Netflix, the Discovery Channel, the New Yorker, and the New York Times, among many others.

In 2020 I was named as one of DOC NYC's "40 Under 40" filmmakers to watch.

A Louisiana native now based in Oakland, California, I graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with degrees in American Studies, Plan II, and Radio-TV-Film and earned a Master of Journalism from the University of California, Berkeley. My thesis film, the short documentary FEAST & SACRIFICE, was a Student Academy Awards national finalist and won First Place Documentary at the 2011 College Television Awards. I served for two years as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, and I have walked from Mexico to Canada on the Pacific Crest Trail.