Daniel Raim

Daniel Raim is an Academy Award–nominated director and AFI alumnus based in Los Angeles. His documentaries illuminate the artistry behind cinema’s greatest masters and unsung heroes. Celebrated for their emotional depth and rare archival discoveries, his films have been praised by Filmmaker Magazine as “richly complex and powerfully moving.” 

Raim first gained recognition with The Man on Lincoln’s Nose, which earned an Academy Award nomination and paid tribute to legendary production designer Robert F. Boyle, whose work helped define many of Alfred Hitchcock’s films. He later directed Something’s Gonna Live, an acclaimed tribute to the production designers and cinematographers who shaped the visual language of classic Hollywood. 

In 2015, Raim’s documentary Harold and Lillian: A Hollywood Love Story premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Eye (L’Œil d’Or). A New York Times Critics’ Pick, the film tells the story of storyboard artist Harold Michelson and film researcher Lillian Michelson, whose often uncredited contributions helped shape some of Hollywood’s most enduring classics. Featuring interviews with Danny DeVito, Francis Ford Coppola, and Mel Brooks, the film became an international theatrical release and later aired on TCM, where it found a devoted audience among classic film lovers. A Broadway musical adaptation is currently in development. 

Raim has produced and directed more than thirty documentaries for the Criterion Collection and directed the 2019 TCM Original documentary feature Image Makers: The Adventures of America’s Pioneer Cinematographers. His latest film, The Ozu Diaries — produced in collaboration with Shochiku and TCM — premiered at the Venice International Film Festival and explores the life and lasting influence of Japanese master filmmaker Yasujiro Ozu.