Geof Bartz has been the Supervising Editor for HBO Documentary Films since 1998. Geof started his career as an assistant editor on the 1969 CBS special "Simon and Garfunkel: Songs of America" and has gone on to edit, or supervise the editing of, more than 100 non-fiction films, among them the classic documentary "Pumping Iron." Geof was the co-producer and supervising editor of the 1979 NBC Emmy winning series "Lifeline;" and he produced and co-edited the 1984 20th Century Fox feature "Stripper." In 2000 and 2001, two short documentaries Geof cut, "King Gimp" and "Big Mama", won back-to-back Academy Awards. In 2015, his film "Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1" took home the Oscar. The following year "A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness" also won the gold. Additionally, he has edited four other films that have been nominated for Academy Awards. Geof has been nominated for ten Emmys and won four. And films he has cut have received three Peabody and two Columbia-Dupont Awards. In 2017, Geof was admitted to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. He is also a long time member of the American Cinema Editors (A.C.E.) and the Motion Picture Editors Guild. Geof taught "Introduction to Film Editing" at Columbia University from 1978-1998. Interviews with Geof can be found in "The Art of the Documentary" by Megan Cunningham and in "First Cut: Conversations with Film Editors" by Gabriella Oldham. Geof grew up on Detroit's East Side and graduated from the University of Notre Dame (1966, BA) and Columbia University (1969, MFA Film). He lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side with his wife, Lynn. His daughter Juliet is a recent graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern.
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Biography from TMDB.
- December 3, 1943 (82)
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Editor, also writer
- 25 on Motif · 48 credits in all
Known for
What are Geof Bartz's films like?
Across their 19 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 19
A split, not a type: Light 7 · Serious 3 · Dark 9
Grounded 18 · Stylized 1 · Heightened 0
A split, not a type: Gentle 7 · Charged 5 · Intense 7
Steady 16 · Shifting 3 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 16 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 1
Slow burn 16 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 0
Casual 7 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 1
A split, not a type: Easy watch 7 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 8
Resolved 16 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
- Happy6
- Bittersweet8
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous4
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Geof Bartz's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 24 of their 25 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (19).
- White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007) · editor
- Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018) · writer, editor
- A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015) · editor
- Boy Interrupted (2009) · editor
- Miss You Can Do It (2013) · editor
- Larry Kramer in Love and Anger (2015) · editor
- Country Doctor (2025) · editor
- Wartorn: 1861-2010 (2010) · editor
- Saving Pelican 895 (2011) · editor
- One Nation Under Dog (2012) · editor
- Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017) · editor
- Suited (2016) · editor
- +7 more
Subscription and free streaming for Geof Bartz's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
48 credits, 25 with a Motif page.
Mr. Scorsese(2025)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all shows
Country Doctor(2025)
Motif score: 88th percentile of all films
Motif score: 70th percentile of all films
Motif score: 43rd percentile of all films
Pelosi in the House(2022)
Motif score: 37th percentile of all films
Motif score: 96th percentile of all films
Motif score: 83rd percentile of all films
Motif score: 46th percentile of all films
Suited(2016)
Motif score: 81st percentile of all films
Motif score: 96th percentile of all films
Motif score: 89th percentile of all films
Motif score: 56th percentile of all films
Southern Rites(2015)
Motif score: 60th percentile of all films
Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2014)
Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2013)
Miss You Can Do It(2013)
Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films
One Nation Under Dog(2012)
Motif score: 86th percentile of all films
Hot Coffee(2011)
Motif score: 91st percentile of all films
Motif score: 35th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Saving Pelican 895(2011)
Motif score: 88th percentile of all films
Poster Girl (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
One Thousand Pictures: RFK's Last Journey (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2010)
Wartorn: 1861-2010(2010)
Motif score: 88th percentile of all films
Boy Interrupted(2009)
Motif score: 94th percentile of all films
Katie Morgan's Porn 101 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2007)
Motif score: 98th percentile of all films
One Minute to Nine(2007)
Motif score: 89th percentile of all films
Motif score: 49th percentile of all films
Dealing Dogs (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2006)
39 Pounds of Love (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)
The Children of Leningradsky (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2005)
In Memoriam: New York City (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)
Telling Nicholas (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2002)
Big Mama (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)
Nuyorican Dream (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2000)
Truman (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1997)
FDR (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1994)
Mob Stories (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1993)
Women on Trial (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)
LBJ (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1991)
The Wyeths: A Father and His Family (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1986)
Stripper (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1985)
The Camps of Death (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1983)
Lifeline (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1978)
Pumping Iron(1977)
Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films
Motif score: 69th percentile of all filmsThe Great Radio Comedians (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1971)
Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945 (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1970)
Career shape
A full career of 40 titles from 1970 to 2025.
Biggest box office
Pumping Iron (1977)
Highest rated
White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007)
Most popular right now
Pumping Iron (1977)
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
4 Primetime Emmys from 7 major nominations, 1979–2002.
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming (Single or Multi-Camera)
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Picture Editing for Non-Fiction Programming
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Achievement in Non-Fiction Programming - Picture Editing
- Cannes award, nominated
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Individual Achievement - Special Class
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Informational Program
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Program Achievement - Special Class
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Geof Bartz's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 24; across their 19 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 81st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up16
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th5
Shape of the crowd
10 of their 25 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved10
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser7
- Mixed4
Reviewers score the pacing 54/100 in their films, across 11 reviewed titles; fans 61, detractors 31. The element that speaks to their work as an editor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Geof Bartz work with?
People who share at least 2 of Geof Bartz's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sheila Nevins shares the most, 7.
Directors
- Alexandra PelosiShared titles: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023), Pelosi in the House (2022), Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (2016)See all 3 shared titles with Alexandra Pelosi
- Ellen Goosenberg KentShared titles: One Nation Under Dog (2012), Wartorn: 1861-2010 (2010)See all 2 shared titles with Ellen Goosenberg Kent
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Wendy BlackstoneShared titles: Pelosi in the House (2022), Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018), Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017), A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015), Larry Kramer in Love and Anger (2015)See all 5 shared titles with Wendy Blackstone
- Joel GoodmanShared titles: Southern Rites (2015), Miss You Can Do It (2013), I Can Be President: A Kid's-Eye View (2011), Saving Pelican 895 (2011), Wartorn: 1861-2010 (2010)See all 5 shared titles with Joel Goodman
- Angela GandiniShared titles: Pelosi in the House (2022), Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018), Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017), Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (2016)See all 4 shared titles with Angela Gandini
- Robert RichmanShared titles: Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017), Suited (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Robert Richman
Producers
- Sheila NevinsShared titles: Warning: This Drug May Kill You (2017), Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (2016), Suited (2016), A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015), Larry Kramer in Love and Anger (2015), Wartorn: 1861-2010 (2010), White Light/Black Rain: The Destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki (2007)See all 7 shared titles with Sheila Nevins
- Lisa HellerShared titles: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023), Pelosi in the House (2022), Meet the Donors: Does Money Talk? (2016), A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015)See all 4 shared titles with Lisa Heller
- Nancy AbrahamShared titles: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023), Pelosi in the House (2022), Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Nancy Abraham
- Nancy Stanton Knox TalcottShared titles: The Insurrectionist Next Door (2023), Pelosi in the House (2022), Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists (2018)See all 3 shared titles with Nancy Stanton Knox Talcott
