I'm a Canadian-American producer and director of documentary films. Having worked in non-fiction for the last 30 years, my goal is to create work with a lasting impact -- whether that's in politics, education or health. My first job was running errands for the legendary doc filmmaker Albert Maysles in NYC. For the next decade, I worked alongside directors Michael Apted, Jonathan Demme and Lisa F. Jackson, all of whom forgave my unfortunate lack of navigation skills. In 2004, I co-directed the documentary feature, "Women on the Frontlines," that premiered at the U.N. and aired on PBS. Shot in Afghanistan, Burundi, Bosnia, Argentina and the US, it was my first foray into directing. Soon after, my DP husband, Guy Mossman, and I started Vox Pop Films, a production company based in Tribeca. In 2009, we moved to LA where we focused on creating branded content and commercials while brainstorming ideas for longer films. In 2022, we released our passion project, The Human Trial. For close to a decade, we followed a clinical trial that was programming stem cells to cure type 1 diabetes. The film was nominated for a Humanitas Prize, and won Best Documentary at film festivals here and abroad. The Human Trial has been screened by more than 300 organizations, including the Tokyo Institute of Technology, Parliament Hill and a brownie troop in Santee, CA. You can find the film on Prime Video, Apple TV, Documentary+ and the Documentary Channel. I'm a member of the Producers Guild of America, the Writer's Guild of America, New York Women in Film & Television, FWD-Doc and Roco Voices, a speaker's platform for documentary filmmakers. As an adjunct professor, I teach scripted and unscripted production at USC's School of Cinematic Arts.
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Biography from IMDb.
- Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
- Producer, director and writer, also actor
- 5 on Motif · 8 credits in all
What are Lisa Hepner's films like?
Across a limited sample of 4 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Society.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 4
Light 4 · Serious 0 · Dark 0
Grounded 4 · Stylized 0 · Heightened 0
Gentle 2 · Charged 2 · Intense 0
Steady 4 · Shifting 0 · Whiplash 0
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 2 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 0 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 0
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 0
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0
Moods and endings
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 Lisa Hepner's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 3 of their 5 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service.
Subscription and free streaming for Lisa Hepner'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
8 credits, 5 with a Motif page.
Speak. (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2025)
The Human Trial(2022)
Motif score: 65th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Motif score: 78th percentile of all films
Buck(2011)
Motif score: 93rd percentile of all films
Pressure Cooker(2008)
Motif score: 91st percentile of all films
Motif score: 73rd percentile of all filmsPeace by Peace: Women on the Frontlines (not in the Motif catalog yet)(2004)
Face to Face: The Schappell Twins (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)
Career shape
A full career of 6 titles from 1999 to 2025.
How do Lisa Hepner's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 78th percentile, the median of all 5; across a limited sample of 4 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 82nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th2
Shape of the crowd
2 of their 5 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 57/100 in their films, across 3 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
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 Lisa Hepner work with?
People who share at least 2 of Lisa Hepner's Motif titles; Guy Mossman shares the most, 3.
- Guy MossmanShared titles: The Human Trial (2022), Buck (2011), Comic-Con Episode IV: A Fan's Hope (2011)See all 3 shared titles with Guy Mossman
