Mr. Lending is an Academy Award nominated and national Emmy winning producer/director/writer/editor/cinematographer whose work has aired nationally on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, HBO; has been screened and awarded at national and international festivals; and has been televised internationally in Europe and Asia. He is the president and founder of Nomadic Pictures, a documentary film production company that is based in Chicago.

Bios for other associates at Nomadic Pictures

Mr. Lending's feature length documentary, LEGACY, which he produced, directed, wrote, and filmed was nominated for an Academy Award in 2001. Legacy tells the inspiring story of how members of one African-American family, filmed over a five year period, recovered from the loss of their child, broke free of welfare, overcame addiction, and escaped the specter of violence in their community. The film aired on Cinemax/HBO in the summer of 2000, was a critical success at the Sundance Film Festival 2000, and received a prime-time national PBS release in the fall of 2002. The film was awarded the Reel Screen Innovation in Documentary Award, was nominated for a national Emmy and two IDA awards and was broadcast internationally. In addition, LEGACY inspired the creation and passing of a federal bill entitled: The Legacy Act of 2003. This bill provides low-income housing to grandparents raising grandchildren.

Mr. Lending also directed, co-series produced, wrote, and co-edited the international award winning PBS series NO TIME TO BE A CHILD, a $1.4 million three-part documentary series that aired nationally on PBS and was a co-production with Detroit Public Television. The series of documentaries are about children overcoming the effects and consequences of violence in war-zone communities, their homes, and in situations of poverty. In addition to Lending's national Emmy for the ABC Afterschool Special Shades of a Single Protein , documentaries in the No Time to be a Child series (GROWIN' UP NOT A CHILD, BREAKING TIES, and TIME TO SPEAK) have garnered Lending numerous awards including a national Emmy nomination for Outstanding Documentary and Casey Medals for Meritorious Journalism, New York Festival World Medals, Cine Eagles, among others.

Lending's Emmy nominated feature-length documentary, entitled OMAR & PETE followed two men before their release from prison, and then two years thereafter. The film examines the social and economic barriers that these men confront as they work at reintegrating into their communities and families. The project aired nationally on PBS through the POV series and garnered major support from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the MacArthur Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and the Foundation for Child Development through a Journalism Fellowship in Child and Family Policy.

Lending also co-produced, filmed, and directed the national PBS award winning short, ROSEVELT'S AMERICA. Shot over two years, this inspiring story is about a Liberian refugee who, after surviving torture and losing his home, brought his family to the US to rebuild their lives. He recently completed AIMEE'S CROSSING a film for national PBS that follows a female juvenile offender through her therapy inside prison, and her parole on the outside. And recently he was awarded a 1.5 million dollar grant by the Wallace Foundation to produce a documentary film project for PBS entitled, THE PRINCIPAL STORY. This film follows three very passionate and committed public school principals as they relentlessly work to improve the educational standards for their students, over 98% of them coming from families living below the poverty line. A multi-year outreach project is also attached to the film.

Mr. Lending was a University of Maryland Journalism Fellow in Child and Family Policy. His work has garnered major grants from the Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Wallace Foundation, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Child and Family Foundation, Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Foundation, Richard H. Driehaus Foundation, Houlsby Foundation, U.S. Office of Education, Chicago Community Trust, and the Continental Bank Foundation.

Selected Awards and Honors

LEGACY

• Academy Award Nominee, Legacy
• Best Social and Political Documentary, BANFF, Legacy
• Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, Legacy
• Council on Foundation Honor, Legacy
• Prism Commendation, NIDA, Robert Wood Johnson Found., EIO,, Legacy
• Reel Humanitarian Award, Tambay Filmfest, Legacy
• Official Selection, Sundance Documentary Competition, Legacy
• Grand Jury Prize & Audience Award, Florida Film Festival, Legacy
• Offical Selection, Edinburgh International Film Fest., Legacy
• Audience Award, SeoulDoc (Seoul, Korea), Legacy
• Silver Hugo, Chicago International Film Festival, Legacy
• Two IDA nominations, International Documentary Association, Legacy
• Golden Gate Award, San Francisco International Film Festival, Legacy
• Victim Service Award , Illinois State Attorney's Office, Legacy
• Silver Medal, Houston World Fest., Legacy
• ReelScreen Innovation in Documentary Award, Legacy
• Official Selection, Cinema du Reel, Legacy
• Special Invitation, Roger Ebert's Overlooked Film Festival, Legacy
• Special Invitation, Independent's Night at Lincoln Center (NYC ), Legacy
• Official Selection, Thesaloniki International Documentary Film Festival (Greece), Legacy
• "Travelin' Shoes" Award, I.T.C., Legacy

OMAR & PETE

• National Emmy nomination for Best Documentary, OMAR & PETE
• Henry Hampton award winnger from Council on Foundations, OMAR & PETE
• University of Maryland Casey Journalism Fellowship, OMAR & PETE
• Special Selection United Nations Film Festival, OMAR & PETE
• Cine Gold Eagle, OMAR & PETE
• Golden Gate Award Selection San Francisco International Film Festival, OMAR & PETE
• Special Selection Chicago International Film Fest., OMAR & PETE

ROSEVELT'S AMERICA

• Cine Golden Eagle, Rosevelt's America
• Chris Award, Columbus Film Fest., Rosevelt's America
• Riverrun Film Fest., Best Short Doc., Rosevelt's America
• WorldFest-Houston International Film Fest, Best Short Doc., Rosevelt's America
• Action Cut Short Film Festival, Best Doc., Rosevelt's America

TIME TO SPEAK

• New York Festival, World Medal, Time to Speak
• Univ. of Maryland's Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, Time to Speak
• Cine Gold Eagle, Time to Speak
• Chris Bronze Plaque, Columbus Film Fest., Time to Speak
• National Ed. Media Market, Bronze Apple, Time to Speak

BREAKING TIES

• Cine Gold Eagle, Breaking Ties
• National Headliner award, Breaking Ties
• National Ed. Media Market, Bronze Apple, Breaking Ties

GROWIN' UP NOT A CHILD

• National News and Doc. Emmy Nomination, Outstanding Doc. Special, Growin' Up Not A Child
• National Ed. Media Market, Gold Apple, Growin' Up Not A Child
• University of Maryland's Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism, Growin' Up Not A Child
• Chris Bronze Plaque, Columbus Film FEst., Growin' Up Not A Child
• New York Festival, World Medal, Growin' Up Not A Child

SHADES OF A SINGLE PROTEIN

• National Emmy for Outstanding Children's Special, Shades of a Single Protein

THE PRINCIPAL

• Chicago Emmy, The Principal

THE PRINCIPAL STORY

• The Wallace Foundation: The Principal Story

Grant Awards

• Sundance Institute: WAR IS A FORCE THAT GIVES US MEANING
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: AIMEE'S CROSSING
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: AIMEE'S CROSSING
• Richard H. Dreihaus Foundation: AIMEE'S CROSSING
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: OMAR & PETE
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: OMAR & PETE
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting: OMAR & PETE
• Philadelphia Psychoanalytic Foundation WAR IS A FORCE THAT GIVES US MEANING
• Foundation for Child Development Journalism Fellow
• National Endowment for the Humanities: AHG
• Annie E. Casey Foundation: Legacy
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation: Legacy
• J.R. Houlsby Foundation: Legacy
• Richard H. Driehaus Foundation: Legacy
• Corporation for Public Broadcasting: No Time to be a Child (series)
• John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Found.: No Time to be a Child-Growin' Up Not a Child
• Ford Foundation: No Time to be a Child-Growin' Up Not a Child
• U.S. Office of Education: Seeing Things
• Chicago Community Trust: Seeing Things
• Continental Bank Foundation: Seeing Things

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