R. J. Cutler

In 2009, the Museum of Television and Radio held a five-day retrospective of his work. In 2021, he received the D.A. Pennebaker Award at The Critics’ Choice Documentary Awards for Lifetime Achievement in Documentary Film. In 2026 he was officially inducted into the Silver Circle Honor Society by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

• Name — R. J. Cutler • Born — 1962 • Birthplace — United States • Occupation — Filmmaker, television producer, documentarian, theater director

Robert Jason Cutler (known as R. J. since birth) grew up in Great Neck, New York. As a 14-year-old, Cutler was commissioned to spend several days with the remaining leaders of the Yippie Party, and to write a story about their underground newspaper and their plans to disrupt the upcoming 1976 Democratic Convention. The resulting article, "Behind the Scenes at Yipster Times," was published in the May/June 1976 issue of Alternative Journalism Review. Cutler graduated from Great Neck North Senior High School in 1979 and from Harvard University in 1983. He received his AB degree with a Special Concentration in Dramatic Theory and Literature. He was the recipient of the Hoopes Prize.

Cutler began his career as a theater director, working in the mid-1980s as a director and producer at the American Repertory Theatre under the leadership of Robert Brustein. Cutler then became director James Lapine’s assistant on the original Broadway production of the Sondheim/Lapine musical Into the Woods. In 1988, he directed the workshop production of Jonathan Larson’s first musical Superbia at Playwrights Horizons. Productions directed by Cutler between 1988 and 1990 include the premiere of Right Behind the Flag by Kevin Heelan at Playwrights Horizons, the American premiere of Emerald City by David Williamson at New York Theatre Workshop, and the premiere of The Secret Garden by Marsha Norman and Lucy Simon at Virginia Stage Company. In 1990, Cutler produced the National Public Radio program Heat with John Hockenberry. The show received a Peabody Award.

In 2020, Cutler launched his production company This Machine Filmworks with the backing of Industrial Media (now Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction). Following the launch of This Machine Filmworks, Cutler directed two of the company's earliest feature documentaries: Belushi (2020), about comedian John Belushi, and Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry (2021). The latter follows Eilish for a year beginning shortly before her 17th birthday, documenting the writing, production, and recording of her debut album with her brother Finneas in their family home in Highland Park, Los Angeles. The film received multiple News & Documentary Emmy Award nominations, was shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, and was longlisted for both the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary and the Grierson Award for Best Music Documentary. Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Owen Gleiberman of Variety wrote that the film "reinvents the music-film form by turning teenage vulnerability and creative process into something grandly cinematic," while TheWrap described it as "an intimate epic that changes what we expect from a music documentary—a film about creation, not celebrity." The film has also been featured in media studies courses at Boston University and the University of Arizona. In 2023, This Machine also produced The Disappearance of Shere Hite, directed by Nicole Newnham. The documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival before its theatrical release and examines the life and legacy of feminist author and sex educator Shere Hite. In 2024, Cutler directed, wrote, and produced the Netflix documentary Martha, which has a 90% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for two Emmys and a WGA award. Variety described it as “a transfixing saga,” while The Guardian called it “hilarious, piercing, and unexpectedly moving.” People magazine noted that “fans can’t stop talking about the emotional honesty and humor of the film.” As of June 2025, Martha had been streamed more than 22 million times worldwide for a total of 40.7 million viewing hours. In 2025, Cutler directed the Apple TV+ documentary series Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series, which chronicles the 2024 World Series with unprecedented behind-the-scenes access in partnership with Major League Baseball, Imagine Documentaries, and Cap 2 Productions. In May 2025, Netflix released the This Machine documentary Karol G: Tomorrow Was Beautiful. Directed by Cristina Costantini, the film debuted at No. 1 on Netflix’s Daily Top Ten film chart in the United States, and appeared in the Top 10 in 27 countries. That same year This Machine released Lee Soo Man: The King of K-Pop, documenting the career of SM Entertainment founder Lee Soo-man, and debuted the Prime Video documentary series Esports World Cup: Level Up, following competitors during the inaugural Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia also directed by Cutler. In August 2025, New York's Paris Theater hosted a two-night program titled "Martha, Billie and Anna: Portraits by R. J. Cutler", screening three of his documentaries. In September 2025, the Venice Film Festival premiered This Machine’s feature documentary Marc by Sofia, Sofia Coppola’s first documentary film, which explores her longtime creative collaboration with designer Marc Jacobs. In 2026, This Machine released BTS: The Return, directed by Bao Nguyen, documenting the group's reunion following completion of their mandatory military service.

Cutler lives in Los Angeles, with his wife, producer Jane Cha Cutler and their three children.

• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Awards N=Nominee, W=Winner • 2000 — American High — (EP) — Emmy (W), GLAAD (N) • 2002 — Military Diaries — (EP) — IDA (N) • 2003 — The Residents — (EP) • 2003 — Freshman Diaries — (EP) — IDA (N) • 2004 — American Candidate — (EP) • 2005 — Bound for Glory — (EP) • 2005–2008 — 30 Days — (EP) — Television Academy Honors (W), PGA (N), GLAAD (W) • 2005 — Making Dazed — (EP) • 2012 — One Nation Under Dog — (EP) — Television Academy Honors (W) • 2012 — Nashville — (EP) — WGA (N), People’s Choice (N) • 2020 — Dear... — (EP) — Imagen (W), Critics Choice Real TV (N) • 2022 — Supreme Models — (EP) — Telly Award (Silver) (W) • 2022 — Elton John Live: Farewell from Dodger Stadium — (EP) — Emmy (W) • 2023 — Murf the Surf — (EP) — MovieGuide Awards (N) • 2023 — Big Vape — (EP) — Emmy (W), Critics’ Choice (N), RealScreen Awards (N) • 2024 — Fight for Glory: 2024 World Series — (EP) • 2025 — Esports World Cup: Level Up — (EP)

• Year — Title — Director — Producer — Awards N=Nominee, W=Winner • 2018 — The Oval Office Tapes — (EP) — Webby Award (W)