Photo: Kevin Scanlon

This celebrated documentary filmmaker is the recipient of the 2025 BIO Award – Biographers International Organization’s annual recognition of a distinguished colleague who has made significant contributions to the art and craft of biography. Dawn Porter’s documentaries include rich biographical explorations of John Lewis, Lady Bird Johnson, Robert F. Kennedy and Luther Vandross. For her impressive body of work, Porter has earned Peabody, NAACP and Gracie Awards, along with the National Humanities Medal, the Critics’ Choice Impact Award and the International Documentary Association’s Career Achievement Award. She will receive this year’s BIO Award and deliver the keynote address at BIO’s annual conference on June 6th at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Dawn Porter talks about her biographical journey with fellow biographer and BIO member A’Lelia Bundles.