Biography

David Charles Schendel is an award-winning American filmmaker and director based in San Francisco. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Drama, Schendel has received critical acclaim for his films which are often distinguished by their use of humor and non-traditional methods of storytelling.  He has received numerous accolades including Best Documentary Awards, Audience Awards, a California Civil Liberties Grant, ITVS project development grant and selection as the opening night filmmaker of New York Museum of Modern Art Documentary Fortnite.  Schendel studied biology and animal behavior before making his first short films in 1990s.  His first feature-length film was The Can (1994) became an underground film sensation and starred the actress, Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me) and was shot entirely on super-8 film.  He received Best Documentary Awards for Yank Tanks (2002), The Comedy Club (2021) and a Special Jury Award for Enduring Democracy (2024.)  Other notable films include Inside David Mamet’s Computer (2009) and Dead Ink Archive (2017.)  Schendel was an early adopter of digital filmmaking and has been cited in scholarly works about the first experimentation with digital transfer to film and digital theatrical projection.  Schendel’s films focus on stories of social and environmental justice often using humor and allegory in his artistic process.