JIMMIE & SANORA is a feature documentary about a remarkable couple: two-time Oscar-winning cinematographer James Wong Howe and progressive writer Sanora Babb defied industry discrimination, anti-miscegenation laws, and social norms to forge a marriage and artistic partnership that would span decades. Improbable and groundbreaking, their enduring love and art embodied both the peril and promise of twentieth-century America.
Told in their own words, through 1,000+ personal letters, never-before-seen home movies, and recordings from their estates, their story unfolds as a testament to creativity, identity, and the quiet courage it takes to bring beauty into a world that would prefer you stay invisible.
James wong Howe
1899 - 1976
One of the most acclaimed cinematographers of all time, Jimmie transcended racial obstacles in film through talent, ingenuity, creativity, and willpower. He pioneered technological changes in Hollywood, from silents to talkies, black & white to color… and worked in every genre, pushing boundaries with cinematic breakthroughs. With a career spanning six decades, he shot classics from The Thin Man and Body and Soul to Hud; was the first Asian-American to win an Oscar; and remains the most Oscar-nominated Asian-American in Academy history.
Internationally recognized as both artist and innovator, Jimmie championed groundbreaking experimentation and visionary cinematography. His work inspired filmmakers like Orson Welles and Martin Scorsese and continues to influence a new generation of storytellers: from cinematographer Bradford Young to director Bong Joon-ho.
136 Films
10 Oscar Nominations
2 Wins
1st person of color inducted into the ASC
Voted top 10 most influential cinematographer of all time
Sanora babb
1907 - 2005
From her teens, Sanora rejected society's expectations to define her life as both a writer and a woman. A childhood spent amongst the Otoe-Missouria tribe of Oklahoma fueled what would become a lifelong commitment to social justice and environmentalism, leading to literary work that remains relevant to this day.
Drawing on both her impoverished childhood and her time living with and advocating for migrant farmers reeling from the man-made disaster of the Dust Bowl, Sanora wrote a novel that was abandoned by her publisher after The Grapes of Wrath came out the same year. Devastated yet undeterred, she continued to write, amplifying the voices of people of color and women through her award-winning short stories, poetry and novels. Her rejected manuscript Whose Names Are Unknown remained unpublished until 2004, a year before her death. Rediscovered posthumously, Sanora's work is finally receiving the critical acclaim she deserved and securing her place in the literary canon.
2022 Ralph Ellison Award
2005 Finalist: Spur Award and PEN Center USA Literary Award.
Champion of environmental and labor causes.
Together for Decades
Their Partnership
Their romance survived social, political, professional, and personal upheavals— growing stronger with each setback as their mutual respect grew. Interracial marriage was forbidden by law for decades and fear of deportation hung over Jimmie’s non-citizen status for most of his life. Interrogated by the FBI for her progressive activities during the Red Scare, Sanora self-exiled to Mexico to protect Jimmie; he was nevertheless gray-listed and struggled to find work even as he won his first Oscar in 1956. Throughout, Jimmie and Sanora managed to persevere: supporting one another and allowing the other to pursue their art and passion.
“They would rise and fall and, in their falling, rise again.”
Sanora Babb, Whose Names Are Unknown
“There are a lot of rules to be broken in photography, and you’ve got to have courage.”
James Wong Howe
Why Now
A distinctly American story, and anything but historical
Who gets to be American? Who receives credit for the culture they build? What does it cost an artist to work within an industry that profits from their talent while denying their humanity?
Jimmie and Sanora lived these questions in the most intimate way and supported one another through it all. Their lives were inextricable; you cannot tell one story without the other, each a vessel of healing, memory, and innovation. It is living proof that freedom of expression is foundational, and that individual voices, however suppressed, leave permanent marks and beacons of hope.
Production team
Emmy-winning filmmaker based in New York City, she has directed and produced PLAGUE AT THE GOLDEN GATE (2022) and THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT (2018) for PBS’s American Experience. An ACE editor with 40 years of experience and over 30 films, she has been a longtime collaborator of Ric Burns, including OLIVER SACKS: His Own Life (Telluride, NYFF), ANDY WARHOL, and EUGENE O'NEILL.
She began her career working with Jim Jarmusch, Spike Lee, and Sara Driver and has since collaborated with leading documentarians like Stanley Nelson, Bill Moyers, and Christine Choy.
Director/ProducerLi-Shin Yu
James Q. Chan
A two-time Emmy-nominated producer and director based in San Francisco, James crafts films that explore human relationships with depth and integrity. His work includes CHINATOWN RISING (PBS), BLOODLINE (Emmy® Nominee), PLAGUE AT THE GOLDEN GATE (PBS), FOREVER, CHINATOWN (Emmy® Nominee), and large-format 360° projects for Disney. A U.S. State Department filmmaker envoy, YBCA100 Honoree, an Asian Cultural Council fellow, he is a member of the Directors Guild of America.
Producer 
Susan Kim
Susan Kim is a TV writer, playwright, and author, with a diverse career spanning documentaries, children's television, and graphic novels. In 2023, she was nominated for a Writers Guild Award for American Experience: PLAGUE AT THE GOLDEN GATE, and FRONTLINE: RISING AGAINST HATE earned a Peabody nomination. Her writing credits include ICEBOUND (BBC), BEHIND MY EYES (LIW), PAVING THE WAY (PBS), and THE JOY LUCK CLUB stage adaptation, among others. She has been nominated six times for an Emmy and five times for a Writers Guild Award.
Writer
Michael Levine
EditorEmmy-winning editor for the Oscar-nominated RESTREPO. Other nominations and credits include festival favorites: THE CENTRAL PARK FIVE, THE CRUISE, BOBBY FISCHER AGAINST THE WORLD, FRAGMENTS OF PARADISE, THE AUTOMAT, CHARM CIRCLE, and Russell Crowe’s TEXAS (a concert film), among others.
Kim & Kathryne Kluge
ComposersHusband-and-wife composing team whose score for Martin Scorsese's SILENCE was hailed by The Wall Street Journal as "a bridge between centuries-old cultures in conflict" and called one of the season's biggest Oscar snubs by IndieWire. Classical pianists with a gift for inventive, evocative storytelling, their credits include DRIVEN, SMALL ENGINE REPAIR, GROWING HAPPINESS, THE YELLOW TIE, and concert works written for jazz icon Branford Marsalis and violinist Midori, among others.
Janet Yang
Executive Producer Emmy & Golden Globe Winning Producer, Janet Yang came to prominence through her collaboration with Steven Spielberg on EMPIRE OF THE SUN followed by partnerships with Oliver Stone and Lisa Henson. Her extensive Film and TV credits include THE JOY LUCK CLUB, THE PEOPLE VS. LARRY FLYNT, SHANGHAI CALLING, HIGH CRIMES, OVER THE MOON, and THE ROSE: COME BACK TO ME.
Yang was named one of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Hollywood” by the Hollywood Reporter, Variety's Power of Women 2023, Forbes 2024 “50 over 50” List. She serves on the IMAX China Board, and Unified Youth, a mental-health-focused organization. Yang was the first Asian American president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
Christina Oh
Executive Producer Christina Oh is an Academy Award-nominated producer who has worked on a number of film and television projects over her career, including Bong Joon Ho’s OKJA (Netflix), Joe Talbot’s feature film debut THE LAST BLACK MAN IN SAN FRANCISCO (A24), and Marielle Heller’s NIGHTBITCH (Searchlight). She has also produced MINARI (A24), written and directed by Lee Isaac Chung. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and went on to receive six Academy Award nominations, where Youn Yuh-jung won Korea's first-ever Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. Oh’s past television credits include LEGO Masters (FOX) and PAPER GIRLS (Amazon).
Steven Yeun
Voice of James Wong Howe; Executive Producer Golden Globe winning actor for his 2023 work on the series BEEF. He began his career as a member of the Second City comedy troupe in Chicago but was not widely known until he was cast in the series THE WALKING DEAD. He made history as the first Asian American actor nominated for the Academy Award for best actor for his role in Lee Isaac Chung’s 2020 MINARI. He also starred in Bong Joon Ho’s MICKEY 17 (2025) and OKJA (2017), Lee Chang-dong's 2018 film, BURNING, and Jordan Peele’s NOPE (2022). In 2021, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people in the world.
A Feature Documentary