Leslie Thornton

Leslie Thornton is a Professor of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University and holds a Guest Professorship in Film at The European Graduate School (EGS). Born in 1951 in Knoxville, Tennessee, she is a pioneering American filmmaker and artist renowned for experimental film and video works that interrogate meaning production in media. Her career spans over five decades, beginning with painting studies at SUNY Buffalo and MIT under filmmakers like Hollis Frampton and Stan Brakhage.

Her research interests focus on avant-garde cinema's formal and philosophical boundaries, exploring tensions between expressive content and structural form. Notable works include the 20-year project Peggy and Fred in Hell, recognized in Village Voice and New York Times best lists, and films like Minus 10 (2005) and Golden Eyes (2010). Thornton has exhibited globally at MoMA, Centre Pompidou, and major festivals including Rotterdam and Berlin.

Awardees include the Maya Deren Award, Alpert Award, and multiple Rockefeller Fellowships. Her critical writings address media theory, appearing in journals like Art Papers and Framer Framed. Thornton collaborates with interdisciplinary teams and maintains studios in New York and Rhode Island.