photo: Cassandra Giraldo
Carissa Henderson is an award-winning filmmaker & director of photography known for her instinctive & elevated cinema vérité style. She specializes in immersive, character-driven films guided by a keen sensitivity, honed through years of documentary work grounded by award-winning journalism. Currently based in Chicago after a decade in NYC.
At present, Carissa is filming an expansive, long-term (five years and counting) observational documentary project closely following NASA’s Artemis Program for National Geographic.
Following the premieres of two feature documentary films she served as a DP (DRIVER, Tribeca ‘24, PBS POV; Sue Bird: In the Clutch, Sundance ‘24, Netflix), among others she contributed to as a cinematographer (Stiller & Meara: Nothing is Lost, Apple TV ‘25; Just Kids, Tribeca ‘25), Carissa published a short film on Rolling Stone following a multi-year investigation into the global black market trade of highly intelligent (and endangered) African grey parrots.
Carissa is experienced and equipped to spend extended time in the outdoors (she once spent two months in Nepal, trekking to Everest Base Camp and subsequently living at 17,500’ in a yellow tent with her cameras, documenting the Full Circle Expedition make history as the first all Black team to strive for the summit of the highest peak in the world — premiere TBA 2026). When not traveling for work or at home in the city, Carissa retreats to her 105 year old house in the Catskills to admire ferns and listen to the forest.
She holds a BFA, a HEFAT certification, a Part 107 FAA drone license, a handful of analog still cameras, and a range of production equipment. One day she’ll figure out what to do with all of these years of photos & field notes.
current work samples & links are available upon request.
contact: carissanhenderson@gmail.com
recently
ZEISS Lenspire: Carissa Henderson chooses Zeiss CP.3s to Lens BTS Story of Basketball Olympian “Sue Bird: In the Clutch”
Cinematography World: DP Carissa Henderson lenses Sue Bird: In The Clutch documentary with Zeiss CP.3 Primes
International Documentary Association: “Production was a kind of durational epic”: Nesa Azimi Reflects on DRIVER
Rivian: Turning a Lens on Electrified Travel: a coastal Maine roadtrip documented by two filmmakers
CV / Links
✷ = Emmy nominated
ARTEMIS DP | feature documentary two-part series | NASA x National Geographic & Disney | Lightbox *currently in production, 2021 - present
GREY ZONE director & DP | short documentary | WIRE | Rolling Stone 2025
RIVIAN X INDIGENOUS LED: IN OUR NATURE co-director & co-DP | short branded documentary | casa 木 | Coast Film & Music Festival | web 2025
STILLER & MEARAcinematographer | feature documentary | dir. Ben Stiller | Apple TV
JUST KIDS cinematographer | feature documentary | Toboni Sisters | Tribeca World Premiere 2025
SUE BIRD: IN THE CLUTCH DP | feature documentary | Jigsaw | Sundance World Premiere 2024 | Netflix
DRIVER DP | feature documentary | Tribeca World Premiere 2024 | distribution TBA
FULL CIRCLE: THE FIRST ALL BLACK EVEREST ASCENT DP | feature documentary | REI Studios x Westbrook 2022 | distribution TBA
✷ALL THAT REMAINS DP | feature episode | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera 2024
LATINO VOTE 2024 cinematographer | feature documentary | Quiet Pictures | PBS 2024
THIS IS POST ROE AMERICA cinematographer | interactive multimedia feature | Opinion | New York Times 2024
CAMDEN cinematographer | episode 3: Pioneers | documentary series | Lightbox | Hulu 2024
RIVIAN: ROADTRIPPING FROM NY TO MAINE co-director & co-DP | branded spot | casa 木 | web 2024
RIVIAN: BUILT IN-HOUSE DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2024
RIVIAN: FAVORITE THINGS DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2024
THE BLUE PARADOX DP | immersive exhibit/campaign | Museum of Science & Industry | Radical Media x Ogilvy 2023
✷ THE WHOLE STORY WITH ANDERSON COOPER: WITHOUT ROE DP | Emmy Nominated news segment | CNN 2023
THE PESTICIDE PLAYBOOK DP | news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2023
WHO GETS TO BE AN INFLUENCERDP | episode | NYT Presents | Hulu/FX 2022
COLD WEATHER TESTING DP | branded spot | Rivian | web 2021
NO CONSENT DP | news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2021
✷THIS COMPANY PROFITS OFF THE MOST VULNERABLE CHILDREN IN THE US cinematographer | Emmy Nominated episode | VICE News 2021
✷CONNECTED: THE HIDDEN SCIENCE OF EVERYTHING cinematographer | episode 1 & 2 | Emmy Nominateddocumentary series | ZPZ | Netflix 2020
REBELLE RALLY: ELECTRIC VEHICLE ADVENTURES DP | branded short | Rivian | web 2020
ON THE TRAIL: INSIDE THE 2020 PRIMARIES cinematographer | feature documentary | CNN Films | HBO max 2020
LATINO VOTE 2020 cinematographer | feature documentary | Quiet Pictures | PBS 2020
✷UNRELEASED FOOTAGE GIVES AN INSIDE LOOK AT THE NIGHT BREONNA TAYLOR DIED cinematographer | Emmy Nominated episode | VICE News 2020
✷VIRUS ON THE POULTRY LINE DP | Emmy Nominated news segment | Fault Lines | Al Jazeera English 2020
THE ENDORSEMENT cinematographer | episode | NYT: The Weekly | Hulu/FX 2020
MY BLOOD cinematographer | episode | NYT: The Weekly | Hulu/FX 2020
USA V CHAPO cinematographer | documentary series | Rolling Stone | 2019
REJECTORS camera operator | narrative short | independent | premiere Lighthouse International Film Festival 2019
✷VICE NEWS TONIGHT ON HBO staff cinematographer | season 1-3 | multi-award-winning documentary series | HBO 2016-2018
education
NEW YORK UNIVERSITY | Tisch School of the Arts - Kanbar Institute of Film & Television | Bachelor of the Arts ‘16 | graduated early with honors