Kirk Wolfinger

Kirk Wolfinger
Wolfinger in 2025
OccupationsFilmmaker, producer, director
Known forDocumentary, history, and science programming
TitlePresident & co-founder of Lone Wolf Media
SpouseLisa Quijano Wolfinger

Kirk Wolfinger is an American filmmaker, producer, and director known for his work in documentary, historical, and science programming.[1] He is a recipient of multiple Emmy and Peabody Awards for his contributions to television.[2][3] Wolfinger is the president and co-founder of Lone Wolf Media,[4] an independent production company based in South Portland, Maine, which he operates with his wife, producer Lisa Quijano Wolfinger.[3]

Career

Wolfinger began his filmmaking career in the mid-1980s, producing his first documentary, Black Magic (1984).[5]

Over the following decades, he directed and produced numerous programs for major broadcasters, including PBS's NOVA, National Geographic, The History Channel, and the Smithsonian Channel. His films often explore themes of scientific discovery, history, exploration, and human endurance.[6][7]

In 1997, Wolfinger and his wife founded Lone Wolf Media,[3] which has since produced award-winning programs distributed internationally. The company is recognized for long-running collaborations with public broadcasting networks and for its contributions to science and history-based storytelling.[3]

Work

Wolfinger's career spans more than four decades in documentary filmmaking. He has directed and produced historical, scientific, and investigative programs for major U.S. and international broadcasters. His work include:

  • Black Magic (1984), Winner of the America Film Festival Blue Ribbon 1984.[8]
  • Second Home (PBS, 1984), documenting life aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy.[5]
  • Submarine: Steel Boats, Iron Men (PBS, 1991), providing access to a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine.[9]
  • Bioterror (PBS NOVA, 2002), based on the book Germs: Biological Weapons and America's Secret War by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William Broad, produced with WGBH Boston.[7]
  • The Ravens: Covert War in Laos (Discovery Times Channel, 2003), examining the air war in Laos during the Vietnam conflict.[10]
  • Dirty Bomb (BBC/WGBH, 2003), a NOVA special on radiological terrorism.[11]
  • The Rivals (2009), an independent documentary on a Maine high school football rivalry that received Best Picture at the Phoenix Film Festival.[12]
  • 9/11 Inside the Pentagon (PBS, 2016), marking the 15th anniversary of the September 11 attacks and featuring accounts from Pentagon survivors.[1][13]
  • USS Indianapolis: Final Chapter (PBS, 2017), covering the discovery of the WWII shipwreck in partnership with Paul Allen's exploration team.[14]
  • Hindenburg: The New Evidence (PBS NOVA, 2021), reexamining the 1937 airship disaster using newly found footage.[15]
  • Resistance: They Fought Back (PBS, 2024), co-directed with Paula S. Apsell, focusing on Jewish resistance during the Holocaust. The documentary premiered at Jerusalem Jewish Film Week and aired nationally on PBS on International Holocaust Remembrance Day.[16][17][18]

His more recent work includes Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters (History Channel),[19] America's Hidden Stories (Smithsonian Channel), and Wild Crime (ABC/Hulu). Wolfinger has collaborated with scientists and explorers such as Robert Ballard and Nobel laureates Svante Pääbo and Saul Perlmutter on science-themed productions.[20]

His work also includes an Emmy Award (Bioterror), a Peabody Award (Moon Shot),[21] the Phoenix Film Festival Best Picture award (The Rivals), and six Emmy nominations for various films.[22]

Selected filmography

  • Moon Shot (TNT, 1994) – winner of a George Foster Peabody Award.[21]
  • Failure Is Not an Option (2003)
  • Titanic's Final Moments: Missing Pieces (2006).
  • The Rivals (2009)
  • Resistance: They Fought Back (2021)
  • Holocaust Escape Tunnel (PBS Nova, 2017).
  • USS Indianapolis: Final Chapter – documenting the discovery of the WWII shipwreck in collaboration with Paul Allen's team.
  • Deep Sea Detectives (History Channel).
  • America's Hidden Stories (Smithsonian Channel).
  • Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters (2022–present).

Awards and recognition

Wolfinger has received multiple awards for his work, including:

  • Emmy Award for Bioterror (a Nova/New York Times co-production).[23]
  • George Foster Peabody Award for Moon Shot.[21]
  • Regional Emmy Awards and several Primetime Emmy nominations.[22]
  • The Rivals won Best Picture at the Phoenix Film Festival.[24]

References

  1. ^ a b "Inside the Pentagon's 9/11 Nightmare". Newsweek. 2016-08-16. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  2. ^ Merry, Stephanie (2016-09-05). "Just like Korea is the forgotten war, the Pentagon is the forgotten 9/11". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  3. ^ a b c d "Against the odds, Lone Wolf Media has been telling stories for 25 years". newscentermaine.com. 2022-06-29. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  4. ^ "Lone Wolf Media". Lone Wolf Media. 2025-06-11. Retrieved 2025-12-03.
  5. ^ a b Goodman, Walter (1985-07-03). "Observing Daily Life on Carrier". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  6. ^ "Review/Television; Submarines and the Men on Board (Published 1991)". 1991-11-20. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  7. ^ a b Regis, Ed (2001-11-13). "TELEVISION REVIEW; On Preparing To Wage War With Germs, Guilt Aplenty (Published 2001)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  8. ^ Black Magic, Varied Directions, retrieved 2025-11-25
  9. ^ "Review/Television; Submarines and the Men on Board (Published 1991)". 1991-11-20. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  10. ^ Warner, Roger (2004-03-09). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Ravens Evermore: Secrets of America's Undercover Warriors in Laos (Published 2004)". Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  11. ^ Martel, Ned (2003-02-25). "TELEVISION REVIEW; Terror's Dual Threats Of Bombs and Biology (Published 2003)". Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  12. ^ "'The Rivals' more than a football movie". Lewiston Sun Journal. 2009-08-09. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  13. ^ "Survivors of the Pentagon attacks had their own harrowing view of 9/11". NBC News. 2016-09-07. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  14. ^ Southeast, MCSN Marianne Guemo NPASE Detachment. "Indianapolis Endures Through Legacy". The Florida Times-Union. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  15. ^ Producer, Jennifer Robinson / Web (2021-05-17). "NOVA: Hindenburg: The New Evidence". KPBS Public Media. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  16. ^ Grobar, Matt (2024-03-05). "Abramorama Acquires WWII Doc 'Resistance – They Fought Back' Spotlighting Jews Who Combatted Nazi War Machine". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  17. ^ "Jewish resistance in Holocaust shown in 'Resistance – They Fought Back' | The Jerusalem Post". The Jerusalem Post. 2024-05-11. ISSN 0792-822X. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  18. ^ "Powerful Maine-made documentary shines a light on courage of European Jews during WWII". newscentermaine.com. 2025-01-22. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  19. ^ "The Bermuda Triangle: Into Cursed Waters - Apple TV". Apple TV. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  20. ^ ""NOVA" Dives Into the Story of the Tulsamerican". The National WWII Museum | New Orleans. 2018-10-30. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
  21. ^ a b c "Moon Shot". The Peabody Awards. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  22. ^ a b "Kirk Wolfinger". Television Academy. Retrieved 2026-01-14.
  23. ^ "PBS Dominates News and Documentary Emmys with 14 Awards". About PBS - Main. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
  24. ^ "Feature Film Awards". Phoenix Film Festival. Retrieved 2026-01-08.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.