Howard Gertler, ’92 – Howard Gertler is an Oscar-nominated producer whose credits include David France’s How to Survive a Plague, which premiered in competition at Sundance 2012 and was released by IFC Films/Sundance Selects. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and won the Gotham for Best Documentary, the New York Film Critics’ Circle Award for Best First Feature, the International Documentary Association’s Emerging Filmmaker Award and the GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary. It was also a Film Independent Spirit Award Nominee.

With John Cameron Mitchell & graphic novelist Dash Shaw, he produced the short film Seraph for the band Sigur Ros, which premiered at Sundance 2013. 

Along with Tim Perell at Process (where Gertler was head of production 2001 through 2009), he won the 2007 Film Independent Spirit Producers’ Award for John Cameron Mitchell’s Shortbus, and in 2006 was named one of Variety’s Ten Producers To Watch. Shortbus premiered in the official selection in Cannes and was released worldwide.

His development & production slate includes an adaptation of How to Survive a Plague as a scripted miniseries for ABC, Mike Albo’s The Underminer, John Cameron Mitchell’s adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s How To Talk To Girls At Parties, Dash Shaw’s animated feature Shell Game (also producing with Mitchell, developed at the Sundance Institute), Brian Crano’s Retrace Your Steps, and David Henry Hwang’s original screenplay Bob’s Gang. 

Other selected producer/co-producer/associate producer/production executive credits include Bobcat Goldthwait’s World’s Greatest Dad (starring Robin Williams), Bart Freundlich’s The Rebound and Trust The Man (released by Fox Searchlight in 2006), Joel Hopkins’ Jump Tomorrow (financed by Film 4 and released domestically by IFC), David Wain’s Wet Hot American Summer (released by USA Films/Universal), and Showtime’s The Best Thief In The World, with Mary Louise Parker. TV MOW’s include Husband For Hire for Oxygen, which was their highest-rated telecast at the time of its premiere in January 2008. Music video productions have included clips for Scissor Sisters’ “Filthy/Gorgeous,” and the mtv.com #1 video Bright Eyes’ “First Day of My Life,” both directed by John Mitchell.

Gertler is active in the NYC film community, participating in mentoring programs at both the IFP and the Tribeca Film Institute.