In this series, we’ll be turning the camera around onto our award-winning and multi-talented filmmakers. In each installment, we’ll introduce one filmmaker, have a chat, and share some of their most compelling projects.

First up, Ivy Meeropol: she’s a director, producer, and writer. Her award-winning 2004 film for HBO, Heir to an Execution, explores Ivy’s own relationship with the legacy of her grandparents, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg. Accused of being traitors for allegedly passing along secrets about the atomic bomb to the Soviets, they were executed in 1953.

Her newest project is “Killer Cop,” an episode for CNN’s Death Row Stories, airing on March 30^th at 9pm. The show itself premiered on March 9^th, and “attempts to unravel the truth behind a different capital murder case.”

Ivy is now working on a documentary about the controversy surrounding nuclear power plant at Indian Point  – she was one of twenty-seven filmmakers who received a grant from the Sundance Institute to make the film. She was heading to Japan for a few days to follow one of her main subjects of the film, but before she left, we sat down with her to chat about her craft, her upcoming Death Row Stories episode, and other impending projects.

How do you choose your subjects for documentaries?

I often find myself choosing a subject simply because it fascinates and concerns, or outright scares me. If I’m not fascinated with it enough to hold my interest for the years it takes to complete a feature then I know it’s not the right subject. It’s also about timing: does a story feel right for now? Of course I’m anticipating that it’ll be right once the film is out, but I need that gut instinct that this is something people care about – now. There also has to be some inherent drama unfolding for it to be compelling to me as a film. Then, if it also reveals itself to be visually interesting (cinematic) and I am able to gain the access I need, I’ll pursue the idea further.

So what makes a compelling character for you? 

Someone who’s relaxed, open, has a sense of humor, humble, articulate, and appealing.

Your episode, “Killer Cop,” for CNN’s Death Row Stories premieres March 30^th. How was working on that?

Quite an experience, making a mini-doc film in 4 months: it’s a much faster pace than feature work. We did 10 interviews in one  week, I wrote a script based mainly on transcripts and worked very closely with my editor. Because of the difficult subject matter, it was at times very painful and as I tend to empathize greatly with my subjects I found the experience to be a bit of a roller coaster of emotions.

What was the hardest part of working on this project?

Interviewing the death row inmate and interviewing the mother of the victims.

What projects are up next?

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Ivy Meeropol created and directed the television series The Hill (Sundance Channel), a 2007 International Documentary Association nominee for Best Limited Series. Her film Heir to an Execution (HBO) premiered at Sundance and made the Academy Award short-list. She directed the documentary bio All About Abe, and has written screenplays and articles for The New York Times, O The Oprah Magazine, Premier, Paper, and Black Book Magazine.

At DB Productions, she has worked on many impacting films, including Full Partners, which takes place at a medical center in Florida where nurses, physicians, and social workers come together to deliver patient-centered care to the most medically fragile patients. The film captures the clinical team’s rare capacity to collaborate, which is a critical health care issue today.