William Martin

William Martin is a BAFTA nominated documentary filmmaker focused on gender inequality, immigration, queer rights, and climate change. He graduated in 2021 with a master's in journalism, with a focus on News and Documentary. He also has a bachelor of arts degree from NYU Tisch in photojournalism.

With funding from the Fund for Investigative Journalism and as a migration fellow with the Ground Truth Project, William created a 30 minute documentary examining the Trump administration’s controversial choice to continue detaining asylum seekers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Celeste and Maria, two undocumented women, survived both COVID-19 and human rights abuses while detained at Otay Mesa ICE detention center in California. No Way, Which Way, was a BAFTA student film awards shortlist and was selected for the Toronto Women's International Film Festival.

Most recently, William was awarded grants from BAFTA and the Fund for Investigative Journalism to explore how the U.S. Border Closure has impacted transgender asylum-seeking migrants in Mexico’s dangerous border cities in the midst of Covid-19. After two years, the short film, Sin Hogar (No Home), will be released this late Fall. Here's a preview of the content published with The New Humanitarian—selected for IQMF Amsterdam and Tulum WE film festivals.

William was also a Great Big Story Genesis student fellow, one of four students globally awarded an opportunity to create a short film. His story, The Dolphins of Laguna, follows the fishermen of a small town in Southern Brazil who have been collaborating with dolphins for over 100 years to catch fish. Safico, 68 years-old, has been fishing with one particular dolphin, Caroba, for 45 years. Safico goes to great lengths to both protect and uphold the tradition of fishing with dolphins.


With funding from National Geographic, his documentary, Daughters of Drought, investigated how Malawian women are impacted by climate change. The film won Best Short Documentary at the Toronto International Women Film Festival and will be published with WaterBear in August.

His video journalism is currently featured in Time, Teen Vogue, The GroundTruth Project, BRIC Media, and Al Jazeera.

I am currently based in Los Angeles, CA.

  • BAFTA Grantee Recipient

  • BAFTA Student Finalist

  • Edwin Diamond Award

  • GroundTruth Project Migration Fellow

  • Overseas Press Club Scholar

  • Grantee for Fund For Investigative Journalism

  • U.S. Government Boren Fellow for Portuguese Studies in Brazil

  • Martin Fellow in NYU’s Graduate School of Journalism, News and Documentary program

  • Genesis Great Big Story Video Fellow (with short film premier in South Korea)

  • Puffin Grant Recipient for documentary work in the Amazon

  • GroundTruth Project Fellow with Reporting in Namibia on the connection between HIV and gender-based violence

  • One World Media Popular Features Award: Climate Change is Creating a New Atmosphere of Gender Inequality for Women in Malawi

  • National Geographic Early Career Grant Recipient

  • Fledgling Fund Recipient

  • Graduate of NYU TISCH Photography & Imaging with Honors

  • NYU Founders Day Award: highest bracket of scholastic achievement

  • Gold Winner, Global 69th College Photographer of the Year, Documentary Category

  • Thomas Drysdale Production Fund Recipient

  • Tisch Departmental Award for Social Practice

  • Gareth Hughes Memorial Scholarship Recipient

  • Global Pathways Scholarship Recipient

  • PDN Photo Annual Winner in Emerging Talent

  • Santander Universities Study Award Scholarship Recipient

  • Valedictorian of Grants Pass High School