Life After Oscar: Documentary filmmaker T.J. Martin

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“Undefeated”

Documentary filmmaker T.J. Martin won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2012 for his film “Undefeated,” which follows a high school football team from Memphis. The film chronicles the life of underprivileged teenagers on and off the field.  Martin says that having Oscar on his mantel hasn’t changed his life. ” I’m not flying to Tahiti,” says Martin, but winning  Oscar does help him get meetings. “In a work sense it certainly does open up a lot of doors, but it doesn’t mean you get your projects automatically green lit.”

We’re catching up with Academy Award winners of a year ago who aren’t household names and don’t appear on the covers of magazines. What has winning an Academy Award meant for them? Does getting that little golden man bring you a bounty of opportunities you never thought possible? Or do you still have to hustle  for that next film project, even with those magic words “Academy Award Winner” right before your name? Find all of these interviews here.