Hazel Gurland-Pooler is a Colombian-born, New York City-based documentary filmmaker. She directed 10 episodes of PBS’ “Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr.” and co-produced the 6-hour “The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross” also with Dr. Gates, which won Emmy, Peabody, duPont-Columbia, and NAACP Image awards. Hazel also produced “Roots: A History Revealed” simulcast on HISTORY/A&E/Lifetime, which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary Television, and screened at the 2016 Bushwick Film Festival. Hazel has contributed to documentaries for ABC News, A&E, AMC, CNN Originals, FRONTLINE, and HBO.

“Storming Caesars Palace”, Hazel’s first feature-length documentary, premiered as the Opening Night film at the BlackStar Film Festival and won the coveted Shine Award. Since then, the film has screened at 25+ national and international festivals, picking up numerous Best Documentary Feature and Best Director awards. The film also received industry recognition, winning the 2023 IDA ABC News VideoSource Award for best use of archival material. “Storming Caesars Palace” broadcast on PBS’ Independent Lens series in March 2023, enjoyed 45+ community screenings through Indy Lens Pop Up, a partnership between public media stations and local organizations, and is now streaming on PBS.