Lance Oppenheim (born January 26, 1996) is an American director and producer. His work blends nonfiction storytelling with heightened, cinematic formalism. Oppenheim's documentaries include the films Some Kind of Heaven (2020) about The Villages, Florida, Spermworld (2024), about unregulated sperm donation, and You Can See Everything (2026), about Elizabeth Holmes, which he co-directed with Nathan Fielder. He also directed the HBO documentary series Ren Faire (2024), about the Texas Renaissance Festival. He made his narrative film directorial debut in 2026 with Primetime.
Contents
Early life and education
Oppenheim was born on January 26, 1996, into a Jewish family in Hollywood, Florida, and grew up in Weston, Florida. His parents are both real estate attorneys. He attended Pine Crest School from 2010 to 2014. He graduated from Harvard University in 2019 with a bachelor's degree in visual and environmental studies. At Harvard, Oppenheim studied with filmmakers Ross McElwee, Robb Moss, and Guy Maddin, and lived in Adams House.
Career
In high school, Oppenheim directed several short documentaries, one of which (Quicksand) PBS distributed nationwide. He sent documentary pitches to the New York Times Op-Docs' open submission portal, documenting "crazy things happening in [his] backyard", which the Times would "politely reject." While in college, Oppenheim directed three short documentaries acquired and distributed by The New York Times Op-Docs. His short The Happiest Guy in the World, about long-term cruise passenger Mario Salcedo, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2018.
