Daniel Lombroso

Daniel Lombroso is an American documentary filmmaker and journalist. He is known for embedding inside of extremist groups to capture their influence on modern politics. His films White Noise, American Scar, Nina & Irena, and Manhood have received critical acclaim.

Life and career

Lombroso was born in New Rochelle, New York, the grandson of two Holocaust survivors. After graduating from McGill University, where he studied political science, he began working for The Atlantic and The New Yorker. While on staff at those magazines, Lombroso's films explored Russian espionage, Israel's settlement movement, plastic surgery addiction, and the Holocaust, and were recognized with major journalism awards.

In 2020, Lombroso directed his first documentary feature, White Noise, for which he spent four years embedded inside the so-called alt-right movement. During the production of the film, he exposed Vice co-founder Gavin McInnes for sexual harassment and captured alt-right members embracing Nazi ideology. The film was named one of the top documentaries of 2020 by Vox and The Boston Globe.

In 2021, Lombroso's documentary short on the US-Mexico border, American Scar, won a Special Jury Mention at DOC NYC and was nominated for the National Magazine Awards. In 2023, he directed Nina & Irena about his grandmother's survival in the Holocaust. It was Executive Produced by Errol Morris. He was named to the 2023 Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Media category. In 2024, he co-directed the documentary short Denial with Paul Moakley, which premiered worldwide on September 09, 2024 via The New Yorker.

In April 2025, Lombroso and Kerry Mack founded Outerboro Films in Brooklyn. Its projects include Manhood, a documentary about a Texas businessman’s efforts to normalize penis enlargement. The project was developed under the working title You’ll Be Happier and had its world premiere at the 2026 South by Southwest Film & TV Festival, with backing from World of Wonder and Penny Lane. It has received positive reviews from critics, who note its sensitive and non-judgmental style.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

External links

• at IMDb