Take a look at the IMDb staff picks for the best movies and series coming in August.

Staff Picks: What to Watch in August

Get a closer look at the most searched stars on IMDb right now.

These Stars Are on the Rise

Hall H panels, activations, and more can't-miss moments from Comic-Con 2025.

Photos We Love: San Diego Comic-Con 2025

Hall H panels, activations, and more can&#39;t-miss moments from Comic-Con 2025.

David Charles Schendel is an award-winning American filmmaker and director based in San Francisco. A graduate of the University of Washington School of Drama, Schendel has received critical acclaim for his films which are often distinguished by their use of humor and non-traditional methods of storytelling. He has received numerous accolades including Best Documentary Awards, Audience Awards, a California Civil Liberties Grant, ITVS project development grant and selection as the opening night filmmaker of New York Museum of Modern Art Documentary Fortnite. Schendel studied biology and animal behavior before making his first short films in 1990s. His first feature-length film was The Can (1994) became an underground film sensation and starred actress, Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me) and was shot entirely on super-8 film. He received Best Documentary Awards for Yank Tanks (2002), The Comedy Club (2021) and a Special Jury Award for Enduring Democracy (2024.) Other notable films include Inside David Mamet's Computer (2009) and Dead Ink Archive (2017.) Schendel was an early adopter of digital filmmaking and has been cited in scholarly works about the first experimentation with digital transfer to film and digital theatrical projection. Schendel's films focus on stories of social and environmental justice often using humor and allegory in his artistic process.

Enduring Democracy: The Monterey Petition

Awards

David Schendel

Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival

Cinema at the Edge Independent Film Festival

Carmel International Film Festival

Contribute to this page

More from this person

More to explore

Recently viewed