TWO SUNS MEDIA
stories that bring us closer together
is a New York City-based media production company founded by award-winning documentary filmmaker, Kathy Leichter.
Two Suns Media
Visually arresting and emotionally rigorous,
our films tell stories that inspire people
–
COGnitively, emotionally, physically.
Out of this movement comes change.
Two Suns Media is supported by a
tremendous team of artists, assistants, and interns who dedicate themselves
to our films in a wide range of capacities.
We could not be doing what
we do without them.
Kathy Leichter is an award-winning documentary producer, director, engagement strategist and impact producer with over thirty years of experience working in film and television and using media for social change. She is the founder of Two Suns Media and Mint Leaf Productions, both based in New York City.
Her passion and purpose is to use story to move audiences emotionally and inspire change.
She has extensive experience designing and implementing successful audience engagement campaigns--often two to three years in duration--for award-winning documentaries and has produced
ABOUT
Kathy Leichter
Photo by Amir Levy
over 1500 impact events (in-person and virtual) across the country on issues including racial and economic justice, the climate crisis, mental health, women, police/community relations, civil discourse, juvenile justice, and Jewish identity. More information on Leichter’s work as an engagement strategist and impact producer.
Leichter's most recent film as director and producer is Here One Day, about mental illness and suicide in Leichter’s family. The film premiered at IDFA, had a prestigious film festival tour, and won Best Documentary and the Jury Prize at the Scottish Mental Health Arts & Film Festival. Here One Day is now the centerpiece of an international screening initiative, directed by Leichter, to create space for others to share their stories, reduce mental health stigma, link audiences to support, raise awareness about the impact of mental health challenges on families, and influence behavioral healthcare policy.
Leichter previously directed and produced, with Jonathan Skurnik, A Day's Work, A Day's Pay, which follows three welfare recipients in New York City, produced in association with ITVS and winner of the Harry Chapin Media Award for Excellence in Projects about Poverty and Hunger. Leichter fundraised for, designed, and directed for five years the film’s impact and audience engagement campaign, The Workfare Media Initiative, which trained people with experience in the welfare system to facilitate post-screening discussions, tell their own stories, and inspire audiences to action.
Other credits include co-producer of the award-winning films, Spit It Out, about a man who stutters and his journey towards self-acceptance and producer of Like Any Other Kid, about humane programs that support incarcerated youth, Hidden Battles, about the psychological impact of killing on soldiers, and Mothers and Daughters: Mirrors That Bind, about the effect of the mother/daughter relationship on a woman’s body, sexuality, and self-esteem.
Formerly, Leichter worked on national documentaries for WQED-PBS, where she associate produced a national series on health care reform and worked for Mister Rogers Neighborhood. One of the most memorable moments of her career was when, before filming an episode teaching children how restaurants cook food, Mr. Rogers asked Leichter to heat up his blue Keds sneakers, which he didn’t like to put on when cold.
