Gabe Polsky

Polsky was born to Soviet immigrants and raised in the Chicago area. He graduated from Hotchkiss School for his high school education.[1] After graduating, he went on to Yale University and played NCAA hockey there.[2]

Most recently, Polsky wrote, directed, and produced the feature documentary Red Penguins, which premiered to broad acclaim at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was acquired by Universal Pictures,[3] released August 2020 and has a 98% certified fresh[4] on Rotten Tomatoes. Red Penguins tells the wild forgotten true story of opportunism run amok in Moscow shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was hailed by Deadline as “a remarkable—and funny—documentary that seems ripe for entry into this year’s Oscar race.”[5] In October 2020 it was nominated for a Critics Choice award.[6]

In 2018 Polsky completed the documentary In Search of Greatness. Told through the eyes of the greatest athletes of all time, In Search of Greatness is a cinematic journey into the secrets of genius. The film features original interviews with sports-world legends Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, and Jerry Rice.[7] In April 2018. The Hollywood Reporter wrote that the film is an early Oscar contender for the best documentary feature award, and that the film uses a mixture of "remarkable archival footage and talking-head interviews". Ben Reiter of Sports Illustrated said that the film is a "must see" and showcases "An unprecedented understanding of the true source of athletic genius."[8] Additionally, Nick Paumgarten of The New Yorker called In Search of Greatness "A soulful and idiosyncratic investigation of magic made manifest on the field, the court, the ice, and the canvas."[9] The film was nominated for numerous awards including a WGA award.

Polsky also wrote, directed and produced Red Army, a documentary film which chronicles the epic rise and fall of the Soviet Union through its famed ice hockey team.[10] Red Army was executive produced by Jerry Weintraub and Werner Herzog, and premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.[11] It was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Classics on Jan. 22, 2015.[12]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times called Red Army a "stirring, crazy story—a Russian novel of Tolstoyan sweep and Gogl-esque absurdity.”[13] Time Magazine said: "this playful, poignant film presents a human story that transcends decades, borders and ideologies.”[14] Scott Feinberg of The Hollywood Reporter called the film "one of the best documentaries that I have ever seen.”[15]

Red Army was the only documentary included in the official selections at the 2014 Cannes,[16] Telluride,[17] Toronto,[18] New York,[19] and AFI,[20] film festivals. Red Army won Audience Awards at the 2014 AFI,[21] Chicago[22] and Middleburg[23] film festivals.[24] The film was selected as the Opening Ceremony film of the 2014 Moscow International Film Festival.[25]

In 2017 Polsky was an Executive Producer on the Genius series on National Geographic. The series was nominated for 10 Emmys. He and his brother Alan acquired the rights to the Einstein Estate and the book Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.[26]

Polsky also co-directed and produced The Motel Life (2013), starring Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, and Stephen Dorff.[27] The film was described by IndieWire as “a perfectly formed Indie with a heart of gold."[28] Released in November 2013,[29] The Motel Life has been called “outstanding and enthralling” by The Washington Post[30] and “admirable and memorable” by The Wall Street Journal.[31]

Additional producing credits include: Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans,[32] which was named in over 40 top-ten lists of the Best Films in 2009. Roger Ebert declared: "Nicolas Cage is as good as anyone since Klaus Kinski at portraying a man whose head is exploding. It's a hypnotic performance."[33] Ebert named the film as among the top 10 best mainstream films of 2009,[34] and then included it in his list of the best films of the decade. Polsky produced His Way, an Emmy-nominated documentary about Jerry Weintraub released by HBO in 2011.[35] Additionally he is adapting the novels Butcher's Crossing by John Edward Williams[36] and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

• Gabe Polsky at IMDb