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, 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 debut in 2026 with Primetime.
Early life and education Oppenheim was born on January 26, 1996, in Hollywood, Florida, and grew up in Weston, Florida. 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. He is Jewish.
Career In high school, Oppenheim directed several short documentaries, one of which 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.
Oppenheim directed and produced his debut feature, Some Kind of Heaven, a documentary exploring life inside The Villages, Florida, as part of his undergraduate senior thesis. In it, he follows four people living in The Villages and how they cope with later adult life. The film was produced by filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and The New York Times as one of the paper's first feature-length productions. It premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and International Film Festival Rotterdam to critical acclaim and was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures. In 2023, Oppenheim appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Hollywood & Entertainment. His second film, Spermworld, premiered at the 2024 True/False Film Festival to critical acclaim, and is available on FX, Disney +, and Hulu. In 2024, Oppenheim completed his first television series, Ren Faire. The series, produced by HBO and Elara Pictures, premiered at the 2024 South by Southwest Film Festival. In 2025, Oppenheim served as a producer on The Python Hunt, directed by Xander Robin and produced by Artists Equity.
Oppenheim made his narrative feature film debut with Primetime (2026), starring Robert Pattinson as To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen.
Filmography Short film Year Title Director Producer Editor Notes Ref.2012 The Dogmatic 2013 Quicksand 2014 The Off Season 2016 Long Term Parking New York Times Op-Doc 2017 No Jail Time: The Movie 2018 The Happiest Guy in the World The Paradise Next Door 2024 Frank
Documentary film Year Title Director Producer Notes2020 Some Kind of Heaven Also co-editor2024 Spermworld 2025 The Python Hunt 2026 You Can See Everything Co-directed with Nathan Fielder
Documentary series Year Title Director Producer Creator2024 Ren Faire
Feature film Year Title Director Producer Notes2026 Primetime
Music video Year Song Director Artist2026 "Lost Boys" Phoebe Bridgers References
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