Daniel Straub is an American documentary filmmaker. He directed Out of Plain Sight, a feature documentary for the Los Angeles Times about ocean dumping off the coast of Los Angeles, and the short documentary A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil about the Loti Pencil in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Early life
Straub was inspired to make films by watching the behind the scenes documentary for Raiders of the Lost Ark by Laurent Bouzereau.
Career
Straub began his directing career with Out of Plain Sight, a feature documentary about the ocean disposal of waste from the manufacturing of DDT. The film premiered at DOC NYC in November 2024.
His next project, A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil told the story of the creation of the Loti Pencil sculpture in Minneapolis. It premiered at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival where it won Best Short Documentary. The film was also an official selection of the 2026 Minneapolis Saint Paul International Film Festivalthe RiverRun International Film Festival, the Berkshire International Film Festival, and the Nantucket Film Festival.
Accolades
Festival/Organisation Date Award/Category Recipient Result Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 15, 2025 Audience Choice Award Out of Plain Sight Environmental Film Festival in the Nation's Capital March 29, 2025 Shared Earth Foundation Award International Wildlife Film Festival April 15, 2025 Best Feature Mendocino Film Festival May 29, 2025 Special Jury Award for Environmental Justice Berkshire International Film Festival June 1, 2025 Documentary Jury Award - Honorable Mention Berkshire International Film Festival June 2, 2025 Audience Award Woods Hole Film Festival August 2, 2025 Director's Choice Award for Fortitude in Filmmaking Jackson Wild Media Awards August 4, 2025 Investigative Jackson Wild Media Awards August 4, 2025 Science & Nature - Long Form Coast Film FestivalNovember 15, 2025MacGillivray Freeman Environmental Filmmaker Award Santa Barbara International Film Festival February 14, 2026 Best Short Documentary A Short Documentary About A Giant Pencil
Filmography
Feature films
YearTitleDirectorProducer2025Out of Plain Sight
Short films
YearTitleDirectorProducer2026A Short Documentary About a Giant Pencil
References
External links