Nicole Mackinlay Hahn (lives in Harlem, NY) is a transdisciplinary artist, filmmaker, and advocate whose work highlights sociopolitical ideas while amplifying stories of discovery and environmental futures. She grew up working a family business on Fire Island National Seashore, which led to many campfire conversations with park rangers and environmental stewards, this storytelling unleashed Nicole’s imagination. With documentary roots, Nicole absorbs the intimate realities and experiences of the people with whom she works, finding a naturalistic approach across diverse communities around the globe. Her cross-disciplinary approach from sports to space science, includes collaborations with athletes, scholars, scientists, designers, technologists, entrepreneurs, and neighbors in order to explore the role humans play in the natural world.
Nicole has worked extensively in Africa, filming in many countries for her interactive project concerning workers in the garment industry. The resulting MIRROR / AFRICA installation which has exhibited internationally from the New Museum New York to the London College of Fashion, and is published in the V&A Museum’s book ‘Fashioned From Nature.’ Her continued interest in the lives of workers and food security led to THE WELCOME TABLE PROJECT, commissioned by Louverture Films, Nicole directed a series of short film portraits which maps the labor chain of workers in the food industry, and which was featured at the Tribeca Film Festival/Interactive. Her short film, BURKINA, PRINCESS YENNENGA featuring a series of intimate portraits of a group of Burkinabé women is published on Nowness.
Nicole has created exclusive short films with U2. Her interest in capturing the fierce spirit of physical challenge, endurance, brought collaborations on multiple films with CLIF BAR and ESPN X-Games. Product(RED), Breast Cancer Fund, Every Mother Counts, ONE Campaign, have tapped Nicole’s creative spirit to engage the public interest. Her cinematography has attracted major feature doc interest and she shot the award-winning film SHADOW WORLD, about the international arms trade.
Nicole received her BFA from the School of Art and Design at Alfred University concentrating in Expanded Media, Video Arts. Nicole’s documentary work has exhibited internationally receiving multiple awards including a Gold Lion at the 2016 Cannes International Festival of Creativity.
