Tracy Droz Tragos (born January 8, 1969) is an American documentary filmmaker. She is known for her documentary films Rich Hill, Abortion: Stories Women Tell, and Plan C.
Life and career Tragos received her undergraduate degree in fiction writing from Northwestern University and her MFA in screenwriting from the University of Southern California. In 2003, she directed her first documentary, Be Good, Smile Pretty, it aired on PBS's Independent Lens and won an Emmy in the category of best documentary at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards in 2004.
In 2014, along with her first cousin Andrew Droz Palermo, she co-directed Rich Hill, a family drama set in the small Missouri town of Rich Hill. It won the best documentary at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. Though the film highlights family issues in rural America, Traz Dragos and Palermo, who was also the DP, made sure not to sensationalize poverty, they said when the film screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. Droz Tragos said their deep family roots in the community helped in terms of gaining people's trust. She said that her grandparents, a school teacher and a postal worker "were respected members of the community. So it was on their good name that we made the connections with the subjects. I also made a film [Be Good, Smile Pretty] about my father, who was from that town, and a lot of people in town had seen that film and felt comfortable with me. There was a lot of trust from the get-go."
For Rich Hill, the filmmakers spent so much time with their subjects that they captured nearly 450 hours. The film's editor, Jim Hession, was tasked with paring that down to 93 minutes for the finished film.
In 2016, Tragos directed and produced the documentary Abortion: Stories Women Tell, which was broadcast on HBO and nominated for an Emmy for outstanding social issue documentary at the 37th News and Documentary Emmy Awards. She was the recipient of a 2020 Guggenheim fellowship. In 2021, She directed The Smartest Kids in the World, based on the New York Times bestseller The Smartest Kids in the World.
In 2023, Tragos' documentary, Plan C, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Shot over four years, Plan C captures the work of the Plan C campaign activists and providers who began to mail abortion pills during the pandemic.
She is an adjunct professor teaching documentary filmmaking at the USC School of Cinematic Arts.
Tragos is married and has two children.
In January 2025, Tragos' home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles burned down due to the Palisades Fire.
Selected filmography YearTitle Contribution Note 2003 Be Good, Smile Pretty Director and producer Documentary 2004 The Last Full Measure Writer Short film 2005 E! True Hollywood Story Producer 1 episode 2014 Rich Hill Director and producer Documentary 2016 Abortion: Stories Women Tell Director and producer Documentary2021The Smartest Kids in the World Director and producer Documentary2023Plan C Director and producer Documentary
Awards and nominations YearResultAwardCategoryWorkRef.2004 WonNews and Documentary Emmy AwardsBest DocumentaryIndependent Lens:Be Good, Smile Pretty2014 WonSundance Film FestivalBest DocumentaryIndependent Lens:Rich Hill WonSarasota Film FestivalDocumentary Directing WonTraverse City Film FestivalBest Film NominatedChamps-Élysées Film FestivalBest American Feature Film2015 NominatedDocavivBest International Film WonZagrebDoxSpecial awards2016 NominatedNews and Documentary Emmy AwardsOutstanding Business and Economic Reporting - Long Form2018 NominatedOutstanding Social Issue DocumentaryAbortion: Stories Women Tell NominatedCinema Eye HonorsOutstanding Achievement in Broadcast Nonfiction Filmmaking NominatedDoc NYCViewfinders Grand Jury PrizeThe Smartest Kids in the World2023 NominatedCleveland International Film FestivalBest FilmPlan C NominatedNashville Film FestivalBest Documentary Feature NominatedSouth by SouthwestFestival Favorites
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