Claudia Raschke, ASC

Cinematography of award winning films including multiple Oscar & Emmy nominated documentaries.

Show Biography

“Capturing the big and the small moments of the amazing world we live in feeds my passion for the art of cinematography. Equally important is that I bear witness to and document the unique stories that unfold before my eyes in a way that dismantles barriers, opens doors, and reveals truth. I believe that filming intuitively, honestly and without inhibition is a journey that requires a compassionate heart and the ability to see and hear what lies beneath the surface.” ‑‑Claudia Raschke, ASC

Claudia Raschke was born in Hamburg, one of the largest European ports near the Baltic Sea in Northern Germany. Throughout her childhood the chain of movie theaters owned by her mother brought Claudia into the world of film. After college Claudia studied the art and technique of cinematography on the practical level while working with some of the most prominent and accomplished international filmmakers. Today she is a founding member of the NYC Kamera Kollektiv, a boutique agency for documentary and feature film cinematographers, a member of AMPAS and CANON EXPLORER OF LIGHT artist.

Claudia is a world renown cinematographer, best known for her ability to bring rich tones of the motion picture to a diverse spectrum of films, from purely commercial ventures, through feature-length documentaries, to lower-budget works of art.

Among her many notable award-winning films are: Oscar-nominated and Emmy winning RBG, Oscar-nominated GOD IS THE BIGGER ELVIS, Oscar shot-listed JULIA and MAD HOT BALLROOM, Critics Choice nominated FAUCI and HOUSE OF HAMMER, Peabody winning and NAACP Image Award nominated MY NAME IS PAULI MURRAY, and Oscar short-listed and Emmy winning BOYS STATE.

Her most recently released feature documentaries are YOURS IN FREEDOM, BILL BAIRD and the dance biography film of Loie Fuller titled OBSESSED WITH LIGHT. Currently Claudia is in production of an eight-part documentary series for the History channel to be released Spring of 2025.

My Projects

Julia

2021, Documentary, 95 mins

Sony Pictures, Imagine Films, CNN Films, Storyville Films

Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West

Julia’ tells the story of the legendary cookbook author and television superstar who changed the way Americans think about food, television, and even about women. Using never-before-seen archival footage, personal photos, first-person narratives, and cutting-edge, mouth-watering food cinematography, the film will trace Julia Child’s surprising path, from her struggles to create and publish the revolutionary Mastering the Art of French Cooking (1961) to her empowering story of a woman who found fame in her 50s, and her calling as an unlikely television sensation.

FAUCI

2021, Documentary, 104 mins

Disney Plus/ National Geographic/ Magnolia Pictures/ Story Syndicate

Director: John Hoffman and Janet Tobias

A glimpse into infectious disease specialist, Dr. Anthony Fauci who has led the U.S. fight against every epidemic the country has faced from AIDS to SARS to EBOLA, and the ongoing COVID 19 crisis.

My Name Is Pauli Murray

2021, Documentary, 91 mins

Amazon Studios, Participant Media, Storyville Films

Producers/Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West

Pauli Murray was an African-American civil rights activist, who was arrested for refusing to move to the back of the bus in Petersburg, Va. 15 years before Rosa Parks; and she organized restaurant sit-ins in Washington, D.C. 20 years before the Greensboro sit-ins. Pauli Murray was the Black Queer Feminist Civil Rights Lawyer Priest who co-founded NOW, but that History Nearly Forgot.

RBG

2018, Documentary, 97 mins

Magnolia / Participant Media, CNN Films, Storyville Films

Directors: Julie Cohen, Betsy West

Oscar Nominee, BAFTA Nominee, DGA & PGA Nominee

Emmy Award Winner, Critics Choice Winner, NBR Award Winner

This 2018 Oscar-nominated, feel-good documentary is a look at the life of US Supreme Court Justice, women's rights activist, liberal hero and millennial pop culture icon, 'The Notorious RBG'.

The Bit Player

2018, Documentary, 90 mins

IEEE, Amazon Prime

Director: Mark Levinson

The Bit Player tells the story of an overlooked genius, Claude Shannon (the "Father of Information Theory"), who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

The Bit Player

2018, Documentary, 90 mins

IEEE, Amazon Prime

Director: Mark Levinson

The Bit Player tells the story of an overlooked genius, Claude Shannon (the "Father of Information Theory"), who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

The Bit Player

2018, Documentary, 90 mins

IEEE, Amazon Prime

Director: Mark Levinson

The Bit Player tells the story of an overlooked genius, Claude Shannon (the "Father of Information Theory"), who revolutionized the world, but never lost his childlike curiosity.

Activate, Eradicating Extreme Poverty

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen

Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Hugh Jackman, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Becky G join Global Citizen to push world leaders to enact poverty-ending policies.

Activate, Education Cannot Wait

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen

Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Rachel Brosnahan travels to the border of Peru with Global Citizen to see what happens to children’s education during conflicts and natural disasters.

Activate, Keeping Girls in School

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen
Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Priyanka Chopra Jonas joins Global Citizen to break barriers to girls’ education. Gayle King and Bonang Matheba call on South Africa to end “period poverty” and provide girls with the resource they need to stay in school.

Activate, Clean Water

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen
Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Uzo Aduba and Global Citizen travel to Nigeria to push for clean water.

Activate, End Plastic Pollution

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen

Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Pharrell and Darren Criss join Global Citizen’s push to solve the ocean plastic pollution crisis.

Activate, End Plastic Pollution

2019, Documentary, 45 mins

Producers: Radical Media, Nat Geo, Global Citizen

Show Runner: Craig D'Entrone

2020 Environmental Media Award for Best Doc series

Pharrell and Darren Criss join Global Citizen’s push to solve the ocean plastic pollution crisis.

The Freedom To Marry

2016, Documentary, 86 mins

Argot Pictures

Director: Eddie Rosenstein

Human Rights Jury Award Winner

Documenting a civil rights story of our time, this documentary shows the marriage-equality movement's historic progress and reveals the masterminds of the movement as they lead the fight to win same-sex marriage throughout the United States.

The Freedom To Marry

2016, Documentary, 86 mins

Argot Pictures

Director: Eddie Rosenstein

Human Rights Jury Award Winner

Documenting a civil rights story of our time, this documentary shows the marriage-equality movement's historic progress and reveals the masterminds of the movement as they lead the fight to win same-sex marriage throughout the United States.

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Ballerina Boys

2021, Documentary, 52 mins

American Masters PBS & Merry Widow Films

Directors: Chana Gazit, Martha Barylick

A revolution is raging in America, and the barricades are being stormed by men in tutus. As culture wars ignite over gender fluidity and LGBTQ rights, the story of Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo–a company of men who dance on pointe as ballerinas–could not be more relevant.

Coup 53

2019, Documentary, 119 mins

Director: Taghi Amirani

MIFF Award Winner / BiF Award Nominee / TRUTH Award Nominee

Theatrical feature documentary on the story of Operation Ajax, the CIA/MI6 staged coup in 1953 in Iran that overthrew Prime Minister Mossadegh.

Boys State

2019, Documentary, 109 mins

Directors: Jesse Moss, Amanda McBaine

Lead DP: Thorsten Thielow

Emmy award for Outstanding Documentary

Sundance Grand Jury Documentary Award Winner

Critics Choice Award Winner, IDA Nominee

Boys State is a political coming-of-age story, examining the health of American democracy through an unusual experiment: a thousand 17-year-old boys from all different political backgrounds, navigating challenges of organizing political parties, consensus, and campaigning for the highest office at Boys State.

Particle Fever

2013, Documentary, 99 mins

Abramorama & Bond 360

Director: Mark Levinson

duPond Columbia Award Winner, Cinema Eye Honors Winner, Sheffield Audience Award Winner, Grierson Trust Britsh Doc Award Winner, PGA Nominee

Scientists re-create conditions from the big-bang theory to investigate the origin of all matter and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.

Particle Fever

2013, Documentary, 99 mins

Abramorama & Bond 360

Director: Mark Levinson

duPond Columbia Award Winner, Cinema Eye Honors Winner, Sheffield Audience Award Winner, Grierson Trust Britsh Doc Award Winner, PGA Nominee

Scientists re-create conditions from the big-bang theory to investigate the origin of all matter and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.

Particle Fever

2013, Documentary, 99 mins

Abramorama & Bond 360

Director: Mark Levinson

duPond Columbia Award Winner, Cinema Eye Honors Winner, Sheffield Audience Award Winner, Grierson Trust Britsh Doc Award Winner, PGA Nominee

Scientists re-create conditions from the big-bang theory to investigate the origin of all matter and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.

Particle Fever

2013, Documentary, 99 mins

Abramorama & Bond 360

Director: Mark Levinson

duPond Columbia Award Winner, Cinema Eye Honors Winner, Sheffield Audience Award Winner, Grierson Trust Britsh Doc Award Winner, PGA Nominee

Scientists re-create conditions from the big-bang theory to investigate the origin of all matter and unravel the mysteries of the universe. As the Large Hadron Collider is about to be launched for the first time, physicists are on the cusp of the greatest scientific discovery of all time -- or perhaps their greatest failure.

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005, Documentary, 106 mins

Paramount Classics

Directors: Amy Sewell, Marilyn Agrelo

Oscar short listed, Critics Choice Award Nominee, IDA Nominee, CFCA Award Nominee, Gotham Award Winner, NBR Award Winner

Based on a feature article written by Sewell, Mad Hot Ballroom looks inside the lives of 11-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves along the way.

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005, Documentary, 106 mins

Paramount Classics

Directors: Amy Sewell, Marilyn Agrelo

Oscar short listed, Critics Choice Award Nominee, IDA Nominee, CFCA Award Nominee, Gotham Award Winner, NBR Award Winner

Based on a feature article written by Sewell, Mad Hot Ballroom looks inside the lives of 11-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves along the way.

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005, Documentary, 106 mins

Paramount Classics

Directors: Amy Sewell, Marilyn Agrelo

Oscar short listed, Critics Choice Award Nominee, IDA Nominee, CFCA Award Nominee, Gotham Award Winner, NBR Award Winner

Based on a feature article written by Sewell, Mad Hot Ballroom looks inside the lives of 11-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves along the way.

Mad Hot Ballroom

2005, Documentary, 106 mins

Paramount Classics

Directors: Amy Sewell, Marilyn Agrelo

Oscar short listed, Critics Choice Award Nominee, IDA Nominee, CFCA Award Nominee, Gotham Award Winner, NBR Award Winner

Based on a feature article written by Sewell, Mad Hot Ballroom looks inside the lives of 11-year-old New York City public school kids who journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves along the way.

God Is The Bigger Elvis

2011, Documentary, 37 mins

HBO

Director: Rebecca Cammisa

Oscar Nominee, IDA Nominee, Christopher Award winner

Emmy Award Nominee

In 1963, actress Dolores Hart, star of the 1960 film "Where the Boys Are," leaves behind a promising Hollywood career to become a Benedictine nun.

God Is The Bigger Elvis

2011, Documentary, 37 mins

HBO

Director: Rebecca Cammisa

Oscar Nominee, IDA Nominee, Christopher Award winner

Emmy Award Nominee

In 1963, actress Dolores Hart, star of the 1960 film "Where the Boys Are," leaves behind a promising Hollywood career to become a Benedictine nun.

Press & More

Kevin Costner’s The West

Historical documentary - 8 part mini series

Show Runner: David Rivera

Produced by Radical Media

From Executive Producers Kevin Costner and Doris Kearns Goodwin, Kevin Costner’s The West is an eight-part series that provides a fresh look at the epic history of the American West by delving into the desperate struggle for the land itself –and how it still shapes the America we know today. The pioneers who staked their claims to the West also sparked fierce conflicts with native nations, and The Miami, Blackfeet, Comanche and Lakota brought together powerful alliances to defend their ancestral lands. While the West offers a chance to explore, to build, to strike it rich or start anew, there is a powerful truth at the heart of all these dreams: this land has the unique power both to promise bounty…and bring bloodshed.

Change, Not Charity

Political Documentary

Directed by James Lebrecht

Produced by Chana Gazit/ Sarah Keeling

Change, Not Charity: The Americans with Disabilities Act tells the emotional and dramatic story of the decades-long push for equality and accessibility that culminated in the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. While curb cuts, ramps at building entrances, and braille on elevator buttons seem commonplace today, they were once the subject of a pitched battle that landed on the steps of Congress. Told through the voices of key participants and witnesses, the film highlights the determined people who literally put their bodies on the line to achieve their goal and change the lives of all Americans. A story of courage and perseverance, the film brings to life one of the great civil rights movements in American history, where ordinary people made their voices heard and Congress responded. A testament to the power of coalition building and bipartisan compromise, the passage of the ADA is a shining example of democracy in action.

The Universe in a Grain of Sand

Art Documentary

Directed by Mark Levinson

Produced by Muster Mark Productions

A meditation by the award-winning filmmaker/physicist Mark Levinson (Particle Fever) on how we make sense of the world. Juxtaposing scientific developments with the works of over forty artists, the visually rich film explores how both scientists and artists use their understanding of nature to create new tools and representations to probe the deepest mysteries of the universe.

Cracking the Code

Science Documentary

Directed by Bill Haney

Produced by Uncommon Productions

Cracking the Code, narrated by Mark Ruffalo, chronicles Nobel Laureate Phil Sharp’s rise from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to revolutionizing medicine. Overcoming obstacles such as childhood dyslexia to threats from the Unabomber, Phil’s pioneering work as a scientist and entrepreneur sparked the creation of the biotech industry, launching life-saving medicines that reach billions each year, offering hope to patients with diseases from diabetes and breast cancer to Multiple Sclerosis and the COVID vaccine.

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