Ky Dickens, on location in Los Angeles (2021)
Ky Dickens is an award-winning filmmaker celebrated for her transformative documentaries that tackle complex social issues, influence public policy, and ignite cultural change. Known as a storyteller at the intersection of film and societal impact, she has received numerous accolades, including the Focus Award for Achievement in Directing and the Change Maker Award for advancing social change through art and film.
Ky’s fifth film, Show Her the Money, featuring Elizabeth Banks and Sharon Gless, was named one of the decade’s best financial films by U.S. News & World Report. The film has won three Jury Prizes for Best Documentary, including from the Los Angeles International Film Festival.
In 2024, Ky created The Telepathy Tapes, a podcast exploring telepathy within the nonspeaking community and raising profound questions about consciousness, language, and inclusion. The series went viral upon release, and in December 2024, it surpassed Joe Rogan as the number one podcast in the world. In 2025, The Telepathy Tapes won a Webby Award for Best Indie Podcast and was nominated for Podcast of the Year by iHeartRadio. The series is currently being developed into a documentary feature film set for release in 2026.
Her film Zero Weeks (Amazon), about America’s paid leave crisis, debuted its trailer at the White House Summit on the State of Women, hosted by Oprah and Michelle Obama. Ky’s other notable projects include The City That Sold America (Freestyle Releasing), a deep dive into Chicago’s pivotal role in American consumer culture, and Sole Survivor (CNN Films), a haunting profile of lone survivors of otherwise fatal plane crashes. Her film #TimeToCare, which premiered at SXSW and was screened for the United States Congress in 2021. The film explores caregiving through the lens of social influencers whose journeys captivated millions on TikTok.
Between 2019 and 2021, Ky directed the award-winning short film series Critical Condition, On the Edge, and Left Behind, which highlighted Americans suffering due to the Medicaid Gap. Her first narrative film, In the Jungle, is set to be released in 2024. Collectively, Ky’s films have garnered over 20 awards, including audience choice, best film, and best directing honors.
In addition to her feature work, Ky directs commercials for major global brands, including Netflix, Google, TikTok, and Johnson & Johnson. She is an active member of Film Fatales Los Angeles and the Directors Guild of America.
A lifelong advocate for the special needs community, Ky spearheaded her district’s inclusion program when she was in high school. She graduated magna cum laude from Vanderbilt University and lives in Los Angeles, California, with her family, rescue dog, Devon Rex cats, and Kombucha scoby.