HAMPTONS DOC FEST HONORS ABIGAIL E. DISNEY
WITH THE 2026 PENNEBAKER CAREER ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Turning to storytelling as an instrument of social change
GALA HONORS ABIGAIL E. DISNEY
SATURDAY, DEC 5
BAY STREET THEATER
6:30PM Cocktail Reception
Pennebaker Award and conversation with Abigail E. Disney followed by a screening of The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales
Pennebaker award sponsor
Abigail E. Disney is a distinguished member of a legendary filmmaking family. Her adored grandfather Roy O. Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company with his brother Walt. Her favorite character from the Disney films was Jiminy Cricket, who she says “sounded like my grandfather” and had his moral compass. Her favorite line in Pinocchio was from the Blue Fairy who told Jiminy to “always let your conscience be your guide.” Clearly Abigail has taken that message to heart.
Abigail ventured into philanthropy and activism starting nonprofits that worked with organizations supporting peacebuilding, gender justice, and systemic cultural change. “I strongly believe that the best way to open hearts and minds and to ask people to rise–instead of shrivel–is through storytelling,” she explains. Storytelling, she adds, “is an instrument of social change.”
She didn’t turn to the family business of filmmaking until 2008 with the documentary Pray the Devil Back to Hell, directed by Gini Reticker. The film brings to life the work of Liberian peace activist Leymah Gbowee and the critical role women played in bringing peace to war-torn Liberia.
Realizing that Liberia wasn’t an isolated story led Abigail to challenge the traditional way war is portrayed. Instead of looking at war through the eyes of soldiers, she wanted to look at war through the eyes of women. That idea led to the film series Women, War & Peace. The project was created and executive produced by Abigail E. Disney, Pamela Hogan, and Gini Reticker. The first series in 2011 showed women’s stories from Bosnia, Afghanistan, Colombia, and Liberia. The second series in 2019 highlighted women in Northern Ireland, Gaza, Haiti, and Egypt.
In 2015, Abigail made her directorial debut with The Armor of Light, an Emmy-winning film examining gun violence and evangelical faith, co-directed with Kathleen Hughes. The film puts viewers inside a moral struggle as it examines the intersection of evangelical Christianity, the pro-life movement, and gun culture in America. The film won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Social Issue Documentary in 2017.
In 2022, she co-directed and produced a deeply personal film, The American Dream and Other Fairy Tales. The film examines systemic economic inequality, focusing on the company founded by her great-uncle Walt. Disneyland is often referred to as the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but Abigail became deeply concerned about the thousands of Disney workers who couldn’t afford the basic necessities of life.
Abigail’s support of other filmmakers may be one of her greatest contributions to documentary film. Through her funding programs, advocacy groups, and production companies, she has acted as an Executive Producer on more than 100 independent documentary projects. She is currently chair and co-founder of Level Forward, an ecosystem of storytellers, entrepreneurs, and social change-makers dedicated to balancing artistic vision, social impact, and stakeholder return. She also founded Peace is Loud, a nonprofit that uses storytelling to advance social movements, and the Daphne Foundation, which supports organizations working for a more equitable, fair, and peaceful New York City. That’s a legacy her grandfather Roy would be proud of.
Currently, Abigail is working on a book about wealth, power, and privilege.