Photo by Annie Leibovitz
Rachel Fleit is an award-winning director, writer, and producer known for intimate, character-driven storytelling through the lens of cinéma vérité. Recognized for her thoughtful and deeply respectful approach to her subjects, Fleit has emerged as a distinctive voice in documentary filmmaking, exploring identity, belonging, and resilience across a wide range of human experiences.
Her latest film, The Slightest Touch, follows the extraordinary friendship between Colin Farrell and Emma Fogarty and had its world premiere at the Dublin International Film Festival, where it was the winner of the Jury Award for Best Documentary. The film will air on HBO Max later this year.
Most recently, Fleit directed and produced Sugar Babies, which premiered in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival.
Fleit is also the director and executive producer of the HBO Max documentary Bama Rush, which chronicles the viral sorority recruitment week at the University of Alabama. The film received widespread critical attention and became the most-watched documentary launch in the history of HBO Max. Bama Rush follows four young women navigating the emotional complexities and social stakes of belonging during sorority recruitment.
She previously directed the critically acclaimed documentary Introducing, Selma Blair, which premiered in the Documentary Feature Competition at SXSW, where it received the Special Jury Recognition for Exceptional Intimacy in Storytelling before being acquired by Discovery+. Among other honors, Fleit received a Critics Choice nomination for Best First Documentary Feature.
Earlier work includes the short documentary Ava & Bianca, about two transgender cinematographers. For the film, Fleit received the inaugural Women’s Fund Grant from Made in NY and the Mayor’s Office for Film & Television. Her short film Gefilte, about a Jewish family that finds beauty in a traditional holiday fish dish, has screened at more than forty Jewish film festivals internationally since its 2018 premiere.
Fleit is represented by CAA.