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William Gazecki

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William Gazecki
Gazecki in 2008
Born(1956-01-14)January 14, 1956
DiedJanuary 11, 2026(2026-01-11) (aged 69)
OccupationFilmmaker
Known forFilm director, sound mixer
Notable workWaco: The Rules of Engagement

William Gazecki (January 14, 1956 – January 11, 2026) was an American film director and sound mixer best known for his documentary Waco: The Rules of Engagement (1997), which earned a News & Documentary Emmy Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, was awarded the International Documentary Association's Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award, and won awards at both the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival. Gazecki was nominated another three times for an Emmy award (1986, 1987, 1988),[1] and for an Academy Award in 1998.[2]

Record production and sound mixing

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Gazecki started as a recording engineer in the music industry but in 1979, Gazecki along with Paul A. Rothchild produced the song "The Rose" by Bette Midler.[3] The single was certified Gold by the RIAA for over a half million copies sold in the United States.[4][5] Gazecki went on to Associate Produce with Paul Rothchild (Producer) two record albums by The Doors, "Alive, She Cried" and "The Doors' Greatest Hits Vol. 2", the first going Gold, and the latter going Platinum.[3][6]

Much of Gazecki's career was in post-production sound mixing for film and television productions including St. Elsewhere (for which he was a co-recipient of an Emmy Award for sound mixing in 1986).[7] Gazecki received awards for sound mixing from both the Cinema Audio Society (CAS) and the Motion Picture Sound Editors society (MPSE), and several gold and platinum albums.[citation needed]

Director

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Gazecki directed The Natural Solutions, produced with Susan Stafford for PBS broadcast in 1993 related to FDA attempts to regulate vitamins and health food supplements.[citation needed] In 1997, Waco: The Rules of Engagement premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the International Documentary Association's Distinguished Documentary Achievement Award,[3] and won awards at both the Melbourne International Film Festival and the Vancouver International Film Festival as well as an Emmy.[8]

In 2000, he followed Waco with the documentary Reckless Indifference[9] about the murder of Jimmy Farris and the group of American teenagers sentenced to life in prison without parole under the felony murder rule. Gazecki directed 2002's Crop Circles: Quest for Truth.[10]

In 2004, he co-produced campaign advertisements for Aaron Russo's Nevada gubernatorial campaign.

In 2014, Gazecki directed The Outrageous Sophie Tucker, showcased at the New York Jewish Film Festival. The New York Times reviewed it as not "especially well made", yet "because Tucker is such a gloriously rich figure...she renders its formal and aesthetic shortcomings (mostly) irrelevant".[11] The Hollywood Reporter called it a "loving documentary", yet having "its share of missteps".[12]

Gazecki was a member of the Directors Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.[citation needed]

Death

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Gazecki died on January 11, 2026, at the age of 69.[13]

Filmography

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As sound mixer

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Year Title Notes
1986 St Elsewhere Emmy award for Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series[14]

As director

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Year Title Notes
1997 Waco: The Rules of Engagement Documentary
News & Documentary Emmy Award for Outstanding Investigative Journalism[15]
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature[16]
2000 Reckless Indifference Documentary
Golden Satellite Award[citation needed]
2002 Crop Circles: Quest for Truth Documentary
2004 Invisible Ballots Documentary
2006 Future by Design Documentary
2009 Show Me the Way Documentary
2014 The Outrageous Sophie Tucker Documentary

References

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  1. ^ "Television Academy - William Gazecki bio". emmys.com. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  2. ^ "1998 nominees". Oscars.org. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c Gore, Chris (August 16, 2002). "William Gazecki Under Fire". Film Threat. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  4. ^ US chart positions on allmusic.com (Bette Midler version)
  5. ^ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  6. ^ "William Gazecki - Home". www.williamgazecki.com. Retrieved January 31, 2020.
  7. ^ "Primetime Emmy Award Database". Emmys.com. Retrieved June 19, 2012.
  8. ^ Reavis, Dick J. (May 2, 1997). "The Slow Burn". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  9. ^ "www.recklessindifference.com/". www.recklessindifference.com/. Retrieved June 27, 2015.
  10. ^ "Crop Circles: Quest for Truth". cropcirclesthemovie.com. Retrieved June 25, 2015.
  11. ^ Dargis, Manohla (July 23, 2015). "Review: 'The Outrageous Sophie Tucker' Recalls a Jazz Powerhouse". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  12. ^ Scheck, Frank (January 21, 2015). "'The Outrageous Sophie Tucker': New York Jewish Film Festival Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  13. ^ "William Gazecki Obituary (2026) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved January 28, 2026.
  14. ^ "38th Primetime Emmys Nominees and Winners – Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Drama Series". Emmys.com. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved January 23, 2016.
  15. ^ "Chronicling history as it happens". Lariat Archives | Baylor University. April 4, 2003. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
  16. ^ Brooks, Karen (September 19, 1999). "New Waco film answers questions that some wish were left unasked". Deseret News. Retrieved January 30, 2020.
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