Oscar nominated documentary exposes life of nanny turned photographer

LOS ANGELES -- One of the men behind the Oscar nominated documentary "Finding Vivian Maier" is Charlie Siskel, the nephew of well-known movie critic the late Gene Siskel.

This movie exposes audiences to the work of a photographer who kept her talents hidden for her entire life. Her photographic skills were discovered when a man named John Maloff spent $380.00 on a box of negatives, hoping to use the pictures in a history book he was writing about his Chicago neighborhood.

"He ended up acquiring more," Siskel said. "And that was seven years ago. He spent seven years unraveling the mystery of who this woman was."

Maier worked most of her life as a nanny for several different families. And during that time, she quietly documented urban life with her street photography.

"She used to go into the inner cities of both New York and then Chicago when she lived there," Siskel said. "Sometimes taking the kids she was nannying along for the ride. She did not let the fact that she had this day job as a nanny keep her from creating her art."

Siskel said she spent five decades taking photographs, averaging about a roll of film a day. And she never shared any of her pictures.

Maloof spent years trying to reconstruct some of Maier's life to tell her unconventional story and show off the art she kept hidden. To make the documentary, he bought in the more experienced filmmaker, Siskel, and together, they made "Finding Vivian Maier."

It's now an Oscar contender in the documentary feature category.

"You do it because it will reach a passionate audience of people who love documentaries and, in this case, I think it will also speak to anyone who loves a good detective story, a good mystery," said Siskel."And anybody who harbors a secret passion for something."