James E. Hinton was an American filmmaker and photographer. He was known as a documentarian of the civil rights movement; he worked on more than 70 documentaries as a cinematographer and director; but, Hinton is most especially known for his groundbreaking cinematography on the cult film Ganja & Hess. He founded his own production company—James E. Hinton Enterprises—in 1971. He directed and lensed a number of commercial, industrial, and educational films; a set of films for the National Endowment for the Arts; a set of films for the U.S. Department of Labor; and TV documentaries.