American experimental film maker, writer, producer and director. Many of his films deal with social issues, such as racial tension, teenage angst, life in prison, and so on. His early documentary,
Navajo (1952), dealing with modern American Indian lives, was nominated for an Oscar. Bartlett's chief claim to fame is the idiosyncratic feature
Jonathan Livingston Seagull (1973), the tale of a bird's quest for happiness.