A native Oregonian, Thomas Haley has lived in Paris since the early 70s. He did his university studies in photography (University of Oregon), cinema (New York University), and art history (American University in Paris). He first worked as a photo-researcher for Magnum Photo Agency. Since the early 80s, Thomas Haley has worked for SIPA PRESS, covering political conflict, man-made and natural disasters from Panama to Tiananmen Square, the Balkans and the Middle East. His work on the Bhopal industrial accident in 1984 was awarded by the World Press Awards. He has currently decided to dedicate himself to documentary projects. American Dreamer is his first documentary.