Born in Lithuania, and hidden as a baby by a Lithuanian family during World War II. Slesin started as a film editor for the first 12 years of her career (NIGHT OF THE DARK SHADOWS, 1971; THE OTHER HALF OF THE SKY: A CHINA MEMOIR, 1975; "Six American Families", 1976, TV; and "The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash", 1978, TV). She then went on to become a producer/director of award-winning documentaries, winning an Academy Award® for THE TEN-YEAR LUNCH: THE WIT AND LEGEND OF THE ALGONQUIN ROUND TABLE (1987). She has also produced and directed many other documentaries that have all aired on PBS, TBS, or HBO. Among them are: BUENOS DIAS COMPAÑERAS (1975), DIRECTED BY WILLIAM WYLER (1986), "Voices in Celebration: The National Gallery of Art", HOT ON THE TRAIL: SEX, LOVE AND ROMANCE IN THE OLD WEST (1993), and SECRET LIVES: HIDDEN CHILDREN AND THEIR RESCUERS DURING WORLD WAR II (2002).  Best Achievement in Documentary Features 1987: THE TEN-YEAR LUNCH: THE WIT AND LEGEND OF THE ALGONQUIN ROUND TABLE - Producer 1 nomination, 1 Award