fiction.wikisort.org - Actor

Justin Simien (born May 7, 1983) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. His first feature film, Dear White People, won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.[1] The film was later adapted into the Netflix series of the same name (2017–2021). Simien has also been named to Variety's 2013 "10 Directors to Watch" list.[2]

Justin Simien
Simien speaking at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival
Born	(1983-05-07) May 7, 1983 (age 39) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Chapman University
Occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, author
Awards	U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent

Early life

Simien was born on May 7, 1983, in Houston, Texas. He is the son of Anna Simien.[3] Raised in the metro area, he attended the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After graduation he studied film at Chapman University in California. Simien worked a number of jobs in Los Angeles prior to directing his first feature film, including social media manager at Sony Television, publicity assistant at Focus Features, and publicity coordinator at Paramount Pictures.[4]

Career

Simien directed three short films prior to Dear White People: Rings (2006), My Women: Inst Msgs (2009), and INST MSGS (Instant Messages) (2009).[5]

Simien started work on what would become Dear White People in 2006,[6] with inspiration for the script coming from his feelings while attending the predominantly white Chapman University.[7] In 2012, he created a concept trailer using his tax refund as funding.[4] With the concept trailer as a centerpiece, he launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise $25,000 but he got an overwhelming response and managed to raise $40,000 instead.[8]

The film premiered in-competition in the US Dramatic Category at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014.[9][10] The film began its theatrical release in the United States on October 17, 2014.[11] In its opening weekend the film grossed $344,000 in only eleven locations for an impressive $31,273 per theatre average.[12]

Dear White People won Simien the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Breakthrough Talent at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival[1] and the "Audience Award" at the 2014 San Francisco International Film Festival.[13] Simien has also been named to Variety's 2013 "10 Directors to Watch" list.[2]

On May 5, 2016, Lionsgate announced a deal to produce a Dear White People television series based on the film and distributed through Netflix with the show's first ten episodes to be written by Simien.[14] The series was released in April 2017 to critical acclaim. Peter Debruge, writing for Variety, praised the writing, directing, social commentary, and cast.[15] The New York Times praised the series' examination of concerns such as appropriation, assimilation, and conflict.[16] In June 2017 the series was renewed for a second season, which was released in May 2018. On June 21, 2018, the series was renewed for a third season, which was released in August 2019.[17][18] On October 2, 2019, the series was renewed for its fourth and final season, which was released in September 2021.[19]

He was the writer, director, and songwriter for the 2020 horror comedy Bad Hair.[20] It had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.[21][22] Shortly after, Hulu acquired distribution rights to the film.[23] It was released in a limited release on October 16, 2020, by Neon, followed by digital streaming on Hulu on October 23, 2020.[24][25] The film received mixed reviews from critics.[26]

In 2019, Simien launched his production company, Culture Machine [27]

At Disney Investor Day 2020, he was announced as the showrunner for a new Disney+ series about Lando Calrissian, called Lando.[28]

In April 2021, Simien signed on to direct a new film adaptation of the Disney theme park attraction, The Haunted Mansion.[29] Haunted Mansion releases on March 10, 2023. More recently, he signed an overall deal with Paramount Television Studios.[30]

Influences

While Simien has been compared to director Spike Lee, Simien says he does not welcome this comparison because he does not want to be "the next Spike Lee" but instead "the next Justin Simien" (although he does credit Lee's Do the Right Thing with "showing him that it's possible to make these types of black films").[7] Simien also counts Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman among his influences.[7]

Personal life

At the 2014 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Dear White People, Simien publicly announced he is gay.[6][7]

Filmography

Feature film

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Notes
2014	Dear White People	Yes	Yes	Yes	Directorial Debut
2020	Bad Hair	Yes	Yes	Yes	Also role "Reggie 'MC McCree' Watson" Also songwriter
2023	Haunted Mansion	Yes

Short film

Year	Film	Director	Writer	Producer	Editor	Notes
2006	Rings	Yes	Yes	Executive	Yes
2009	My Women: Inst Msgs	Yes	Yes	Co-Producer	Yes
2009	INST MSGS (Instant Messages)	Yes	Yes		Yes	Also cameo and gaffer
2010	Head			Yes
2010	The Goldfish				Yes
2011	Save Me				Yes
2014	'Get Your Life'	Yes				Music video for Caught a Ghost
2015	I Can't With You					Role: Marshall

Television

Year	Show	Director	Writer	Executive producer	Creator	Notes
2017–2021	Dear White People	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Creator and executive producer (40 episodes) Director (7 episodes) Director and writer (8 episodes) Writer (2 episodes) Role as "Jerry Skyler" in episode "Volume 3: Chapter 7"
TBA	Lando		Yes	Yes	Yes	Future series
	Flashdance	Yes	Yes
	Untitled Flashdance reboot	Yes	Yes

References

External links

• Justin Simien at IMDb
• Justin Simien on Twitter
• Official website

На других языках

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- [en] Justin Simien

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[es] Justin Simien

Justin Simien (nacido el 7 de mayo de 1983) es un cineasta, actor y autor estadounidense. Su primer largometraje, Dear White People, ganó el premio especial dramático del jurado de Estados Unidos. Al talento innovador en el Festival de Cine de Sundance de 2014.[1] Simien también ha sido incluida en la lista de los "10 directores a seguir" de Variety de 2013.[2] La película se adaptó más tarde a la serie de Netflix del mismo nombre (2017-2021).

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