Duane Graves is an American film director, writer, producer, cinematographer and editor who has produced a body of work spanning multiple genres.[1] His career began with the documentary Up Syndrome, which premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in 2001.[2] A portrait of his childhood friend born with Down syndrome,[3] Up Syndrome won numerous awards, including the National Media Award from the National Down Syndrome Congress in 2002,[4] and the Grand Prize at the 2006 Movies Askew Film Festival hosted by Clerks (film) director Kevin Smith.[5] He formed Greeks Films with film school peer, actor and filmmaking partner Justin Meeks in 2001.[6]

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Duane Graves
Duane Graves at the 2019 Victoria TX Indie Film Festival.
Born	San Antonio, Texas, United States
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter, editor
Years active	2000–present

Graves then co-wrote/co-directed his first narrative film with Meeks, The Wild Man of the Navidad, a 70's-inspired creature feature based on real-life journals and starring Meeks.[7] The film premiered at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival[8] and later Fantastic Fest,[9] before being released internationally by IFC Films in 2009,[10] and again in 2021 by MPI Media Group.[11]

In 2011, Graves and partner Meeks were two of 26 Austin filmmakers selected - including Jay Duplass, Bob Byington, Ben Steinbauer, David Zellner and others - to remake Richard Linklater's acclaimed 1991 debut feature Slacker (film).[12] Graves and Meeks' segment in the Slacker 2011 anthology was photographed in the same location and with the same actress some twenty years after the original.[13]

Graves' sophomore effort - the cannibal-themed horror Butcher Boys (2012 film) - was written and produced by Kim Henkel, co-creator of the original The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and loosely based on Jonathan Swift's satirical 1729 essay A Modest Proposal.[14] It debuted at the 2012 Fantasia International Film Festival under the original moniker Boneboys,[15] before being released in North America as Butcher Boys by Phase 4 Films in 2013.[16]

Graves then served as editor[17] for the award-winning[18] short film Black Metal, written and directed by Kat Candler.[19] Black Metal, about a husband, father and musician struggling with the guilt and blame of a tragic and senseless murder, premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival,[20] as well as the 2013 SXSW Film Festival.[21]

Also in 2013, Graves co-wrote/co-directed the horror Western Kill or Be Killed (2015 film), also starring partner Meeks and featuring genre icons Michael Berryman, Pepe Serna, Edwin Neal, and Luce Rains.[22][23] Originally titled Red on Yella, Kill a Fella, it premiered at the 2015 Dallas International Film Festival[24] before being acquired by RLJE Films for wide release in 2016.[25]

Graves is currently based in Austin, Texas.[6]

Bio

Duane Graves grew up in San Antonio, Texas,.[3] He attended The University of Texas at Austin,[26] but ultimately received a BA in TV/Film from Texas A&M University–Corpus Christi in 1999.[27]

Notable filmography (as director, producer, or editor)

• Up Syndrome (feature documentary) (2000)[28]
• Headcheese (short) (2001)[29]
• Voltagen (short) (2002)[30]
• Rio Peligroso (short) (2004)[31]
• The Hypostatic Union (short) (2005)[32]
• The Wild Man of the Navidad (narrative feature) (2008)[33]
• Slacker 2011 (directed segment) (2011)[34]
• Butcher Boys (2012 film) (narrative feature) (2013)[35]
• Black Metal (short) (2013)[36]
• Kill or Be Killed (2015 film) (narrative feature) (2016)[37]
• Melontana (short documentary) (2020)[38]

References