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Revision as of 23:58, 28 March 2013
Dee Rees | |
|---|---|
| Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter |
Dee Rees is an American screenwriter and director. Rees has written and directed several short films, as well as the full length feature film Pariah.
Early life
Rees is from Nashville, Tennessee. She received an MBA in at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, Florida in Business Administration. After working at Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati, Ohio marketing panty liners she was laid off and made the move to New York City. She began working at Schering Plough marketing Dr. Scholls. At a commercial shoot, she realized she was interested in film, and enrolled in New York University's graduate film program.[1] Rees says that she made the move because "Screenwriting is a way of actually seeing your writing come to life, your work done, so I quit my job and went to film school."[2]
Career
At NYU, Rees met director Spike Lee. She regularly attended office hours, where he became her personal mentor. She worked as a script supervisor intern for his film's Inside Man, as well as When the Levees Broke. In 2008, she completed Sundance Institute's Screenwriting and Directing Lab.
Pariah
Rees began the script of Pariah when she was working on Inside Man in 2005. She shortened the full length script into a short for her graduate thesis. In 2007, the short played at 40 festivals worldwide, and winning 25 shorts awards including the Audience Award at the Los Angeles Film Festival.[3]
In 2008, Lee agreed to formalize his role with Pariah. He served as executive producer. Rees described his involvement as "He would look at drafts of the budget, go through with a ruler and give advice on where to cut. He read the script and gave honest, objective feedback. When we got to post-production, he would watch edits, he watched the rough cut, he watched the advance rough, and gave notes on the edit itself."[4]
When asked why she made the film in an interview, she responded that "It was a chance to, you know, see how the New York scene changes you, inspires you. Pariah kind of transposed my own experience of coming out onto a 17-year-old girl."[2][5] She had trouble pitching the film because investors believed it was too small and too specific, or as Dee Rees puts it, "It was just code for too black and too gay."[6] However, Rees found funding and even sold her own apartment when she realized she had to invest in her film for others to also.[2] It was shot in 18 days and all interiors were shot at a single Brooklyn brownstone. At Sundance, it was acquired by Focus Features.[7] Rees says that, "Hopefully, this will be a marker in the road, and there will be many more to add to the landscape. There's not a lot out there."[8]
Upcoming projects include an HBO series with Viola Davis, the Southern-set thriller Bolo, and the feature film Large Print, about a recently divorced insurance adjuster. On May 1, 2012 it was announced on the Variety website that Rees has been sought out to direct This Man, This Woman.[9]
Personal life
Dee Rees came out as a lesbian when she was 27. She is a member of the Human Rights Campaign.[2] Rees cites Alice Walker, Toni Morrison, Audre Lorde and the documentary Paris Is Burning as influences for her work.[4][6]
She currently resides in Long Beach, California.[2]
Filmography
Feature films
- Eventual Salvation (2008)
- Pariah (2011)
Short films
- Orange Bow (2005)
- Pariah (2007)
- Colonial Gods (2009)
Awards and nominations
From the site pariahthemovie.com, "Ms. Rees was also selected as a 2008 Tribeca Institute/Renew Media Arts Fellow for her work; was chosen as one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” for 2008; and was nominated for a USA Fellowship in 2009."
References
- ^ Michelle Kung. "Indie director uses marketing skills." Miami Times. Miami, Fla.: Dec 21-Dec 27, 2011. Vol. 89, Iss. 17; pg. 6D, 1 pgs
- ^ a b c d e Esther, John. "I Am Your Sister." Lesbian News 37.5 (2011): 22-25. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2012.
- ^ http://pariahthemovie.com
- ^ a b Zeitchik, Steve (5 January 2012). "'Pariah' director Dee Rees' odd path: bunion pads to Spike Lee". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ Linda Villarosa (27 December 2011). "'Pariah' Filmmaker Scores Acclaim". The Root. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ a b Longwell, Todd. ""Pariah' director did it her way - to great acclaim." Variety; Sep 5-Sep 11, 2011; 424, 4; ProQuest Direct Complete pg. 4
- ^ Goldman, Michael; Stasukevich, Iain; Thomson, Patricia. "Sundance 2011: Spirited Images." American Cinematographer; Apr 2011; 92, 4; ProQuest Direct Complete pg. 62
- ^ Karpel, Ari. "She's Gotta Have It." Advocate 1055 (2011): 40-41. Academic Search Complete. Web. 6 May 2012.
- ^ Jeff Sneider (1 May 2012). "Lobell sets 'Pariah' helmer for 'This Man'". Variety. Retrieved 6 May 2012.
{{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)