Daniel Barnz
Daniel Barnz | |
|---|---|
 Barnz at the New York premiere of Won't Back Down, September 2012 | |
| Born | 1970 (age 53–54) |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film director |
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Children | 2 |
Daniel Barnz (born 1970) is an American screenwriter and director.
Life and career
[edit]Barnz was born Daniel Bernstein in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania,[1] a suburb of Philadelphia. His parents, Richard J. Bernstein and Carol L. Bernstein, are both professors. He is openly gay[2] and later changed his surname to an amalgamation of Bernstein and Schwartz, the surname of his partner of almost two decades, Ben Schwartz. The couple has two children. Barnz describes himself as "a Jewish liberal Democrat".[3]
Barnz graduated from Yale University and the University of Southern California Film School.[4] He made his directorial debut in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room. He directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received mixed reviews from critics. He wrote and directed a movie adaption of the novel Beastly, a modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast. The movie was released on 4 March 2011.[5]
His film Won't Back Down (2012) received mixed reviews and garnered controversy; it was attacked by Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the predominant national teachers' union, as having "the most blatant stereotypes and caricatures I have ever seen-even worse than in Waiting for Superman", another film attacked as "anti-teacher union".[3]
In 2014 he directed the film Cake starring Jennifer Aniston, which received mixed reviews. In 2015, the film was honored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with a Voice Award for its respectful portrayal of mental health.[6]
Filmography
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | The Cutting Room | |
| 2008 | Phoebe in Wonderland | Nominated—Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Direction |
| 2011 | Beastly | |
| 2012 | Won't Back Down | |
| 2014 | Cake | |
| 2021 | Generation | Television series; co-creator with his daughter, Zelda |
References
[edit]- ^ Champagne, Christine, "10 Directors to Watch: Daniel Barnz", Variety, 16 January 2008
- ^ "Vanessa Hudgens: 'I Don't See People as Gay or Straight'". 22 April 2015.
- ^ a b Lloyd Grove. Newsweek, 1 & 8 October 2012, p. 6.
- ^ "Bio: Daniel Barnz" Archived 11 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine, Moviefone
- ^ Title Treatment and New Hi-Res Look at 'Beastly'
- ^ "Winners of the 2015 Voice Awards". Archived from the original on 7 August 2016.
External links
[edit]- Daniel Barnz at IMDb
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
- 1970 births
- American male screenwriters
- Living people
- American LGBTQ film directors
- Gay Jews
- LGBTQ people from Pennsylvania
- American LGBTQ screenwriters
- People from Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania
- Film directors from Pennsylvania
- Jewish American screenwriters
- Yale University alumni
- USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni
- Screenwriters from Pennsylvania
- 21st-century American Jews
- 21st-century American LGBTQ people