Darren Dean

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Darren Dean (born February 2, 1966) is an American film producer, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for the independent feature films Prince of Broadway, Kinyarwanda, tangerine, and The Florida Project. Most recently, he's released The Infiltrators, Premature, and The Short History of The Long Road.

Life and Career

Dean was born and raised in Paterson, New Jersey. He received his B.A. in Communications from William Paterson University, NJ.

Dean worked as a journalist covering music and entertainment for NJ-area newspapers and North Jersey Newspapers.

He was the frontman for the CBGB’s staple SHOT. His band was asked by the famed NYC rock venue to play during its final weeks.

Dean also created and hosted Fantastic Forum, a weekly syndicated radio show for two years. Dean briefly worked in-house for Marvel, Wizard, and later as editor of Amazing Heroes and as a Public Relations Coordinator for Triumphant Comics.

Dean’s first feature film was Prince of Broadway, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival on June 22, 2008. The film follows a West African street hustler in New York City, who makes his living selling name-brand knock-offs, as he discovers he has a son. Dean produced and co-wrote the film with director Sean Baker, setting off a string of collaborations between the two. It received accolades at film festivals in the U.S. and internationally, and Dean and Baker shared a nomination for the John Cassavetes Award at the 2009 Film Independent Spirit Awards. “Baker is creating a visual history of New York City that will one day stand with Scorcese’s efforts.” -Jason Sanders, Filmmaker Magazine, 06/09/2009

In 2011, Dean produced Kinyarwanda, set during the 1994 Rwandan Genocide. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Audience Award. It was also nominated for three NAACP Image Awards in 2011, including Outstanding Independent Motion Picture. Kinyarwanda also placed 6th on Roger Ebert’s “Best Films of 2011.” “I was moved by Hotel Rwanda (2004), but not really shaken this deeply. Not like this. After seeing Kinyarwanda, I have a different kind of feeling about the genocide that took place in Rwanda in 1994. Here is a powerful film.” -Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun Times, 12/01/2011

“The beauty of the whole journey at this point has been [the discovery] that we as filmmakers and distributors very often underestimate audiences and their capacity for compassion, and I'm so thrilled that assessment was wrong.” -Ebertfest 2012 - Panel: Underrepresented Cinematic Voices

Dean's third feature tangerine follows a transgender sex-worker who discovers her boyfriend and pimp has been cheating on her. The film was shot using three iPhone 5S smartphones and received praise for its groundbreaking filmmaking techniques. “This is sublime filmmaking, a textbook example of how indies can tell groundbreaking stories in a way that Hollywood simply can't match.” -David Lewis, San Francisco Chronicle, 07/16/2015

tangerine had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 23, 2015, and was released on July 10, 2015 through Magnolia Pictures. Tangerine won awards at the Film Independent Spirits Awards, GLAAD Media Awards, Gotham Award, Austin Film Critics Association, Dublin Film Critics' Circle, Mar Del Plata Film Festival and got a nomination for the Audience Award Best of Next! at the Sundance Film Festival. It received extremely positive reviews, and currently holds a 96% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film is considered a modern Christmas classic, according to many Top Holiday lists.

“I always tell my students I have no idea what I'm talking about, and I don't think any producer really truly does because every single film that they work on is a new ballgame.” -Darren Dean, CinemaJaw Interview, 08/31/2015

Dean then executive-produced The Florida Project, which premiered in the Directors' Fortnight section of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, and was theatrically released in the U.S. on October 6, 2017, by A24. The plot follows a 6-year-old girl living in a rundown motel with her rebellious mother in Greater Orlando, on the outskirts of Disney World. The film was praised for its performances (particularly that of Willem Dafoe as the motel manager) and Sean Baker's direction, and was chosen by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute as one of the top 10 films of the year. Dafoe earned Best Supporting Actor nominations at the Oscars, Golden Globes, BAFTA Awards, and SAG Awards. The Film won countless awards at several Festivals, to include: AFI Awards (Movie of The Year), Austin Film Critics Association, Cinema Eye Honors Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards. Moreover, The Florida Project was nominated at numerous Festivals, such as Film Independent Spirit Awards and Gotham Award. “The Florida Project is one of the best films about childhood made anywhere in recent years.” -Geoffrey Macnab, The Independent (UK), 11/09/2017

“My standards are pretty simple for every film. Tell me something new. Tell me something fresh. Tell it to me in an innovative way.” -Darren Dean Interview with Alexander Marais, The Scope Weekly, 12/03/2018

In 2019, Dean produced the drama film The Short History of The Long Road. Its world premiere was at the Tribeca Film Festival, where it received a nomination for Best Narrative Feature, as well as a Jury Mention for Best Screenplay. The film went on to win the Jury Award for Best New Mexico Narrative Feature at the Santa Fe Independent Film Festival. It chronicles the life of teenage Nola, for whom home is the open road. Her self-reliant father is her anchor in a life of transience. The pair crisscross the United States in a lovingly refurbished RV, relishing their independence, and making ends meet by doing odd jobs. A shocking rupture, though, casts Nola out on her own. “This is a little gem of a movie.” -Claudia Puig, NPR FilmWeek, 06/20/2020

Next, Dean signed on to produce Premature, a romantic drama film directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green. The film received rave reviews upon its premiere at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, and earned a NEXT Innovator Award nomination. “Premature is one of the year's best films.” -Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader, 08/19/2019

Premature was released by IFC Films in theaters and on video on demand on February 21, 2020. It tells the story of seventeen year-old Ayanna, who meets handsome and mysterious Isaiah in her path toward self-discovery. Her entire world is turned upside down as she travails on the rigorous terrain of young love in the summer before she leaves for college. At the 2020 Film Independent Spirit Awards, Rashaad Ernesto Green won the Someone to Watch Award for his directing, and the film also received a nomination for the John Cassavetes Award. Premature was honored with the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Berkshire International Film Festival, and won the Audience Award for Narrative Feature at the Montclair Film Festival.

Most recently, Dean produced The Infiltrators, which opened to broad acclaim at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. Based on real events, the film tells the story of a group of undocumented youth who infiltrate a for-profit detention center at the U.S.-Mexican border, to shed light on the dire living conditions inside the facility. The Infiltrators was the winner of the Audience Award: NEXT at the Sundance Film Festival, where it also earned the NEXT Innovator Award. The film ran in the SXSW Festival Favorites section, received the Jury Prize for Best Documentary Feature at the BlackStar Film Festival and the Rogue Award at the Ashland Independent Film Festival.

“I’ve seen no braver Americans depicted on Screen.” -Jordan Hoffman, The Guardian, 01/27/2019

Personal Life

Darren Dean lives in the greater New York City area, is married, and has two children. He's a former restaurateur.

Filmography

Year	Title	Role
2008	Prince of Broadway	Producer, Co-Writer
2011	Kinyarwanda	Producer
2015	Tangerine	Producer
2016	Snowbird (Short)	Producer
2016	The Other Kids	Executive Producer
2016	H.O.M.E.	Producer
2016	Pioneer High	Producer
2017	The Florida Project	Executive Producer
2019	Premature	Producer
2019	The Short History of the Long Road	Producer
2019	The Infiltrators	Producer

Critical Reception

Prince of Broadway

“Prince of Broadway is Mr. Baker’s third feature (he wrote the script with Darren Dean), and continues his rewarding fascination with those who hide in plain sight. [...] The movie is sharp, charismatic and so light on its feet we never know which way it will turn.” -Jeanette Catsoulis, New York Times, 09/02/2010

“Warmhearted and bittersweet, laced with both humor and tough emotions.” -Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times, 09/24/2010

Kinyarwanda

“An inspirational, modern morality play apt to restore your faith in humanity.” -Kam Williams, AALBC.COM, 12/04/2011

tangerine

“Shot on an iPhone 5 for practically no money, Tangerine jumps off the screen and wows you like nobody's business.” -Peter Travers, Rolling Stone, 07/10/2015

“A reinvigorating reminder of what indie filmmaking can -- and should -- do.” -David Ehrlich, Time Out, 07/13/2015

The Florida Project

“A brilliant, buoyant, and ultimately heart-wrenching film.” -Emily Yoshida, New York Magazine/Vulture, 05/23/2017

“This is - in nerve, guts, heart, and mind - one of the finest films of 2017.” -Ty Burr, Boston Globe, 10/12/2017

“It's one of the most effective, honest portraits of childhood you'll ever see, and a touching, poignant snapshot of American life in 2017.” -Adam Graham, Detroit News, 10/19/2017

Premature

“Premature is a delicious slow-burn of a movie, the kind of coming-of-age tale that looks familiar on the surface only to reveal hidden depths of beauty and meaning.” -Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 02/26/2020

The Short History of the Long Road

“Lyrical and melancholy and visually stunning...” -Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times, 06/18/2020

The Infiltrators

“This is a necessary film; but rather than feeling like homework, watching it is a thrill.” -John DeFore, Hollywood Reporter, 01/26/2019

“The film is absorbing and timely. I thought it was really great.” -Claudia Puig, NPR FilmWeek, 05/29/2020

“This invaluable film gives an unforgettable face to people who for years have been hiding quietly and productively in plain sight - in our neighborhoods, offices, restaurants and classrooms.” -Ann Hornaday, Washington Post, 04/29/2020

Film	Rotten Tomatoes	MetaCritic
Prince of Broadway	84%	57%
Kinyarwanda	100%	69%
Tangerine	96%	86%
The Florida Project	96%	92%
Premature	92%	81%
The Short History of the Long Road	91%	60%
The Infiltrators	87%	74%
Average	92%	74%

References

This article "Darren Dean" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:Darren Dean. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.

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