Darnell Martin
Darnell Martin (born January 7, 1964) is an American television and film director, screenwriter, and film producer.
Darnell Martin | |
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Born | Darnell Martin January 7, 1964 New York City, New York, U.S. |
Education | Sarah Lawrence College (BA) New York University (MFA) |
Occupation | Director, screenwriter |
Years active | 1989-present |
Early life and education
Martin was born in Bronx, New York, the daughter of Marilyn, a dancer of Irish-American descent, and an African-American attorney.[1] From the Bronx, she went on to Sarah Lawrence College and New York University Film School. Along the way, she worked in film labs and camera rental houses and as a bartender, made music videos and short films, and wrote the first draft of I Like It Like That.[2]
Career
In 1992, Martin's short film, Suspect, which examined the treatment of young black people as assumed criminals, won critical acclaim at the New York Public Theater's Young Black Cinema showcase. After directing her first short, Suspect, Martin served as assistant camera operator for Jonathan Demme's documentary Cousin Bobby, about his cousin Robert Castle, an Episcopal pastor who works in Harlem. The film was well-received from the majority of critics.[3]
In 1994, Martin directed the Columbia Pictures release I Like It Like That, a romantic comedy-drama film about a young woman trying to love her man, keep her family together, assert her self-worth, and keep her sanity all at the same time. The film was well received by critics, but it didn't perform well at the box office.[4] In 2001 Martin directed Prison Song.
Martin has since directed episodes of TV shows like Law & Order, Grey's Anatomy and The Walking Dead.[5] In 2008, Martin returned to the big screen in which she wrote and directed a musical-drama film based on the work of Leonard Chess and the singers who recorded for Chess Records titled Cadillac Records. In 2012, she directed the well-received television film Firelight. In 2016, she directed The Walking Dead episode "Go Getters" during season 7. In 2020, she will direct an episode on The Good Lord Bird.[6]
References
- Monroe, Steve (1994). "She don't like it like that - motion picture director Darnell Martin's 'I Like It Like That' focuses on character development". Find Articles. Archived from the original on 2008-10-26. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- "Darnell Martin – biography, Photos, Movie, TV Credits". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- "I Like It Like That". The Numbers. Retrieved 2008-12-11.
- "Exclusive Interview: Cadillac Records Director Darnell Martin". 2008-12-04. Retrieved 2009-02-28.
- Petski, Denise (August 2, 2019). "Daveed Diggs & Wyatt Russell Join 'The Good Lord Bird' For Showtime – TCA". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 3, 2020.