Stephen Dunn (director)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Director
- screenwriter
- producer
Stephen Dunn | |
|---|---|
| Born | January 18, 1989 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2010–present |
| Notable work | |
Stephen Dunn (born January 18, 1989) is a Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer.[1] He made his feature film directorial debut in 2015 with Closet Monster, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2]
Dunn was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[3] He later studied at the Canadian Film Centre and at Ryerson University.[4][5]
Career
Dunn attended film school at Ryerson University in Toronto[6] and produced several short films as a student, many of which screened at festivals. One of his early short films, titled Life Doesn't Frighten Me, starred Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent and won various awards, including the CBC Short Film Face-Off, with a cash prize of $30,000.[7] The film also won awards at the Toronto Student Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013.[8]
His other short films have included Lionel Lonely Heart, Words! Words! Words! and Swallowed.
Closet Monster
Dunn's feature film directorial debut, Closet Monster, won the award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] He was also named the inaugural winner of the Len Blum Residency, a Toronto International Film Festival program for emerging directors.[9]
Other work
Dunn directed and produced the web series Pop-Up Porno, which streams on YouTube and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[10][11] He also directed "The Son", a 2020 episode of the Apple TV+ series Little America focusing on a gay immigrant from Syria,[12] and has been writing a planned reboot of Queer as Folk.[13]
Personal life
In 2022, Dunn told the public that the new location for Queer as Folk is set in New Orleans because he wanted to give a tribute to his close drag queen superstar friend Chi Chi DeVayne, who is deceased.[14] Dunn is also an openly gay man.[15]