Jacob Aaron Estes (born September 6, 1972) is an American

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

known for the award winning film ''

Mean Creek ''Mean Creek'' is a 2004 American coming-of-age psychological drama film written and directed by Jacob Aaron Estes and starring Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, and Carly Schroeder. It was produced by Susa ...

'', '' The Details'' and ''Don't Let Go''.

Career

Estes was a theatre major at the University of California, Santa Cruz. After that, he went to film school at AFI. Estes also attended the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theater Center, which produced two of his plays, ''Free Lessons'' and ''Mean Creek''. Estes turned ''

'' into a screenplay, which became his feature film debut as writer and director in 2004. In his first offering as writer-director, he gained critical acclaim, receiving nominations at various film festivals and winning the

Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after ac ...

. His second film as writer/director came with the 2011 film '' The Details'', starring Tobey Maguire,

Laura Linney Laura Leggett Linney (born February 5, 1964) is an American actress. Having studied acting at Juilliard School (1986-1990), she became known for her complex and multilayered performances on stage and screen. She has received various accolades, ...

, Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert, Kerry Washington, and Elizabeth Banks. In 2019, Estes co-wrote and directed the Blumhouse thriller ''Don't Let Go'' starring David Oyelowo and

Storm Reid Storm Reid is an American actress. After playing a small role in the television film ''A Cross to Bear'' (2012), Reid made her acting debut with an appearance in the period drama film '' 12 Years a Slave'' (2013). She earned recognition for a s ...

Personal life

Estes is married to the musician

Gretchen Lieberum Gretchen Lieberum is a singer and songwriter. Career Lieberum was raised in Berkeley, California and educated at University of California, Santa Cruz. After leading a funk band for several years, she released her first solo album, ''Three A.M. ...

Filmography

References

External links

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AFI Movie Club interviewAllMovie
{{DEFAULTSORT:Estes, Jacob Aaron American film directors Independent Spirit Award winners 1972 births Living people