Joseph Greco (born 1972) is a writer, director and producer living in Los Angeles. He wrote & directed the feature film '' Canvas''. Greco was interested in magic, entering the Society of American Magicians aged 14, but shifted his interest to film shortly before attending university. He graduated from Florida State University's School of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts in 1994. He began making short films in Hollywood, Florida in the mid-90s, before moving to Hollywood in 1995. He has worked with director James Cameron and has received awards for his short films, ''The Ghost of Drury Lane'' and ''Lena's Spaghetti'', which premiered in the

Telluride Film Festival The Telluride Film Festival (TFF) is a film festival held annually in Telluride, Colorado during Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). The 49th edition took place on September 2 -6, 2022. History First held on 30 August 1974, t ...

's Filmmakers of Tomorrow Program. Greco is a member of the

Directors Guild of America The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film and television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Directors Guild in 1936, the group merge ...

. Greco has directed many plays, short films, music videos & PSAs, working with actors such as Harrison Ford,

Matthew Modine Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker, who rose to prominence through his role as U.S. Marine Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis in ''Full Metal Jacket''. His other film roles include the title character ...

, and

Cloris Leachman Cloris Leachman (April 30, 1926 – January 27, 2021) was an American actress and comedian whose career spanned nearly eight decades. She won many accolades, including eight Primetime Emmy Awards from 22 nominations, making her the most nomina ...

. He directed the music video "Hope Is a Thing" for singer/songwriter Lisbeth Scott, working alongside two-time Academy Award-winning cinematographer

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler, ASC (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American cinematographer, film producer, and director. Wexler was judged to be one of film history's ten most influential cinematographers in a survey of the members of the Inte ...

. Joseph Greco directed the Disney internet commercial "Dance Star Mickey" starring

Quest Crew Quest Crew is an American hip-hop dance crew from Los Angeles, California who were declared winners of the third season of ''America's Best Dance Crew''. They made their first few appearances individually on shows like ''So You Think You Can D ...

. Greco is the producer & director of the 2011 Emmy winning documentary series "Profiles of Hope" and the producer of Joe Pantoliano's documentary "No Kidding, Me Too," both of which were released on PBS. ''Canvas'' is Greco's first feature film, and was inspired by his own experience of living with his mother, who suffered from schizophrenia. He said that "It's like a love letter to my parents. I felt this was my way of sublimating what I had gone through. Every filmmaker has something they are passionate about, and for me, it's mental illness." It was filmed in 2006, and stars Academy Award winner

Marcia Gay Harden Marcia Gay Harden (born August 14, 1959) is an American actress. She is the recipient of accolades including an Academy Award and a Tony Award, in addition to nominations for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and three Primetime Emmy Awards. Born ...

, Emmy Award winner

Joe Pantoliano Joseph Peter Pantoliano (born September 12, 1951) is an American character actor who has appeared in over 150 films, television and stage productions. After his early roles in the television series '' M*A*S*H'' and the 1983 comedy '' Risky Bu ...

and Devon Gearhart. ''Canvas'' premiered at the Hampton's International Film Festival, won the Alice in the City Prize (Best Feature Film) at the 2007

Rome Film Festival International Rome Film Fest is a film festival that takes place in Rome during the month of October. The name in Italian is Festa del Cinema di Roma. Sections The Rome Film Festival official program is divided into several sections: Cinema d'O ...

, and several other awards. ''Canvas'' well received by film critics such as Roger Ebert and

Peter Travers Peter Joseph Travers (born ) is an American film critic, journalist, and television presenter. He reviews films for ABC News and previously served as a movie critic for ''People'' and ''Rolling Stone''. Travers also hosts the film interview prog ...

of ''Rolling Stone''. Greco was recognized by ''

MovieMaker Magazine ''MovieMaker'' is a magazine, website and podcast network focused on the art and business of filmmaking with a special emphasis on independent film. The magazine is published on a quarterly basis. See also * List of film periodicals Film period ...

'' in their screenwriter spotlight for ''Canvas'', and has been invited to speak about ''Canvas'' and the subject of mental health at the United Nations, Tufts University and Yale University.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greco, Joseph Living people People from Hollywood, Florida 1972 births Film directors from Florida