Theodore Zachary Cotler (born 1981) is an American filmmaker, poet, and novelist. His first film, ''

Maya Dardel ''Maya Dardel'' is a 2017 US-Polish drama film written and directed by Zachary Cotler and Magdalena Zyzak, starring Lena Olin, Jordan Gavaris, Alexander Koch, Nathan Keyes, and Rosanna Arquette. It premiered in the Narrative Competition at the ...

'', premiered in the Narrative Competition at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival and was acquired by

Samuel Goldwyn Films Samuel Goldwyn Films is an American film company that licenses, releases and distributes art-house, independent and foreign films. It was founded by Samuel Goldwyn Jr., the son of the Hollywood business magnate/mogul, Samuel Goldwyn. The curr ...

and Orion Pictures. His second film, '' The Wall of Mexico'', premiered at South by Southwest in 2019. A third film, '' When I'm a Moth'', came out shortly after the second. He won the 2012 Sawtooth Poetry Prize for ''Sonnets to the Humans'' and the 2104 Colorado Prize for Poetry for ''Supplice''. In 2011, the

Poetry Foundation The Poetry Foundation is an American literary society that seeks to promote poetry and lyricism in the wider culture. It was formed from ''Poetry'' magazine, which it continues to publish, with a 2003 gift of $200 million from philanthropist Ru ...

awarded him the Ruth Lilly Fellowship.

Early life and education

Cotler spent his childhood in Marin County, California. He graduated from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...

in 2003 with a B.A. in English. In 2008, he received his MFA in poetry from the

Iowa Writers Workshop The Iowa Writers' Workshop, at the University of Iowa, is a celebrated graduate-level creative writing program in the United States. The writer Lan Samantha Chang is its director. Graduates earn a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Creative Wr ...

Career

In 2009, Cotler founded The Winter Anthology at winteranthology.com with Michael Rutherglen, Olivia Clare, and Brandon Krieg. Cotler continues to spearhead and edit the anthology. His first book of poems, ''House with a Dark Sky Roof'', was published in 2011. In 2012,

Heather McHugh Heather McHugh (born August 20, 1948) is an American poet notable for the independent ranges of her aesthetic as a poet, and for her working devotion to teaching and translating literature. Life Heather McHugh, a poet, translator, educator and ...

picked Cotler as the winner of the Sawtooth Prize, and in 2013, Ahsahta Press published ''Sonnets to the Humans'', a cycle of 49 sonnets (the first of a projected trilogy of such sequences). ''Supplice'', the second book of sonnets, was picked as the winner of the 2014 Colorado Prize for Poetry by

Claudia Keelan Claudia Keelan (b. 1959) is an American poet, writer, and professor. She received the Regents’ Creative Activities Award, at the University of Nevada, Los Vegas. Life Claudia Keelan is the author of seven collections of poetry, most recently ' ...

. Cotler's first novel ''Ghost at the Loom'' was published in 2014. Cotler's first film, ''

,'' starring

Lena Olin Lena Maria Jonna Olin (; born 22 March 1955) is a Swedish actress. She has received nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a BAFTA Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. Mentored by filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, she made her screen de ...

Jordan Gavaris Jordan James Gavaris (born September 25, 1989) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Felix Dawkins in the BBC America and Space television series ''Orphan Black'' (2013–2017). He is the lead in '' The Lake'' opposite Julia St ...

, Alexander Koch,

Nathan Keyes Nathan Keyes, born Nathan William Gumke, (born November 28, 1985) is an American actor, known for his roles as Kevin Levin in '' Ben 10: Alien Swarm'' and Ansel in '' Maya Dardel''. Life and career Keyes was born in Washington, D.C., to Holly ...

, and

Rosanna Arquette Rosanna Lisa Arquette (; born August 10, 1959) is an American actress. She was nominated for an Emmy Award for her performance in the TV film ''The Executioner's Song'' (1982), and won the BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for th ...

, was released in 2017. Cotler and filmmaking partner

Magdalena Zyzak Magdalena Zyzak (born 1983) is a Polish filmmaker and novelist. Her directorial debut, ''Maya Dardel,'' premiered in the Narrative Competition at the 2017 South by Southwest Film Festival and was acquired by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Orion Picture ...

received Best Screenplay for ''

'' at the

Prague Independent Film Festival Prague Independent Film Festival (PIFF) is an international film festival held annually in August in Prague, the capital of Czech Republic. The festival focuses on independent cinema. Festival founder and director is Diana Ringo. History 2016 ...

and Best Director for ''

'' at the 2017

Raindance Film Festival Raindance is an independent film festival and film school that operates in major cities including London, Los Angeles, New York, Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, Budapest, Berlin, and Brussels. The festival was established in 1992 by Elliot Grove t ...

Filmography

*''

'' (2017) *'' The Wall of Mexico'' (2019) *'' When I'm a Moth'' (2019)

Bibliography

Fiction ''Ghost at the Loom'' (2014) Poetry ''Supplice'' (2014) ''Sonnets to the Humans'' (2013) ''House with a Dark Sky Roof'' (2011) Criticism ''Elegies for Humanism'' (2015)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cotler, Theodore 1981 births 21st-century American poets Writers from Passaic, New Jersey Living people Cornell University alumni Iowa Writers' Workshop alumni