David Zellner is an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He lives and works in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Zellner is best known for directing the films '' Kid-Thing'' (2012) and ''

Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter ''Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter'' is a 2014 American drama film co-written and directed by David Zellner. The film stars Rinko Kikuchi, Nobuyuki Katsube, Shirley Venard, David Zellner, Nathan Zellner, and Kanako Higashi. Alexander Payne and Kikuc ...

'' (2014).

Career

David Zellner started his career by studying at the University of Texas film school and then staged exclusively Independent feature films and short films. He always works together with his younger brother Nathan Zellner under the name Zellner Bros.Zellner Bros.
– zellnerbros.com For his feature film ''

'' (2014), starring Oscar-nominated actress

Rinko Kikuchi (born ; January 6, 1981) is a Japanese actress. She was the first Japanese actress to be nominated for an Academy Award in 50 years, for her work in ''Babel'' (2006). Kikuchi's other notable films include '' Norwegian Wood'' (2010), which s ...

, which he directed and acted in, and co-wrote with his brother Nathan Zellner, he won a Best Director Jury Prize award at the 2014

Fantasia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...

. The film also won an Audience Award for Best Film and Special Jury Award at the 2014 Las Palmas Film Festival. At the 2014 Little Rock Film Festival, the film won the Golden Rock Narrative Award for Best Feature Film, and at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, the film won a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Musical Score (by

The Octopus Project The Octopus Project is an American indietronica band based in Austin, Texas, active since 1999. Their sound blends pop and experimental elements, and is a combination of digital and electronic sounds and noises (including drum machine, keyboard, ...

) and was also nominated for the U.S. Grand Jury Dramatic Prize. Furthermore, at the 2014

Nantucket Film Festival The Nantucket Film Festival is a film festival founded in 1996 which focuses on screenwriting. Board members include Donick Cary, Nancy Dubac, Chris Matthews, Kathleen Matthews, Ben Stiller, and Tom Scott. History The Nantucket Film Festival ...

, David and his brother Nathan won the Showtime Tony Cox Award for Best Screenwriting in a Feature Film for their screenplay ''Kumiko''. ''Kumiko'' also won a "Most Original Film" award at the

Toronto After Dark Film Festival Toronto After Dark Film Festival is a showcase of horror, sci-fi, action and cult cinema held annually in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The festival premieres a diverse selection of feature-length and short-films from around the world including n ...

. David was nominated for a Best Director

Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...

in 2014 for directing the film, with lead actress

who was nominated for a Best Female Lead Actress

. Additionally, for his producing work on ''Kumiko'' and several other films, Producer Chris Ohlson received the Independent Spirit Award's Piaget Producers Award. For his feature film, '' Kid-Thing'' (2012), which he directed and wrote, David won a Best Film award from the 2012

Gen Art Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live musi ...

Film Festival. He also received 2nd place in a

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, the ''Voice'' began as a platform for the cr ...

Film Poll for "Best Undistributed Film." David's short film ''Sasquatch Birth Journal 2'' (2010), got into the Sundance Film Festival in 2011 and was nominated for the Sundance Short Filmmaking Award that year.

Filmography

Film

Web series

References

External links

*
Official Website of Zellner Bros.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zellner, David Living people Writers from Austin, Texas American male screenwriters People from Greeley, Colorado Film directors from Texas Sibling filmmakers Year of birth missing (living people) Film directors from Colorado Screenwriters from Texas Screenwriters from Colorado