Tina Mabry (born February 9, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter from Tupelo, Mississippi. Following the release of her first feature film '' Mississippi Damned'' (2009), she was named one of '25 New Faces of Indie Film' by ''

Filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

'' magazine and among the 'Top Forty Under 40' by '' The Advocate''. Mabry was named a James Baldwin Fellow in Media by

United States Artists United States Artists (USA) is a national arts funding organization based in Chicago. USA is dedicated to supporting living artists and cultural practitioners across the United States by granting unrestricted awards. Mission The organization' ...

Early life

Tina Mabry was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1978. After seeing

Kimberly Peirce Kimberly Ane Peirce (born September 8, 1967) is an American filmmaker, best known for her debut feature film, '' Boys Don't Cry'' (1999), which won the Academy Award for Best Actress for Hilary Swank's performance. Her second feature, '' Stop-Los ...

's '' Boys Don't Cry'' and

Gina Prince-Bythewood Gina Maria Prince-Bythewood (born June 10, 1969) is an American film director and screenwriter. She is known for directing the films '' Love & Basketball'' (2000), ''Disappearing Acts'' (2000), '' The Secret Life of Bees'' (2008), '' Beyond the L ...

's '' Love & Basketball'' while an undergrad at the

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi ( byname Ole Miss) is a public research university that is located adjacent to Oxford, Mississippi, and has a medical center in Jackson. It is Mississippi's oldest public university and its largest by enrollment ...

, she determined she had to go into film and moved to Los Angeles. She received her

Masters of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...

in Cinema and Television from the

University of Southern California , mottoeng = "Let whoever earns the palm bear it" , religious_affiliation = Nonsectarian—historically Methodist , established = , accreditation = WSCUC , type = Private research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $8.1 ...

Career

Mabry began her film career with her short film ''Brooklyn's Bridge to Jordan'' (2005). In 2007, she penned the film '' Itty Bitty Titty Committee''. The film was directed by

Jamie Babbit Jamie Merill Babbit (born November 16, 1970) is an American director, producer and screenwriter. She directed the films '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', '' The Quiet'' and ''Itty Bitty Titty Committee''. She has also directed episodes of television pr ...

and premiered at the 57th Berlin International Film Festival. Mabry made her feature film directing debut in 2009 with '' Mississippi Damned,'' which she also wrote and acknowledges draws from aspects of her own life. She received a film stock grant from

Kodak The Eastman Kodak Company (referred to simply as Kodak ) is an American public company that produces various products related to its historic basis in analogue photography. The company is headquartered in Rochester, New York, and is incorpor ...

, which enabled her to film it. The film was successful on the festival circuit, winning top prizes at the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...

, American Black Film Festival, and Urbanworld Film Festival. It premiered on Showtime in 2011 and is currently streaming on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fi ...

courtesy of

Ava DuVernay Ava Marie DuVernay (; born August 24, 1972) is an American filmmaker, television producer and former film publicist. She is a recipient of a Primetime Emmy Award, a NAACP Image Award, a BAFTA Film Award and a BAFTA TV Award, as well as a nominee ...

ARRAY An array is a systematic arrangement of similar objects, usually in rows and columns. Things called an array include: {{TOC right Music * In twelve-tone and serial composition, the presentation of simultaneous twelve-tone sets such that the ...

. Mabry has written and directed two episodes of ''FutureStates'' produced by

ITVS ITVS (Independent Television Service) is a service in the United States which funds and presents documentaries on public television through distribution by PBS and American Public Television, new media projects on the Internet, and the weekly seri ...

, including ''Ant'' starring Guillermo Díaz. In 2015, Mabry was hired as a producer, writer, and director on the

OWN Ownership is the state or fact of legal possession and control over property, which may be any asset, tangible or intangible. Ownership can involve multiple rights, collectively referred to as title, which may be separated and held by different ...

series ''

Queen Sugar Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mothe ...

'', created by

and Oprah Winfrey.

Personal life

References

External links

* *
"Interview With “Mississippi Damned” Filmmakers Tina Mabry and Morgan Stiff
,

Afterellen.com AfterEllen (also known as AfterEllen.com) is an American culture website founded in 2002, with a focus on entertainment, interviews, reviews, and news of interest to the lesbian and bisexual women's community. The site covers pop culture and lifes ...

"The Preponderance of Flatscreen TVs Doesn't Mean LGBT Characters of Color Have to Flatline"
''

The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...

'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Mabry, Tina 1978 births Living people American film directors American film producers American television directors American women film directors American women film producers American women screenwriters African-American film directors African-American film producers African-American screenwriters African-American television directors English-language film directors LGBT film directors LGBT producers LGBT screenwriters American women television directors American women television writers American television writers 21st-century African-American people LGBT television directors 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women African-American women writers

Early life

Career

Personal life

See also

References

External links