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Stephen Dunn (director)

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Stephen Dunn
The Director Stephen Dunn of the film CLOSET MONSTER (CF-CAN), at the presentation, during the 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI-2017), in Panaji, Goa on November 24, 2017.jpg
Dunn at the IFFI in (2017)
Born (1989-01-18) January 18, 1989 (age 35)
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Occupations
  • Director
  • screenwriter
  • producer
Years active2010–present
Notable work

Stephen Dunn (born January 18, 1989) is a Canadian director, screenwriter, and producer.[1] He made his feature film directorial debut in 2015 with Closet Monster, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2]

Early life

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Dunn was born and raised in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador.[3] He later studied at the Canadian Film Centre and at Ryerson University.[4][5]

Career

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Dunn attended film school at Ryerson University in Toronto[6] and produced several short films as a student, many of which screened at festivals. One of his early short films, titled Life Doesn't Frighten Me, starred Canadian actor Gordon Pinsent and won various awards, including the CBC Short Film Face-Off, with a cash prize of $30,000.[7] The film also won awards at the Toronto Student Film Festival and the Tribeca Film Festival in 2013.[8]

His other short films have included Lionel Lonely Heart, Words! Words! Words! and Swallowed.

Closet Monster

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Main article: Closet Monster (film)

Dunn's feature film directorial debut, Closet Monster, won the award for Best Canadian Feature Film at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[2] He was also named the inaugural winner of the Len Blum Residency, a Toronto International Film Festival program for emerging directors.[9]

Other work

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Dunn directed and produced the web series Pop-Up Porno, which streams on YouTube and premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.[10][11] He also directed "The Son", a 2020 episode of the Apple TV+ series Little America focusing on a gay immigrant from Syria,[12] and has been writing a planned reboot of Queer as Folk.[13]

Personal life

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In 2022, Dunn told the public that the new location for Queer as Folk (2022 TV series) is set in New Orleans because he wanted to give a contribute to his close drag queen superstar friend Chi Chi DeVayne, who is deceased.[14] Dunn is also an openly gay man.[15]

Filmography

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Film

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Title Year Credited as Notes
Director Producer Writer
Lionel Lonely Heart 2008 Yes Yes Yes Short film
Credited as Stephen Patrick Dunn
The Hall 2009 Yes Co-producer Yes Short film
Credited as Stephen Patrick Dunn
Words! Words! Words! 2009 Yes Yes Yes Short film
Cinematographer
Editor
Credited as Stephen Patrick Dunn
Swallowed 2010 Yes Yes Yes Short film
Lyrics by
Life Doesn't Frighten Me 2012 Yes Co-producer Yes Short film
Credited as Stephen Patrick Dunn
Night Light 2012 Yes No Story Short film
We Wanted More 2013 Yes No Yes Short film
Credited as Stephen Patrick Dunn
Good Morning 2014 Co-director No No Short film
The Imagined 2014 No No Yes Short film
Original author
Pop-Up Porno 2015 Yes Co-producer Yes Documentary short film
Closet Monster 2015 Yes No Yes

Television

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The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes.

Key
† Denotes television series that have not yet aired.
Title Year Credited as Network Notes
Creator Director Writer Executive
producer
Reel East Coast 2015 No Yes (1) Yes (1) No CBC Television Segment "Life Doesn't Frighten Me"
Heritage Minutes 2018 No Yes (2) Yes (2) No Historica Canada Web series
Little America 2020 No Yes (1) Yes (1) No Apple TV+
Queer as Folk 2022 Developer Yes (3) Yes (3) Yes Peacock

References

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  1. ^ "Watch TIFF Breakout Stephen Dunn's 'Pop Up Porno' Film Series (NSFW)". IndieWire. 2015-09-21. Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  2. ^ a b "Stephen Dunn's 'Closet Monster' Wins Toronto's Best Canadian Feature Award" Archived 2015-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. IndieWire, September 20, 2015.
  3. ^ "TIFF spotlight: Stephen Dunn spotlights urban Newfoundland in 'Closet Monster'". CTV News, September 13, 2015.
  4. ^ "Fourth Year Film student wins 'Best Live Action Film' at TIFF Student Film Showcase". www.ryerson.ca. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  5. ^ "Stephen Dunn". cfccreates.com. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  6. ^ "Rye grad overcomes fear to produce film". 23 March 2016.
  7. ^ "St. John's director wins Short Film Face Off". CBC News. September 7, 2013.
  8. ^ "Stephen Dunn: Life Doesn't Frighten Me". Ion Magazine. July 17, 2013. Archived from the original on February 15, 2016. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
  9. ^ "Stephen Dunn named inaugural Len Blum participant". Playback. Retrieved 2018-07-09.
  10. ^ /bent (2015-03-03). "First Look: Stephen Dunn's Sundance Series 'Pop-Up Porno'". Retrieved 2016-07-25.
  11. ^ "Sundance: ‘Pop-Up Porno’ Pokes Fun at Online Hook-Ups". Variety, January 22, 2015.
  12. ^ Daniel Reynolds, "Apple's Little America Spotlights Gay Muslims & Found Family's Power". The Advocate, January 17, 2020.
  13. ^ Lesley Goldberg, "'Queer as Folk' Reboot, 'One of Us Is Lying' Move to NBCUniversal's Streaming Service". The Hollywood Reporter, August 15, 2019.
  14. ^ Sayej, Nadja (2022-06-08). "'Queer as Folk' Cast, Showrunner Dish on the New Peacock Series: 'Queer Stories Are More Vital Than Ever'". Shondaland. Retrieved 2022-08-07.
  15. ^ "Exclusive: Closet Monster Movie Poster". Out, September 8, 2015.
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