Dee Rees is a renowned writer and director who has made a significant impact in the film industry. Born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, she is an alumna of New York University's graduate film program and a Sundance Screenwriting & Directing Lab Fellow.
Rees gained international recognition in 2018 when she became the first Black woman nominated for an Oscar in the Best Adapted Screenplay category for her critically acclaimed film Mudbound. The film, which starred Jason Mitchell, Carey Mulligan, and Mary J. Blige, tells the story of two men returning home from World War II, struggling to deal with racism and post-war life. Mudbound received numerous accolades, including four Oscar nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and over 100 nominations between 2017 and 2018.
In addition to her work on Mudbound, Rees has also made a name for herself with her Emmy-Award winning HBO film Bessie, which starred Queen Latifah as the legendary American Blues singer. The film was nominated for a total of twelve Emmy Awards, including Rees' individual nominations for Outstanding Writing and Outstanding Directing For A Limited Series, Movie or Dramatic Special. Bessie also received four Critics' Choice Awards nominations and Rees won the 2016 Director's Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries, as well as the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Directing in a Television Movie.
Rees' debut feature film Pariah, which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, received widespread critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the John Cassavetes Award at the Independent Spirit Awards, the Gotham Award for Best Breakthrough Director, and the Outstanding Film-Limited Release award at the GLAAD Media Awards. Pariah also earned Rees a spot on the New York Times' 10 Directors to Watch list in 2013.
Throughout her career, Rees has received numerous accolades and recognition, including being selected as a 2008 Tribeca Institute/Renew Media Arts Fellow and appearing on Filmmaker Magazine's 25 New Faces of Independent Film that same year. She is also a 2011 United States Artists Fellow and has held notable residencies at Yaddo and The MacDowell Colony.
Rees currently resides in New York and continues to make a significant impact in the film industry with her thought-provoking and critically acclaimed work.
