Daniel Barnz (born 1970) is an American screenwriter and director.

Life and career

Barnz was born Daniel Bernstein in

Gladwyne, Pennsylvania Gladwyne is a suburban community in Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States along the historic Philadelphia Main Line. In 2018, Gladwyne was ranked the sixth richest ZIP code (using 2015 IRS data) in the country in a ...

,Champagne, Christine
"10 Directors to Watch: Daniel Barnz"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', 16 January 2008 a suburb of

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Since ...

. His parents,

Richard J. Bernstein Richard Jacob Bernstein (May 14, 1932 – July 4, 2022) was an American philosopher who taught for many years at Haverford College and then at The New School for Social Research, where he was Vera List Professor of Philosophy. Bernstein wrote ...

and Carol L. Bernstein, are both professors. He is openly gay and later changed his surname to an amalgamation of Bernstein and Schwartz, the surname of his partner of almost two decades, Ben Schwartz. The couple has two children. Barnz describes himself as "a Jewish liberal Democrat". Barnz graduated from

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

and the University of Southern California Film School."Bio: Daniel Barnz"
, ''

Moviefone Moviefone is an American-based moving pictures listing and information service. Moviegoers can obtain local showtimes, cinema information, film reviews, and advance tickets, as well as TV content and a comprehensive search tool that allows users ...

'' He made his directorial debut in the 2001 movie, ''The Cutting Room''. He directed the 2009 movie, ''

Phoebe in Wonderland ''Phoebe in Wonderland'' is a 2008 American drama film written and directed by Daniel Barnz. It stars Felicity Huffman, Patricia Clarkson, Elle Fanning (in her first leading role), Campbell Scott, and Bill Pullman. It was screened in the Drama ...

'', which received mixed reviews from critics. He wrote and directed a movie adaption of the novel ''

Beastly ''Beastly'' is a 2007 novel by Alex Flinn. It is a retelling of the fairytale ''Beauty and the Beast'' set in modern-day New York City from the view of the beast. Flinn researched many versions of the ''Beauty and the Beast'' story to write her b ...

'', a modern-day take on ''

Beauty and the Beast ''Beauty and the Beast'' (french: La Belle et la Bête) is a fairy tale written by French novelist Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve and published in 1740 in ''La Jeune Américaine et les contes marins'' (''The Young American and Marine ...

''. The movie was released on 4 March 2011. His film '' Won't Back Down'' (2012) received mixed reviews and garnered controversy; it was attacked by

Randi Weingarten Randi Weingarten (born December 18, 1957)''Who's Who in America'', 2007. is an American labor leader, attorney, and educator. She is president of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and a member of the AFL–CIO. She is the former presiden ...

, head of the

American Federation of Teachers The American Federation of Teachers (AFT) is the second largest teacher's labor union in America (the largest being the National Education Association). The union was founded in Chicago. John Dewey and Margaret Haley were founders. About 60 per ...

(AFT), the predominant national teachers' union, as having "the most blatant stereotypes and caricatures I have ever seen-even worse than in '' Waiting for Superman''", another film attacked as "anti-teacher union".

Lloyd Grove Lloyd Bennett Grove is editor at large for ''The Daily Beast'', an American news reporting and opinion website focusing on politics and pop culture. He is also a frequent contributor to ''New York''. He was a gossip columnist for ''New York Daily ...

. ''Newsweek'', 1 & 8 October 2012, p. 6. In 2014 he directed the film ''

Cake Cake is a flour confection made from flour, sugar, and other ingredients, and is usually baked. In their oldest forms, cakes were modifications of bread, but cakes now cover a wide range of preparations that can be simple or elaborate ...

'' starring

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

, which received mixed reviews. In 2015, the film was honored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with a Voice Award for its respectful portrayal of mental health.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Barnz, Daniel 1970 births American male screenwriters Living people LGBT film directors LGBT Jews LGBT people from Pennsylvania American LGBT writers People from Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania Date of birth missing (living people) Film directors from Pennsylvania Jewish American writers Yale University alumni USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Screenwriters from Pennsylvania 21st-century American Jews 21st-century LGBT people