Desiree Akhavan
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Desiree Akhavan (, born December 27, 1984) is an American filmmaker, writer, and actress. She is best known for her 2014 feature film debut '' Appropriate Behavior'', and her 2018 film ''
The Miseducation of Cameron Post ''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'' is a coming-of-age teen novel by Emily M. Danforth published in 2012. The novel's protagonist is Cameron Post, a 12-year-old Montana girl who is discovering her own homosexuality. After her parents die in a ...
''. She appeared in the found footage horror film ''
Creep 2 ''Creep 2'' is a 2017 American found footage psychological horror film directed by Patrick Brice and written by Brice and Mark Duplass. It is a sequel to Brice's 2014 film '' Creep'', and the second installment in the franchise of the same nam ...
''.


Early life and education

Akhavan was born in New York City in 1984. Akhavan has stated in interviews that they now identify as American. Her father has not returned to Iran since the 1980s, though Akhavan occasionally visited family overseas as a child. As a child, Akhavan lived in New Jersey before her family moved to
Rockland County, New York Rockland County is the southernmost county on the west side of the Hudson River in the U.S. state of New York. It is part of the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the county's population is 338,329, making it the state' ...
. As a commuting student, Akhavan attended the
Horace Mann School Horace Mann School (also known as Horace Mann or HM) is an American private, independent college-preparatory school in the Bronx, founded in 1887. Horace Mann is a member of the Ivy Preparatory School League, educating students from the New Yo ...
, an independent prep school in
The Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...
. Akhavan has attributed her first experiences with American culture through watching TV shows and films. She began writing plays when she was 10 years old and began acting in plays at 13 years old. Akhavan studied Film and Theatre at
Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...
, a women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, where she was "a bit of a loner". After graduating in 2007, she studied film directing as a graduate student at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts The New York University Tisch School of the Arts (commonly referred to as Tisch) is the performing, cinematic, and media arts school of New York University. Founded on August 17, 1965, as the School of the Arts at New York University, Tisch ...
. She also spent a year studying abroad at
Queen Mary, University of London Queen Mary University of London (QMUL, or informally QM, and formerly Queen Mary and Westfield College) is a public research university in Mile End, East London, England. It is a member institution of the federal University of London. Today, ...
.


Career

Akhavan made her first short film ''Two Drink Minimum'' while studying in London as a graduate student. In 2010, she wrote and directed the short film ''Nose Job''. Akhavan has regularly appeared in her own work following her writing, directing, and acting in the lesbian-themed
web series A web series (also known as webseries, short-form series, and web show) is a series of short scripted or non-scripted online videos, generally in episodic form, released on the Internet (i.e. World Wide Web), which first emerged in the late 1 ...
''The Slope.'' She and
Ingrid Jungermann Ingrid Jungermann is an American director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. They are best known for ''Women Who Kill'', their directorial film debut, and web series ''The Slope (webseries), The Slope'' and ''F to 7th (webseries), F to 7th''. C ...
, her creative partner, were named to ''
Filmmaker Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a Film, motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screen ...
''s 25 New Faces of Independent Film in 2012. The series premiered in 2011. She plays a writing student in season 4 of ''
Girls A girl is a young female human, usually a child or an adolescent. While the term ''girl'' has other meanings, including ''young woman'',Dictionary.com, "Girl"'' Retrieved January 2, 2008. ''daughter'' or ''girlfriend'' regardless of age, ...
''. The role was offered to her after
Lena Dunham Lena Dunham (; born May 13, 1986) is an American writer, director, actress, and producer. She is the creator, writer, and star of the HBO television series '' Girls'' (2012–2017), for which she received several Emmy Award nominations and two G ...
and
Jenni Konner Jennifer A. Konner (born May 15, 1971) is an American television writer, producer, and director. She is best known as co-showrunner and writer with Lena Dunham of the HBO series '' Girls.'' In 2016, she directed the season finale of the fifth se ...
saw her film '' Appropriate Behaviour''. In 2014, Akhavan's film ''Appropriate Behavior'', in which she plays an alternative version of herself, premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
. The film was first written as her senior thesis paper as a graduate student at New York University. Although it is inspired by personal events in Akhavan's life, such as the break up of her first lesbian relationship, she has asserted that the film is not autobiographical. That year, she was also selected for the
Sundance Institute Sundance Institute is a non-profit organization founded by actor Robert Redford committed to the growth of independent artists. The institute is driven by its programs that discover and support independent filmmakers, theatre artists and compo ...
's Episodic Story Lab for her pilot script ''Switch Hitter''. In 2015, Akhavan was the President of the Queer Palm jury at the
Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...
. She has stated she draws inspiration from people such as
Todd Solondz Todd Solondz (; born October 15, 1959) is an American filmmaker and playwright known for his style of dark, socially conscious satire. Solondz's work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on the "dark underbelly of middle class Americ ...
and
Noah Baumbach Noah Baumbach (born September 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes A ...
.
Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...
commissioned a sitcom called '' The Bisexual'' to be written, directed by and starring Akhavan. It aired on October 10, 2018 in the U.K. and on November 16, 2018 in the U.S. The sitcom explores misconceptions of bisexuality. In an interview with UK's ''
Bazaar A bazaar or souk is a marketplace consisting of multiple small Market stall, stalls or shops, especially in the Middle East, the Balkans, Central Asia, North Africa and South Asia. They are traditionally located in vaulted or covered streets th ...
'', she said, "To me that was the perfect way to handle bisexuality, through the lens of a lesbian." In November 2016, it was announced Akhavan would write, direct and produce ''
The Miseducation of Cameron Post ''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'' is a coming-of-age teen novel by Emily M. Danforth published in 2012. The novel's protagonist is Cameron Post, a 12-year-old Montana girl who is discovering her own homosexuality. After her parents die in a ...
'', starring
Chloë Grace Moretz Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She began acting as a child, with early roles in the horror film ''The Amityville Horror (2005 film), The Amityville Horror'' (2005), the drama series ''Desperate Housewives' ...
, and
Sasha Lane Sasha Bianca Lane (born September 29, 1995) is an American actress. She made her film debut in '' American Honey'' (2016), directed by Andrea Arnold, before portraying Hunter C-20 in the first season of the Disney+ television series ''Loki'', s ...
. The critically acclaimed film won the 2018 Grand Jury Prize at the
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
, and was officially selected for the 2018
Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
,
Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) is a film festival held annually in Seattle, Washington, United States, since 1976. It usually takes place in late May and/or early June. It is one of the largest festivals in the world, and feature ...
, Toronto LGBT Film Festival, San Francisco International LGBTQ Film Festival,
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 ...
, and the San Francisco Indie Film Festival, earning multiple additional nominations and awards. In an interview about her career with ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', Akhavan proclaimed, "The only mainstream queer female stories have been directed by men-it disgusts me." In the same interview, Akhavan explains her intentions behind directing ''The Miseducation of Cameron Post''. "I didn’t want it to be propaganda, though I think that would be a more commercially successful film. I wanted the tone to be right… Every film about teens is really about the moment they realise that none of the adults know what they’re doing." On November 17, 2018, Akhavan attended the Vulture Festival, speaking at a sit-down conversation alongside actresses
Chloë Grace Moretz Chloë Grace Moretz (; born February 10, 1997) is an American actress. She began acting as a child, with early roles in the horror film ''The Amityville Horror (2005 film), The Amityville Horror'' (2005), the drama series ''Desperate Housewives' ...
and Tatum O’Neal to discuss working in the film industry. In 2024, Akhavan's essay collection ''You're Embarrassing Yourself: Stories of Love, Lust and Movies'' was released. It follows Akhavan's life from childhood, to a nose job, to her time as an NYU graduate student, to her success as a filmmaker, all written in her characteristic self-deprecating humour.


Activism

Desiree Akhavan is an activist in advocating for the
LGBTQ LGBTQ people are individuals who are lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning (sexuality and gender), questioning. Many variants of the initialism are used; LGBTQIA+ people incorporates intersex, Asexuality, asexual, ...
community in the film industry. She recounted in an interview that when she pitched ''The Bisexual'' to networks in Los Angeles in 2015, she "was rejected everywhere.” She stated the rejection was “because Americans are terrified of female sexuality,” on Twitter. Her work focuses on queer female stories, such as her films ''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'', ''The Bisexual'', and ''Appropriate Behaviour.'' After doing well at Sundance, ''The Miseducation of Cameron Post'' had trouble finding a distributor, which Akhavan attributes to the evident sexism in the industry. "Very few women have won the Sundance award, and it’s not escaping me that the one film that’s about female sexuality, directed by a woman, is having a harder time getting out there," she says. "Things are changing in the industry, but female-driven stories, specifically sexually driven female stories, are very difficult. If there is sex in the film, it has to be a man’s pleasure." Like many, Akhavan is calling for change in the film industry. "There’s clearly something toxic in this industry, a place where women are paid a quarter of what the men are paid for the exact same job. Clearly there’s something diseased here. And now maybe we’ll see that the work won’t suffer because of this, that it will become exciting and diverse and tell stories we haven’t heard before." When Akhavan was asked about the future of queer TV in her interview with ''Bazaar'', she said, "There’s less of a separatist feeling the way we had at the time ''
The L Word ''The L Word'' is a television drama series that aired on Showtime in the United States from 2004 to 2009. The series follows the lives of a group of lesbian and bisexual women who live in West Hollywood, California. The premise originated wit ...
'' was being produced, so I think more queer subject matter is inching its way into mainstream television." In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the
Stonewall riots The Stonewall riots (also known as the Stonewall uprising, Stonewall rebellion, Stonewall revolution, or simply Stonewall) were a series of spontaneous riots and demonstrations against a police raid that took place in the early morning hours of ...
, an event widely considered a watershed moment in the modern
LGBTQ rights movement Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) movements are social movements A social movement is either a loosely or carefully organized effort by a large group of people to achieve a particular goal, typically a social or politica ...
, ''
Queerty ''Queerty'' is an online magazine and newspaper covering gay- and LGBTQ-oriented entertainment and news, founded in 2005 by David Hauslaib. As of June 2015, the site had more than five million monthly unique visitors. History ''Queerty'' was ...
'' named her one of the ''Pride50'' "trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards
equality Equality generally refers to the fact of being equal, of having the same value. In specific contexts, equality may refer to: Society * Egalitarianism, a trend of thought that favors equality for all people ** Political egalitarianism, in which ...
, acceptance and dignity for all
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
people".


Personal life

Akhavan identifies herself as a
bisexual Bisexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior toward both males and females. It may also be defined as the attraction to more than one gender, to people of both the same and different gender, or the attraction t ...
woman and a Brooklynite. She often explores her bisexuality within her work. She has talked about how she and her family are from Iran, where homosexual activity is illegal. She currently lives in
Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...
.


Filmography


Film


Television


Web


Personal television appearances


Bibliography

*


Awards and nominations


See also

*
List of female film and television directors This is a list of female film and television directors. Their works may include live action and/or animated features, shorts, documentaries, telemovies, TV programs, or videos. A * Jennifer Abbott (Canada) * Sarah Abbott (Canada) * Je ...
*
List of LGBT-related films directed by women This is a list of lesbian, Gay men, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer-related films that were directed by women. LGBTQ-themed films directed by women – especially, but not exclusively, lesbian-themed movies – are an important and distinct s ...
*
LGBT culture in New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem, and is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ+ populations. Br ...
*
List of LGBT people from New York City New York City has been described as the gay village, gay capital of the world and the central node of the LGBTQ+ political sociology, sociopolitical ecosystem. It is home to one of the world's largest and most prominent LGBTQ populations. LGBTQ ...
*
NYC Pride March The NYC Pride March is an annual event celebrating the LGBT culture in New York City, LGBTQ community in New York City#Sexual orientation and gender identity, New York City. The largest pride parade and the List of largest LGBT events, larges ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akhavan, Desiree Actresses from New York City Actresses of Iranian descent American film actresses Television producers from New York City American women television producers American web series actresses American women film directors American women screenwriters American writers of Iranian descent Bisexual women writers Bisexual screenwriters American LGBTQ film directors American bisexual actresses American bisexual writers LGBTQ people from New York (state) American LGBTQ screenwriters American emigrants to England Living people Tisch School of the Arts alumni Smith College alumni Screenwriters from New York City 21st-century American actresses 1984 births Iranian diaspora film people Film directors from New York City 21st-century American women writers Sundance Film Festival award winners American expatriate actresses American expatriates in England