Steven Torriano Berry is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

film producer A film producer is a person who oversees film production. Either employed by a production company or working independently, producers plan and coordinate various aspects of film production, such as selecting the script, coordinating writing, di ...

, writer and director. He directed ''

Noh Matta Wat! ''Noh Matta Wat!'' is a Belizean dramatic television series. It airs on Great Belize Television (Channel 5), Tropical Vision Limited (Channel 7), and Krem Television (cable). It was created by the local advertising company 13 Productions, headed ...

'', the first Belizean dramatic television series, which first aired on November 28, 2005.

Background and career

A native of

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City, abbreviated as "KCK", is the third-largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas, and the county seat of Wyandotte County. It is an inner suburb of the older and more populous Kansas City, Missouri, after which it is named. As of the ...

, Berry was raised in Des Moines, Iowa. After receiving his Bachelor's degree at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the ...

, he entered the Master's program at UCLA's prestigious film school. While at UCLA, Berry worked on numerous film and video projects including an award-winning short, ''Rich'', in which he wrote, produced and directed as well as starred. On October 21, 2011, ''Rich'' was screened as part of a major film retrospective, "L.A. Rebellion:Creating a New Black Cinema," part of ''Pacific Standard Time:Art in L.A. 1945-1980''. Berry is currently an associate professor at Howard University in Washington, D.C., where he directed the Indie horror film, ''The Embalmer''. It is considered one of the earliest examples of the "urban horror film." He is also the author of two books on black film. Berry is a member of

Omega Psi Phi Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. () is a historically African-American fraternity. The fraternity was founded on November 17, 1911, by three Howard University juniors Edgar Amos Love, Oscar James Cooper and Frank Coleman, and their faculty advi ...

fraternity. His latest project is ''The Kusini Concept: The Pride and the Sabotage,'' a documentary about the making of the film ''

Countdown at Kusini ''Countdown at Kusini'' (also known as ''Cool Red'') is a 1976 American-Nigerian action/drama film written by Howard Friedlander and Ed Spielman, and directed by Ossie Davis. Synopsis During a trip to the newly independent nation of Fahari, A ...

''.

Film credits

* ''Black Independent Showcase'', WHMM-TV 32, Washington D.C. * ''The Black Beyond Anthology Series'' * ''The Light'' (half-hour TV movie), WPVI-TV 6, Philadelphia * ''When It's Your Turn'', WPVI Philadelphia * ''The Embalmer'' * ''

'' (TV series), Belize (Channel 5/7/Krem Television)https://edition.channel5belize.com/archives/9154 * ''The Kusini Concept: The Pride and Sabotage" (documentary)

Awards and recognition

* 1983: 2nd Place,

Black American Cinema Society The Black American Cinema Society (BACS) was an association that promoted African American actors and filmmakers, notably through an annual awards night. Founded in 1976 by Mayme Clayton, it contained one of the largest archives of Black American f ...

Award for ''Rich'' * 1985: Honorable Mention, Black American Cinema Society Award for ''In the Hole'' * 1990: First Place, Black American Cinema Society Award for ''The Light'' * Black Horror Movie Hall of Fame

References

External links

*
S. Torriano Berry Collection at Indiana University Bloomington Black Film Center/Archive

Steve Berry at NohMattaWat.com
1958 births Living people Writers from Kansas City, Kansas Writers from Des Moines, Iowa African-American film directors American male screenwriters Belizean media personalities Arizona State University alumni L.A. Rebellion UCLA Film School alumni University of Iowa alumni Film directors from Iowa Film directors from Kansas Screenwriters from Iowa Screenwriters from Arizona Screenwriters from Kansas 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American people {{US-film-director-1950s-stub