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, p ...

film producer,

writer A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...

and

director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...

. 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

Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...

an dramatic television series, which first aired on November 28, 2005.

Background and career

A native of

Kansas City, Kansas Kansas City (commonly known as KCK) is the third-most populous 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 ...

, Berry was raised in

Des Moines, Iowa Des Moines is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Iowa, most populous city in the U.S. state of Iowa. It is the county seat of Polk County, Iowa, Polk County with parts extending into Warren County, Iowa, Wa ...

. After receiving his Bachelor's degree at

Arizona State University Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...

, he entered the Master's program at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

's prestigious

film school A film school is an educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are ...

. 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 Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, where he directed the

Indie Indie is a short form of "independence" or "independent"; it may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media *Independent media, media free of influence by government or corporate interests *Indie art, fine arts made by artists independent of commer ...

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 List of African-American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, fraternity. It was founded on November 17, 1911 at Howard University. Omega Psi Phi is a founding member of ...

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

Film credits

* ''Black Independent Showcase'', WHMM-TV 32, Washington D.C. * ''The Black Beyond Anthology Series'' * ''The Light'' (half-hour TV movie),

WPVI-TV WPVI-TV (channel 6) is a television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Owned and operated by the ABC television network through its ABC Owned Television Stations division, the station maintains studios on City Avenue in t ...

6, Philadelphia * ''When It's Your Turn'', WPVI Philadelphia * ''The Embalmer'' * ''

'' (TV series), Belize (Channel 5/7/Krem Television) * ''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 ...

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