Tanya Wexler (born August 6, 1970) is an American film director. Wexler has been working in the film industry since 1998, when her first film ''Finding North'' (1998), was released. Wexler is most known for her 2011 feature film ''Hysteria''. Wexler is known for exploring women's issues in her films and including complex female characters. Wexler has also been involved in advocating for women in the film industry, and advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

Early life

Wexler was born on August 6, 1970, in Chicago, Illinois. Wexler is the daughter of Chicago real estate developer

Jerrold Wexler Jerrold Wexler (June 27, 1924 – November 10, 1992) was a noted American businessman and film producer. He was the brother of cinematographer Haskell Wexler and the stepfather of actress Daryl Hannah. Early life and education Wexler was bor ...

, and his second wife, Susan Jeanne ( Metzger). She is the niece of cinematographer

Haskell Wexler Haskell Wexler (February 6, 1922 – December 27, 2015) was an American filmmaker, cinematographer, and documentarian. He won the Academy Award for Best Cinematography twice, in 1966 for ''Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' and 1976 for ''Bou ...

. Her mother has two other daughters,

Daryl Hannah Daryl Hannah (born December 3, 1960) is an American actress and environmental activist. She made her film debut in Brian De Palma's supernatural horror film ''The Fury (1978 film), The Fury'' (1978). She has starred in various films across the ...

and

Page Hannah Page Adler (née Hannah) is an American philanthropist and former actress. Life and career Hannah was born in Chicago, Illinois. She is married to producer Lou Adler, and the couple have four sons. She is the younger sister of actress Daryl ...

, as well as a son, Donald, from a previous marriage. Wexler's father is

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

, whereas her mother is

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Wexler worked as a child actor from a young age. She attended

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

('92) where she studied psychology and was roommates with actress

Bellamy Young Bellamy Young (born Amy Maria Young; February 19, 1970) is an American actress, producer and singer best known as Melody "Mellie" Grant on'' Scandal'' (2012–18), for which she won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress ...

. Wexler also holds a

Master of Fine Arts A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.) is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admi ...

degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

('95).

Career

Wexler has been active in the film industry for over two decades (1998–present). Throughout her career, Wexler has been involved in both film and television directing and producing. Originally Wexler wanted to be an actress. Wexler decided to be a director when she was more interested in the pre-production and production processes, rather than acting which has little involvement in the two previously mentioned processes. Wexler has directed five

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

s: ''

Finding North ''Finding North'' is a 1998 gay-themed independent comedy-drama film. Written by Kim Powers and directed by Tanya Wexler, the film stars Wendy Makkena and John Benjamin Hickey. Plot ''Finding North'' tells the story of Rhonda (Makkena), a bank ...

'' (1998), Relative Evil (2001), ''

Hysteria Hysteria is a term used to mean ungovernable emotional excess and can refer to a temporary state of mind or emotion. In the nineteenth century, female hysteria was considered a diagnosable physical illness in women. It is assumed that the bas ...

'' (2011), ''

Buffaloed ''Buffaloed'' is a 2019 American crime comedy drama film directed by Tanya Wexler and written by Brian Sacca. It stars Zoey Deutch as a paroled convict who, in an effort to escape her hometown of Buffalo, New York, cons and hustles for money and ...

'' (2019), and '' Jolt'' (2021). Wexler also directed portions of the following TV Series: ''The Girlfriend's Guide to Divorce'' (2017), ''The Arrangement'' (2018), and ''Partner Track'' (2022). Wexler is involved in producing the upcoming Amazon Prime Movie, ''Tough Love''. Wexler has been nominated for, and won awards for her work in film and television directing. Wexler's most popular film is ''Hysteria'' (2011).

''Hysteria'' (2011)

Wexler's 2011 feature film, ''Hysteria'', starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy, is a satirical romcom about the man who created the vibrator (Joseph Mortimer Granville) and the experience of being a woman in Victorian England. The vibrator was invented in 1883, by Granville to treat male muscle complaints. A few historians have asserted that the vibrator was used as a replacement for genital massages used to treat hysteria, however these claims are unsubstantiated. In the Victorian age, vibrators were branded as a medical tool. Wexler has said that the point of this film is to empower women to take charge of their own happiness. In 2011, this film was nominated for "Best Film" at Verzaubert International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Personal life

Wexler met her wife, Amy Zimmerman, during her time at Yale University. Wexler and Zimmerman married on May 19, 2004, in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, the first

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

to issue marriage licenses to

same-sex couples A same-sex relationship is a romantic or sexual relationship between people of the same sex. ''Same-sex marriage'' refers to the institutionalized recognition of such relationships in the form of a marriage; civil unions may exist in countries ...

. Wexler has four children: a son named Jerrold (born 1999) and three daughters named Ella (born 2000), Ruby (born 2003), and Violet (born 2006) with her former wife, Amy Zimmerman. Wexler and Zimmerman each birthed two of their children. As a young couple, Zimmerman did not expect to have children, as it was not very normalized for gay couples to have children at the time. Wexler was the first to propose the idea of having children, and Zimmerman accepted. Wexler now lives in New York City with her family and their dog, Snoopy.

Filmography

Film * ''

'' (1998) * ''Relative Evil'' (2001) * ''

'' (2011) * ''

'' (2019) * '' Jolt'' (2021) Television

Awards and nominations

Throughout her career, Wexler's work has been recognized by various awards and nominations. In 2003, Wexler's film ''Relative Evil'' (2001), won “Best Feature” at Washington DC Independent Film Festival. In 1998, Wexler's film ''Finding North'' (1998), was nominated for “Best Film” at Verzaubert-International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In 2011, Wexler's Film ''Hysteria'' (2011), was nominated for the Golden Marc’Aurelio Award at the Rome Film Festival.

Activism

Wexler has often been involved in activism throughout her adulthood. Wexler has been involved in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and advocating for more female inclusion in the male dominated film industry. Wexler has spoken out about how the number of women that are given directorial roles in the film industry is not anywhere near the number of men who are given those opportunities. Wexler has stated that she hopes room is made "at the table," for everyone. As a member of the community, Wexler has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community's rights for a long time. For example, Wexler has served on the board of directors for the

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation GLAAD () is an American non-governmental media monitoring organization. Originally founded as a protest against defamatory coverage of gay and lesbian demographics and their portrayals in the media and entertainment industries, it has since e ...

(GLAAD).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wexler, Tanya 20th-century American Jews American women film directors Yale University alumni American LGBTQ film directors LGBTQ people from Illinois 1970 births Living people Film people from Chicago Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Film directors from Illinois 21st-century American Jews 20th-century American women 21st-century American women