Brian Dannelly

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Brian Dannelly
birthdate =
location = Würzburg, Bavaria, Germany
yearsactive = 2000 – present
occupation = Director, screenwriter, producer|

Brian Dannelly is an American film director and screenwriter best known for his work on the 2004 film "Saved!".

Biography

Early life

Dannelly was born in Würzburg, Germany before moving with his family to Baltimore, Maryland aged eleven.cite web| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_/ai_n15383927| title = Different tokes: "Saved!" director Brian Dannelly goes from Jesus to joints with "Weeds", Showtime's hilarious new series about a dope-dealing suburban mom| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = August 30, 2005| publisher = "The Advocate"| first = Dennis| last = Hensley] He attended a Catholic elementary school, a Baptist high school, and a Jewish summer camp.cite web| url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29945-2004Jun9.html| title = "Saved!" Brings Down Wrath of Some Christians| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = June 10, 2004| publisher = "The Washington Post"| first = William| last = Booth] He was expelled from first grade for hitting a nun,cite web| url = http://www.citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=7542| title = Off Color| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = June 9, 2004| publisher = "Baltimore City Paper"| first = Hatch| last = Eric Allen] and later expelled from high school—which he describes as "one of the strictest schools in the nation" [cite web| url = http://www.christianitytoday.com/movies/interviews/briandannelly.html| title = Mixed Reactions| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = May 25, 2004| publisher = "Christianity Today"| author = Ulstein, Jeanne; Ulstein, Stefan] —for excessive demerits. He started questioning his sexuality in high school, saying, "I remember I'd pray every night that I wasn't gay, and please God, please God, anything I could do—just don't make this happen."cite book |title= Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews|last= Kramer|first= Gary M.|year= 2006|publisher= Haworth Press|isbn= 1560233435|pages= pp. 52–54] He came out at the age of seventeen and was thrown out of his house by his parents, who eventually came to accept his sexuality.

Career

Dannelly wrote and directed short film "He Bop" in 2000 before his debut with 2004's religious satire film "Saved!", which he directed and co-wrote with Michael Urban. He had begun to write the "Saved!" script after the Columbine High School massacre in 1999, which he claims took him "back to [his] roots" in a Christian high school. [cite web| url = http://www.popmatters.com/film/interviews/dannelly-brian-041008.shtml| title = Interview with Brian Dannelly| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = October 8, 2004| publisher = PopMatters| first = Laura| last = Nathan] He and Urban began writing the script while attending the American Film Institute Conservatory.cite web| url = http://www.dvdtalk.com/interviews/getting_saved_a.html| title = Getting "Saved!" — A DVD Talk Interview with Writer/Director Brian Dannelly| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = 2005| publisher = DVD Talk| first = Francis III| last = Rizzo] [cite web| url = http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1589/is_2004_May_25/ai_n6150977| title = Holy high school! Meet the out team behind teen Christian comedy "Saved!" in which star Jena Malone carries her gay boyfriend's baby| accessdate = 2008-10-03| date = May 25, 2004| publisher = "The Advocate"| first = Adam B.| last = Vary] Much of the story was drawn from his own experiences with "conservative Christian subculture", including Christian rock concerts, being "this gay kid in a Christian school"cite web| url = http://www.gaychristian.net/gcnradio/trans_112304.php| title = GCN Radio — November 23, 2004| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = November 23, 2004| publisher = GCN Radio] and having visions of Jesus. He says, "In the Baptist school there was the one Jewish girl that everyone was trying to save, there was a girl who got pregnant, there was a gay kid"—all principal characters in "Saved!". [cite web| url = http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/movies/177218_moment10.html| title = A moment with ... "Saved!" director Brian Dannelly| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = June 10, 2004| publisher = "Seattle Post-Intelligencer"| first = Sean| last = Axmaker] He claims that nothing in the film came from his imagination: "Everything in the movie comes from either something I experienced, or something I witnessed, or something I researched."

After "Saved!" was released, Dannelly went on to become a regular series director on the television show "Weeds". He has also directed the 2006 pilot episode of "Help Me Help You" and "Pushing Daisies"' 2007 episode "Corpsicle". His most recent film, "Runner Up", about a beauty pageant queen who organizes a pageant in a women's prison, is currently in production. He is signed on to direct upcoming romantic comedy film "The Guided Man", which he co-wrote with Michael Urban and Steve Adams based on a 1952 story by L. Sprague de Camp. [cite web| url = http://www.indiewire.com/biz/biz_040806buzz.html| title = "Stander" Party; Brian Dannelly Gets Romantic; Gael Shoots in Texas; Fest Winners & More| accessdate = 2008-10-01| date = April 8, 2006| publisher = IndieWire| first = Wendy| last = Mitchell] He has written a spec script, "Army Geek", about a Texan Napoleon Dynamite-like character who joins the military, and is in talks to create a television series about sex, politics and religion based on "Saved!".

References

External links

*imdb name|0200380