Dee Rees

Diandrea Rees, more commonly known as Dee Rees, is renowned for her compelling and multi-awarded screenwriting and directing work in Hollywood. Born on February 7, 1977, in Nashville, Tennessee, she developed an interest in storytelling and filmmaking, which led her to pursue graduate studies at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts. As a student, she benefitted from the mentorship of acclaimed filmmaker Spike Lee and gained industry experience from working on his films, such as 'Inside Man' (2006) and 'When the Levees Broke' (2006). These experiences kindled Rees' passion in creating diverse narratives, which is reflected in her debut feature film 'Pariah' (2011). Dee Rees' audacious storytelling explores complex facets of identity, religion, politics, and socio-economic class. Her creative process is often influenced by her own life experiences, reflected in her works like 'Mudbound' (2017) and 'The Last Thing He Wanted' (2020). Rees' dedication to her craft led her to become the first African-American woman nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. The artist takes her commitment to diversity a notch higher in her upcoming project, 'The Kyd's Exquisite Follies', a musical fantasy reflecting her unique intersectional identity as a black lesbian filmmaker and arguably one of the few to address issues about race, gender identity, and sexuality in mainstream media. Rees strives to bring to light the stories of underrepresented sectors in the Hollywood landscape.