Darnell Martin
Encyclopedia
Darnell Martin is a television and film director, screenwriter
, and film producer
.
. From the Bronx, she went on to Sarah Lawrence College
and New York University Film School. Along the way, she worked in film labs and camera rental houses and as a bartender
, made music videos and short films, and wrote the first draft of I Like It Like That.
's documentary Cousin Bobby, a film about his cousin Robert Castle, an Episcopal pastor who works in Harlem. The film was well-received from the majority of critics.
In 1994, Martin became the first African-American woman to direct and produce a movie produced by a major studio, Columbia Pictures
. I Like It Like That, a romantic
comedy-drama film about a young woman trying to love her man, keep her family together, assert her self-worth as a person, and keep her sanity all at the same time. The film was well-received by critics, but it didn't perform well at the box office. In 2001 Martin directed Prison Song. She has directed episodes of TV shows like Law & Order
and Grey's Anatomy
. In 2008, Martin returned to the big screen in which she wrote and directed a musical-drama film based on Leonard Chess
and the singers who recorded for Chess Records
titled Cadillac Records
.
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
.
Early life
Martin was born in Bronx, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. From the Bronx, she went on to Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College
Sarah Lawrence College is a private liberal arts college in the United States, and a leader in progressive education since its founding in 1926. Located just 30 minutes north of Midtown Manhattan in southern Westchester County, New York, in the city of Yonkers, this coeducational college offers...
and New York University Film School. Along the way, she worked in film labs and camera rental houses and as a bartender
Bartender
A bartender is a person who serves beverages behind a counter in a bar, pub, tavern, or similar establishment. A bartender, in short, "tends the bar". The term barkeeper may carry a connotation of being the bar's owner...
, made music videos and short films, and wrote the first draft of I Like It Like That.
Career as Filmmaker
In 1992, Martin's short film, Suspect, which examined the treatment of young black people as assumed criminals, won critical acclaim at the New York Public Theater's Young Black Cinema showcase. After directing her first short film, Suspect, Martin served as assistant camera operator for Jonathan DemmeJonathan Demme
Robert Jonathan Demme is an American filmmaker, producer and screenwriter. Best known for directing The Silence of the Lambs, which won him the Academy Award for Best Director, he has also directed the acclaimed movies Philadelphia, Rachel Getting Married, the Talking Heads concert movie Stop...
's documentary Cousin Bobby, a film about his cousin Robert Castle, an Episcopal pastor who works in Harlem. The film was well-received from the majority of critics.
In 1994, Martin became the first African-American woman to direct and produce a movie produced by a major studio, Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
. I Like It Like That, a romantic
Romantic Comedy
Romantic Comedy can refer to* Romantic Comedy , a 1979 play written by Bernard Slade* Romantic Comedy , a 1983 film adapted from the play and starring Dudley Moore and Mary Steenburgen...
comedy-drama film about a young woman trying to love her man, keep her family together, assert her self-worth as a person, and keep her sanity all at the same time. The film was well-received by critics, but it didn't perform well at the box office. In 2001 Martin directed Prison Song. She has directed episodes of TV shows like Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
and Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
. In 2008, Martin returned to the big screen in which she wrote and directed a musical-drama film based on Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess
Leonard Chess was a record company executive and the founder of Chess Records. He was influential in the development of electric blues.- Early life :...
and the singers who recorded for Chess Records
Chess Records
Chess Records was an American record label based in Chicago, Illinois. It specialized in blues, R&B, soul, gospel music, early rock and roll, and occasional jazz releases....
titled Cadillac Records
Cadillac Records
Cadillac Records is a 2008 musical biopic written and directed by Darnell Martin. The film explores the musical era from the early 1940s to the late 1960s, chronicling the life of the influential Chicago-based record-company executive Leonard Chess, and the musicians who recorded for Chess...
.