Justin Schwarz is an American filmmaker, writer, director, and producer.
Born and raised in Orange County, California, Schwarz attended Yale University, where he graduated magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa. He received an MFA in Film from the School of the Arts at Columbia University. [1]
Schwarz wrote, directed, and produced his debut feature-length film, The Discoverers, a story about a family that gets forced on a Lewis and Clark historical re-enactment trek. The film was a New York Times Critics' Pick. [2]
Writing in Vanity Fair, critic Bruce Handy praised the script and performance of star Griffin Dunne, noting: "The Discoverers arguably gives him his best role since After Hours , directed by Martin Scorsese." [3] In addition to Dunne, the film's cast included Madeleine Martin, Cara Buono, Ann Dowd, David Rasche, Becky Ann Baker, Stuart Margolin, Scott Adsit, Devon Graye and John C. McGinley.
Schwarz was selected to attend the Hampton's Screenwriters Lab in 2010 with The Discoverers script. [4] The film was tapped to be a part of IFP's No Borders International Co-Production Market. [5] After completion, The Discoverers was screened as part of IFP's 'American Independents in Berlin.' [6]
Schwarz is a member of the Writer's Guild of America. [7] His writing for production companies includes an adaptation of Kevin Henkes book Olive's Ocean for Sovereign Films. [8]
While in graduate school, Schwarz directed the short film Me and the Moilsies, which was in competition at Slamdance Film Festival, [9] and played NYC at the Brooklyn Film Festival, among other film festivals. According to the festival's website, the film is set in 1969 and "charts a Hasidic boy's journey into manhood and fall from innocence." [10]