Sean Durkin

Not to be confused with Sean Durkin (politician).

Sean Durkin
Durkin at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival
Born	Timothy Sean Durkin (1981-12-09) December 9, 1981 (age 43) Canada
Other names	T. Sean Durkin
Occupation(s)	Film director, screenwriter, film producer

Timothy Sean Durkin (born December 9, 1981) is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer. ^[1] Durkin is known for directing the critically acclaimed independent films Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Nest (2020), and The Iron Claw (2023). He is also known for directing episodes of the Channel 4 series Southcliffe (2013) and the Amazon Prime Video miniseries Dead Ringers (2023).

Early life and education

Durkin was born in Canada and moved to England soon thereafter; he was raised in North London and in Surrey until his family moved to Manhattan when he was 12. ^[2] Durkin graduated from Kent School in Kent, Connecticut in 2000, ^[3] then attended the film school at New York University, where he graduated in 2005 and delivered his thesis film in 2006. He moved to Williamsburg, Brooklyn in 2008. ^[2]

Career

In an interview with Robert K. Elder for the book The Best Film You've Never Seen , Durkin said, “When I make a film, I think about things that scare me. My exploration of those things is to try and wrap my head around them and confront them.” ^[4] Durkin is a founding member of Borderline Films with fellow directors Antonio Campos and Josh Mond. ^{[5] [6]} Durkin started his career directing several short films starting with Doris in 2006. His short film, Mary Last Seen won the award for best short film at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight. ^[7] Durkin adapted the short into his first feature length film, the psychological-thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) which was starred Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, and Sarah Paulson. The film revolves around a woman suffering from paranoia after returning to her family from an abusive cult in the Catskill Mountains. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where he won the Dramatic Directing Award. ^[8] The film received positive reviews with Christy Lemire of the Associated Press naming it the best film of 2011. ^[9]

In 2013, Durkin directed the Channel 4 drama series Southcliffe , starring Sean Harris and Rory Kinnear. ^[10] His second film, another psychological drama, The Nest (2020) starred Carrie Coon and Jude Law. The film follows a couple whose marriage dissolves once they move from New York to London. Film critic Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair declared the film the best film of the year. The film received six British Independent Film Award nominations including three awards Durkin for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best British Independent Film. Durkin then directed his third film the A24 drama The Iron Claw (2023), starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Lily James. The film is a biography based on the Von Erich family of wrestlers. ^{[11] [12]}

Favorite films

Durkin participated in the 2012 Sight & Sound critics' poll, where he listed his ten favorite films as follows: ^[13]

• 3 Women (USA, 1977)
• The Birds (USA, 1963)
• The Conformist (Italy, 1970)
• The Goonies (USA, 1985)
• Jaws (USA, 1975)
• The Panic in Needle Park (USA, 1971)
• Persona (Sweden, 1966)
• The Piano Teacher (France, 2001)
• Rosemary's Baby (USA, 1968)
• The Shining (USA, 1980)

Filmography

Short films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2006	Doris	Yes	No	No
2007	The Last 15	No	No	Yes
2008	A Long Way Home	No	No	Yes
2010	Mary Last Seen	Yes	Yes	No
	Kids in Love	No	No	Yes
2013	Karaoke!	No	No	Yes
	1009	No	No	Executive
2014	Tzniut	No	No	Executive

Films

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
2011	Martha Marcy May Marlene	Yes	Yes	No
2020	The Nest	Yes	Yes	Yes
2023	The Iron Claw	Yes	Yes	Yes

Executive producer

• Two Gates of Sleep (2010)
• The Eyes of My Mother (2016)
• Christine (2016)
• Katie Says Goodbye (2016)
• Piercing (2018)
• The Rental (2020)

Producer

• Afterschool (2008)
• Simon Killer (2012)
• James White (2015)

Television

Year	Title	Director	Executive Producer	Notes
2013	Southcliffe	Yes	No	Miniseries
2023	Dead Ringers	Yes	Yes	3 episodes

Music videos

• "Air Traffic Control" by Louis XIV (2008) ^[14]
• "Your Love Is Killing Me" by Sharon Van Etten (2014)

Awards and nominations

Year	Award	Category	Title	Result
2014	BAFTA TV Award	Best Mini-Series	Southcliffe	Nominated
2021	British Independent Film Award	Best British Independent Film	The Nest	Nominated
		Best Director		Nominated
		Best Screenplay		Nominated
2010	Cannes Film Festival	SFR Prize	Mary Last Seen	Won
2011		Un Certain Regard	Martha Marcy May Marlene	Nominated
2008	Independent Spirit Awards	Best First Feature	Afterschool	Nominated
2011			Martha Marcy May Marlene	Nominated
2015			James White	Nominated
2010	Sundance Film Festival	Short Filmmaking Award	Mary Last Seen	Nominated
2011		Grand Jury Prize	Martha Marcy May Marlene	Nominated
		Directing Award		Won

References

1. Kay, Jeremy (December 9, 2011). "Elizabeth Olsen". Screen International . Retrieved 2011-12-17.
2. Frank Lovece, "Who is Martha Marcy May Marlene? Sean Durkin debuts with acclaimed drama of young cult refugee." Film Journal , September 21, 2011.
3. "Sean Durkin '00 Captures the Indie Film World", Kent School news, November 2011 (accessed 2012-05-26).
4. Durkin, Sean. The Best Film You've Never Seen. by Robert Elder. Chicago: Chicago Review Press 2013
5. "Interview: Sean Durkin on the Method Behind "Martha Marcy May Marlene"". The Moveable Fest. 2011-10-22. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
6. Nordine, Michael (2016-11-09). "Borderline Films Retrospective at Museum of the Moving Image". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-10-30.
7. "Sean Durkin: Director Sean Durkin returns to Cannes with Sundance hit Martha Marcy May Marlene after winning Best Short at Directors' Fortnight last year." Jason Guerrasio, Screen Daily , May 15, 2011.
8. Nigel M. Smith (2011-12-19). "Sundance's Golden Boy Sean Durkin, Director/Writer of 'Martha Marcy May Marlene'". Indiewire .
9. Lemire, Christy (December 22, 2011). "AP movie critic Christy Lemire's top 10 films of 2011". CBS News . Retrieved February 13, 2013.
10. "Southcliffe: TV that threatens the status quo", Rebecca Nicholson, The Guardian , July 21, 2013.
11. White, Abbey (October 10, 2023). "Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White Plagued by Family Tragedy in Trailer for Wrestling Drama 'The Iron Claw'". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2023.
12. Kroll, Justin (October 24, 2022). "Lily James Joins Sean Durkin's 'The Iron Claw' For A24". Deadline. Retrieved October 28, 2022.
13. "Sean Durkin | BFI". Archived from the original on August 18, 2016.
14. "Louis XIV "Air Traffic Control" | Outright Mental".

External links

• Sean Durkin at IMDb