Tim Kirkman

Last updated
Tim Kirkman
Born (1966-11-02) November 2, 1966 (age 59)
Monroe, North Carolina, USA
Education North Carolina State University (BA) The New School (MA)
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • professor
Years active1998–present
Employer Transylvania University
Website https://www.timkirkman.com/

Tim Kirkman (born November 2, 1966) [1] is an American screenwriter and director.

Contents

Kirkman's feature film debut, Dear Jesse , was released theatrically by Cowboy Pictures in 1998. A documentary film about the political and personal parallels between the gay filmmaker and the notoriously anti-gay U.S. Senator Jesse Helms, Dear Jesse, made its cable television debut on HBO/Cinemax's Reel Life series and was nominated for an Emmy Award in the News/Documentary Writing category in 2000. [2] The TV broadcast version of the film featured an interview with Matthew Shepard, a college student whose murder called attention to gay-bashing and hate crimes.

His second film, the performance documentary The Night Larry Kramer Kissed Me , David Drake's solo off-Broadway hit play about writer Larry Kramer, was released by FilmNext in 2000. He also directed 2nd Serve , written by James Markert and starring Josh Hopkins, Cameron Monaghan, Alexie Gilmore, Sam McMurray, Guillermo Diaz, Kevin Sussman and Dash Mihok.

Kirkman's narrative feature debut, Loggerheads , which he wrote and directed, premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature and won prizes at several film festivals across the United States, including the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. The film, which stars Tess Harper, Bonnie Hunt, Michael Kelly, Michael Learned, Kip Pardue, Chris Sarandon and Robin Weigert, was released by Strand Releasing in October 2005.

Kirkman's most recent film, Lazy Eye , which he wrote, directed, and produced (with Todd Shotz) was released in 2016 and stars Lucas Near-Verbrugghe, Aaron Costa Ganis and Michaela Watkins.

Early Life

Tim Kirkman graduated from NC State University’s College of Design with a degree in graphic design and a minor in Journalism. He then earned an M.A. in Media Studies at The New School in New York City. [3]

Career

For ten years, Kirkman was a graphic designer at Miramax. [4] [5]

Kirkman currently teaches at Transylvania University. [6] [7] He has previously taught at the University of Southern California’s School for Cinematic Arts, UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television, and Hunter College, among others. [3] [5]

Kirkman’s production company is T42 Production Company, which he runs along with Todd Shotz. [8] Kirkman currently hosts the podcast Reel Lives. [9]

Billy Porter joined Kirkman’s most recent work, Freeman Vines, as executive producer. [10] Freeman Vines is distributed by Switchboard Magazine . [11]

Filmography

Awards and Nominations

Dear Jesse was nominated for an Emmy Award in the News/Documentary Writing category in 2000 and the Open Palm Award at the Gotham Awards. [13] The film was named as a runner-up for best documentary in 1998 by the Boston Society of Film Critics. [14]

Kirkman's narrative feature debut, Loggerheads , which he wrote and directed, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Best Dramatic Feature and won prizes at several film festivals across the United States, including the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest. [15]

YearAwardCategoryNominated workResult
1998 Frameline Film Festival Best Documentary Dear Jesse Won
1999 Gotham Awards Open Palm AwardNominated
Independent Spirit Awards Truer than Fiction AwardNominated
2000 Emmy Awards Outstanding Achievement in a Craft in News and Documentary ProgrammingNominated
2005 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Loggerheads Nominated
Nashville Film Festival Best FeatureWon
L.A. Outfest Outstanding American Narrative FeatureWon
2025 Montclair Film Festival (MFF) Documentary Shorts CompetitionFreeman VinesNominated

References

  1. "Tim Kirkman | Director, Writer, Producer". IMDb. Retrieved 2026-03-02.
  2. Tim Kirkman's profile Archived December 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine at sundancechannel.com
  3. 1 2 VOICE_TRIBUNE, Information (2025-07-07). "On Set: A Conversation with Tim Kirkman". VOICE-TRIBUNE Revamp. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  4. VOICE_TRIBUNE, Information (2025-07-07). "On Set: A Conversation with Tim Kirkman". VOICE-TRIBUNE Revamp. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  5. 1 2 john_rodzvilla (2003-06-01). "Living the Indie Life". Independent Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  6. Robinson, Oscar (2025-10-31). ""Coming of Age" at the Kentucky Theatre". The Rambler. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  7. "Kirkman, Tim". Transylvania University | Academics. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  8. Berman, Marc. "The Road To 'The Grotto': Joanna Gleason Reflects On Writing And Directing Her First Feature Film". Forbes. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  9. "Reel Lives Podcast". Reel Lives Podcast. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  10. Malkin, Marc (2025-12-05). "Billy Porter Joins Documentary Short 'Freeman Vines' as Executive Producer (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  11. "Freeman Vines". Switchboard Magazine. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  12. 1 2 Gleiberman, Owen (16 July 2016). "Film Review: 'Lazy Eye'". variety.com. Retrieved 7 April 2018.
  13. "Gothman Awards". IMDb. September 22, 1999. Retrieved February 28, 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  14. "Matthew Shepard Is Interviewed In `Dear Jesse' | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-28.
  15. "Matthew Shepard Is Interviewed In `Dear Jesse' | The Seattle Times". archive.seattletimes.com. Retrieved 2026-02-28.