:Laura Moss (filmmaker)
Laura Moss is an American director, screenwriter, and production designer. They are best known for their feature film debut, Birth/Rebirth, which premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards.
Early life and education
Moss was born in New York City. They attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School and received both their bachelor’s and master’s degree at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts. {{Cite web |last=Macaulay |first=Scott |title=25 New Faces of Independent Film - Laura Moss |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/people/laura-moss/ |website=filmmakermagazine.com|date=14 September 2017 }}
As a college student, was evacuated from their dorm in lower Manhattan during the September 11 attacks, an experience which caused them to reconsider a career in the arts. They worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent Society as an EMT before returning to the U.S. and working as an art director and production designer.
Career
Moss production designed the Egyptian film Yomeddine, directed by A.B. Shawky. The film won the François Chalais Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival. Moss and Shawky both studied directing at NYU’s graduate film program.
Moss’s thesis film at NYU, Fry Day, was set during a tailgate event that popped up in the hours leading up to Ted Bundy’s execution. It premiered at SXSW in 2017 and won the Student Visionary Award that year's Tribeca Film Festival. It is currently featured on the Criterion Channel.
They co-wrote their feature directorial debut, Birth/Rebirth, with their ex-husband, Brendan J. O’Brien. They have produced work together under their company name, Retrospecter Films since 2015.{{Cite web |last=Moss |first=Laura |date=August 17, 2023 |title=Making a Brain Baby with Your Ex-Husband |url=https://www.talkhouse.com/making-a-brain-baby-with-your-ex-husband/ |website=talkhouse.com}}
Birth/Rebirth
Birth/Rebirth premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, opening the Midnight section.{{Cite web |last=Roepke |first=Michele |title=Sundance Film at Midnight at The Ray: Birth/Rebirth |url=https://townlift.com/2023/01/sundance-film-at-midnight-at-the-ray-birth-rebirth/ |website=townlift.com|date=20 January 2023 }} The film, starring Marin Ireland and Judy Reyes, has been described as a modern reimagining of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. At a screening in Salt Lake City, three people fainted and local authorities stopped the screening out of "an abundance of caution."{{Cite web |last=Ruimy |first=Jordan |date=January 22, 2023 |title=Sundance: 'Birth/Rebirth' Screening Stopped, Theater Evacuated, After Audience Sickened By Horror Scenes |url=https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2023/1/g6ez149x0gyaz0ik0um6ah66qqmo8a |website=worldofreel.com}}
In that same year, Moss was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award as Someone To Watch. Birth/Rebirth received two additional Independent Spirit Award nominations: Best Screenplay, and Best Lead Performance for Judy Reyes.{{Cite web |last=Sederholm |first=Jillian |date=December 5, 2023 |title=2024 Film Independent Spirit Awards Nominations |url=https://ew.com/2024-film-independent-spirit-award-nominations-full-list-8410735 |website=ew.com}}
Birth/Rebirth was released theatrically by IFC Films in August, 2023.
References
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