Sean Mullin

{{infobox person

|image = Sean Mullin (2023).jpgPhoto by Amanda Edwards

|caption = Mullin in 2023

|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|1|13}}

|birth_place = Indianapolis, Indiana

|occupation = Film director, screenwriter, film producer

|alma_mater = United States Military Academy
Columbia University

}}

Sean Mullin (born January 13, 1975) is an American film director, screenwriter and film producer.

Early life

Originally from Indiana, Mullin moved to Boca Raton, Florida when he was eight. He graduated from Spanish River Community High School{{cite web |title=Sun Sentinel (January 31, 1993) |date=31 January 1993 |url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-1993-01-31-9301060812-story.html}} before attending The United States Military Academy at West Point, where he was a four-year member of the Army Rugby Football Club.

Upon graduation from West Point,{{cite web |title=West Point Association of Graduates (March 2015) |url=https://www.westpointaog.org/firstcallmarch102015}} Mullin served on active duty as an army officer in Germany. He finished his service commitment as a Captain in the New York Army National Guard in Manhattan, where he worked as the Officer in Charge of the soldiers stationed at Ground Zero as a first responder to the attacks of September 11, 2001.{{cite web |title=Military.com Interview (February 6, 2015) |date=28 November 2017 |url=https://www.military.com/undertheradar/2015/02/army-vet-sean-mullin-talks-about-amira-sam}}

While living in New York City, Mullin performed stand-up comedy regularly and studied improv at New York's Upright Citizens Brigade Theater.{{cite web |title=Fast Company Magazine (January 30, 2015) |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3041336/amira-and-sam-director-sean-mullins-on-making-a-rom-com-about-a-war-vet-an-iraqi-refugee-and}}

After leaving the military in 2002, Mullin earned an MFA in film directing from Columbia University.{{cite web |title=Columbia University 2006 MFA Thesis Films |url=http://www.cufilmfest.com/2006/films.html |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20080703195423/http://www.cufilmfest.com/2006/films.html |archivedate=2008-07-03 }}

Career

While in graduate school, Mullin wrote and directed three short films -- Sadiq,{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi2554396697/ |title=IMDb Video: Sadiq |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-29}} Man is a Bridge,{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi323026969/ |title=IMDb Video: Man is a Bridge |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-29}} and The 14th Morning{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/video/wab/vi3359768601/ |title=IMDb Video: The 14th Morning |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-29}}—all of which played at film festivals and won various awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2013693/awards |title=Sean Mullin: Awards |publisher=Imdb.com |date= |accessdate=2009-05-29}} His MFA thesis film -- Sadiq (starring Laith Nakli, Zach McGowan, and Danny Bruckert) -- was a finalist for the "Student Filmmaker Award" at the 2006 MTV Movie Awards.{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2006/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423094936/http://www.mtv.com/ontv/movieawards/2006/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 23, 2008 |title=MTV Movie Awards 2006 |publisher=mtv.com}}

In 2012, he produced the feature film Allegiance,{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1858522/ |title=IMDb Listing: Allegiance |publisher=Imdb.com}} written and directed by Michael Connors, and starring Seth Gabel, Pablo Schreiber, Bow Wow, Corey Hawkins, Malik Yoba and Aidan Quinn.

In 2014, his debut feature film as a writer/director -- Amira & Sam{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3139538/ |title=IMDb Listing: Amira & Sam |publisher=Imdb.com}}—had its world premiere at the Seattle International Film Festival, where it received positive reviews from a variety of sources, including The Hollywood Reporter.{{cite web|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/sam-amira-siff-review-708175 |title=Hollywood Reporter Review: Amira & Sam |date=30 May 2014 |publisher=hollywoodreporter.com}} Amira & Sam went on to win several major awards at numerous film festivals and was purchased by Drafthouse Films, who released the film theatrically in 2015. The film stars Martin Starr, Dina Shihabi, Paul Wesley, Laith Nakli, Ross Marquand, and David Rasche.{{cite web |title=Deadline.com (August 28, 2014) |date=28 August 2014 |url=https://deadline.com/2014/08/martin-starr-romance-amira-sam-drafthouse-release-826305/}}

Amira & Sam was named "One of the 10 Best Romantic Comedies of the Decade" by Slashfilm.{{cite web|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/best-romantic-comedies-of-the-decade/|title=Best Romantic Comedies of the Decade |date=16 December 2019 |publisher=slashfilm.com}}

Mullin is the co-writer/co-producer of Semper Fi, which was released theatrically by Lionsgate Films in 2019. Semper Fi was co-written/directed by Academy Award nominee, Henry-Alex Rubin, and produced by Academy Award nominee, David Lancaster. The film stars Jai Courtney, Nat Wolff, Finn Wittrock, Arturo Castro, Beau Knapp, and Leighton Meester.

Mullin is the writer/director of the feature-length documentary It Ain't Over about baseball legend, Yogi Berra.{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/adawson/2019/07/27/yogi-berra-documentary-in-the-works/?sh=7d004d47cfae|title=Yogi Berra Documentary In The Works |work=forbes.com}} The film was made with the support of the Berra family and it features interviews with Joe Torre, Derek Jeter, Don Mattingly, Mariano Rivera, Joe Girardi, Ron Guidry, Willie Randolph, Bobby Richardson, Tony Kubek, Hector Lopez, Al Downing, Joe Maddon, Bob Costas, Billy Crystal, and Vin Scully. It premiered at the 2022 Tribeca Film Festival and was released theatrically by Sony Pictures Classics in 2023. It has been met with widespread acclaim on Rotten Tomatoes -- scoring 98% with critics and 96% with audiences.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/it_aint_over|title=It Ain't Over / Rotten Tomatoes}}