Background
Simien was born on 7 May 1983 in Houston, Texas. He is the son of Anna Simien.
Simien was born on 7 May 1983 in Houston, Texas. He is the son of Anna Simien.
Raised in the metro area, he attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. After graduation he studied film at Chapman University in California.
Simien has also been named to Variety magazine"s 2013 "10 Directors to Watch" list. Simien worked a number of jobs in Los Angeles prior to directing his first feature film, including social media manager at Sony Television, publicity assistant at Focus Features, and publicity coordinator at Paramount Pictures. Simien directed three short films prior to Dear White People: Rings (2006), My Women: Institute Msgs (2009), and Institute Msgs (Instant Messages) (2009).
Simien started work on what would become Dear White People in 2006, with inspiration for the script coming from his feelings while attending the predominantly white Chapman University.
In 2012, he created a concept trailer using his tax refund as funding. With the concept trailer as a centerpiece, he launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise $25,000 but he got an overwhelming response and managed to raise $40,000 instead.
The film premiered in-competition in the United States Dramatic Category at 2014 Sundance Film Festival on January 18, 2014. The film began its theatrical release in the United States on October 17, 2014.
In its opening weekend the film grossed $344,000 in only eleven locations for an impressive $31,273 per theatre average.
Simien has also been named to Variety magazine"s 2013 "10 Directors to Watch" list. Influences
While Simien has been compared to director Spike Lee, Simien says he does not welcome this comparison because he does not want to be "the next Spike Lee" but instead "the next Justin Simien" (although he does cr Lee’s Do the Right Thing with "showing him that it"s possible to make these types of black films"). Simien also counts among his influences Woody Allen and Ingmar Bergman.
At the 2014 Sundance Film Festival premiere of Dear White People, Simien publicly announced he is gay.