Silas Howard

Silas Howard is an American director, scriptwriter and actor. He started as a band member and eventually pursued a career in cinema. Co-writing, directing and acting his first feature film By Hook or By Crook in 2001, with Harry Dodge, he fell in love with visual storytelling and went on to get a MFA in directing in UCLA. He has since then written and directed many projects. He began directing episodes during the second season of Transparent, making him the show's first trans director.[1]

Early life

Howard grew up in south Vermont. His working class parents were often considered "freaks" for always doing things differently, a term he uses with a positive connotation.[2] Even though he lived in a small town, he had access to art and culture which made him aware of his queerness at a very young age and urged him to widen his horizons. So in the early 90's, wanting to find people he could connect to, he moved to San Francisco where an aunt of his was residing.[2]

Early 90's

He arrived in San Francisco in the early nineties, in the midst of the AIDS crisis. Still struggling with his questions of identity he didn't find his place in old-school gay bars but soon found his crowd with the queer punks. Howard as well played guitar for Tribe 8, a queer punk rock band originating in the San Francisco area, throughout the 90's which aided in him becoming acquainted and known within the LGBTQ community.[3]

He started a band with some friends of his called Tribe 8, an outspoken dyke punk band, that engaged with subjects such as S/M, nudity and transgender issues. He was their guitarist. For a decade they toured in the States, Canada and Europe. Howard loved traveling around and "finding queers everywhere".[2]

Back in San Francisco, he associated with Harry Dodge, a former band member and they opened a cafe called Red Dora's Bearded Lady Café [4] where artists could come in and expose their art. It was situated next to a gallery that a friend of his who was diagnosed AIDS and had a few years to live decided to open in order to curate shows aimed at a queer audience. Surrounded by art, punk music, drag and queerness, he was an active component in the representation of alternative movements and give a voice to people who were often considered the marge of society.[2] He eventually moved from music to cinema, in order to continue to do so.

Shift to movies in the early 2000's

At 28, Howard decided to team up with Harry Dodge again, but this time to write, direct and act in a film. He wanted to do a movie that puts the world he knows on big screens. By Hook or by Crook was exhibited in 2001, after a three year long struggle. The film depicts the tale of two unlikely friends who commit petty crimes as they search for a path to understanding themselves and the outside world. Although the shooting phase only took three month, it was a lot of work to get the necessary funds since translating transgender issues on screen was considered a big risk.[2] But it didn't stop them from going through with it.

We totally home-schooled it, we made this feature film without having made a short or anything, because we're like, we have the urgent need to tell this story, to have these different faces on the screen."[1]

And the big risk paid off since the film was awarded in a few festivals, is written about and is taught in queer cinema classes.[2][4]

Falling in love with visual storytelling and the power it has, Howard decided afterwards to get a MFA in directing in UCLA and graduated in 2008.[2] When attempting to re-enter the film industry post-graduate, his father's illness was progressing and Silas was facing money issues after filming "Sunset Stories" along with his two Bambi shorts; Howard had turned to Kickstarter to help fund future projects and to aid his situation. "My community greenlit me. People came and worked for me, people threw money in a can." [5]

He is also currently a visiting lecturer at Cornell University.

"Transparent" (2015-) to Present

Howard is also the first trans director in the Emmy Award Winner Show Transparent, second season. The creator Jill Soloway wanted trans director to be able to tell their own stories.[6] It was the first time he worked on a production with such a big budget but immediately fitted right in with the rest of the cast and crew bringing an energy that cultivated a space where they could truthfully translate the diversity of the trans experience.[1]

While becoming noticed with By Hook or By Crook (2001), Howard became more mainstreamed recognized in his work with this Amazon-produced TV series directing "Bulnerable" (2015), "When the Battle is Over" and "Just the Facts" (both in 2016). The common link between all three of these episodes is dealing with image, appearance and relationships centered around Maura Pfefferman (Jeffrey Tambor's character). In September 2017's article in LGBT Weekly, one writer speaks of Howard as:

"A man whose ability to synthesize the messy intersection between life and art seem apparent yet remarkable... whose many previous videos speak volumes about his talent behind a camera, creates authentic and organic visions that rely on the inherent tension between the ideal and the real. " [7]

Silas said personally, in the same LGBT Weekly interview, that he represents the trans-gendered working class with his own experiences and relations.

As of early 2017, Howard had begun work on his third feature film A Kid Like Jake starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer and Transparent actress Amy Landecker. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018 and is scheduled to be released in summer of this year.

Personal life

Although Howard spent most of the early nineties rebelling against a lot of norms and trying to render queerness visible in the midst of the AIDS crisis, it was only when studying in UCLA that he transitioned.[8] He presented as a female butch lesbian for most of his adult life[8] and while his friends and fellow filmmakers were very supportive, his family had a harder time with the transition.[1] He had a complicated relationship with his mother who had a hard time accepting her kid's evolution, but she eventually did. During his transition, his father was terminally ill; despite everything that separated them, they found common ground which helped them cope with what they were going through.[4]

Filmography

Director

  • Pose (2018 TV series)
  • More Than T[9] - (2018)
  • A Kid Like Jake - (2018)
  • Transparent - (2015 TV series)
  • Hudson Valley Ballers - (2015 TV Series)
  • Stick and Stones - (2014 short)
  • Golden Age of Hustler - (2014 Video short)
  • Valencia: The Movie/S - (2012)
  • Sunset Stories - 2012
  • Brainstorm - 2009 (TV Series)
  • Blink - 2007 (Short)
  • How Do I Say This? - (2007 TV Series)
  • Zero to Hero - (2006 Video Short)
  • What I Love About Dying - (2006 Documentary short)
  • Frozen Smile - (2005 Short)
  • By Hook or by Crook- 2001

Writer

  • Stick to Stones - 2014 (Short)
  • Blink - 2009 (Short) (Screenplay)
  • How Do I Say this? 2007 (TV Series - 1 episode)
  • Zero to Hero - 2006 (Video Short) (Story)
  • Frozen Smile - 2005 (Short)
  • By Hook or by Crook - 2001

Actor

  • Happy Birthday, Marsha! (2016 Short) - Stonewall Manager
  • Don't Mess with Texas (Short) - Al
  • The perfect Ones (Short) - Punk Gang Member
  • By Hook or by Crook (2001) - Shy (Lead Role)
  • Blue Diary (Short) - Narrator

Awards

Won

  • Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival - 2001 / Award for excellence -Best female director: By Hook or by Crook (shared with Harry Dodge), Best Narrative Feature By Hook or by Crook (2001) (shared with Harry Dodge)
  • L.A. Outfest 2001 / Grand Jury Award -Outstanding Screenwriting: By Hook or by Crook (shared with Harry Dodge)
  • Paris International Lesbian and Feminist Film Festival - 2002 / Audience Award -Best Film By Hook or by Crook (shared with Harry Dodge)
  • Philadelphia International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival - 2002 / Jury Prize Best Feature - Lesbian: By Hook or By Crook (shared with Harry Dodge)
  • South by Southwest Film Festival - 2002 / Audience Award - Narrative Feature: By Hook or By Crook (shared with Harry Dodge)
  • CAMMFest - 2013 / Emerging Filmmaker Award -Sunset Stories (shared with Ernesto Foronda)

Nominated

  • VC FilmFest- Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival - 2012 / Grand Jury Award -Best Narrative Feature: Sunset Stories (shared with Ernesto Foronda)
  • South by Southwest Film Festiva - 2012 / Audience Award -Emerging Visions: Sunset Stories (shared with Ernesto Foronda)
  • CAAMFest - 2013 / Jury Award -Best Narrative - Sunset Stories (2012) (shared with Ernesto Foronda)

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Locker, Melissa (8 December 2015). "Transparent's First Trans Director on Telling His Story Through Maura Pfefferman". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Diamond, Amelia (15 March 2016). "Oh Boy Episode 24: Silas Howard - Man Repeller". Man Repeller. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  3. ↑ Dry, Jude (2017-06-30). "How Silas Howard Became the Best Trans Director Working Today". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  4. 1 2 3 Zeitchik, Steven (18 December 2015). "A transgender director on 'Transparent' is making history of his own". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  5. ↑ Dry, Jude (2017-06-30). "How Silas Howard Became the Best Trans Director Working Today". IndieWire. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  6. ↑ Smith, C. Molly (28 August 2015). "The first trans director of 'Transparent' on his experiences with the show". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  7. ↑ "Meet Silas Howard". LGBT Weekly. Retrieved 2018-04-26.
  8. 1 2 Yung, E. Alex (22 December 2015). "Transparent's First Trans Director Silas Howard on the Shifting Politics of Queer Identity in Pop Culture". Vulture. Retrieved 2016-03-29.
  9. ↑ http://www.sho.com/titles/3445671/more-than-t
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.