R.J. Daniel Hanna

Maybe it was growing up in Arkansas as a Canadian, or the summers in rural Ireland with grandparents and extended family, but Daniel has always been drawn to out-of-place characters, unique environments, and the weird, beautiful rhythms of how people talk. As a writer/director, he explores these interests across a range of genres, while always keeping a focus on human issues and the complicated people living them, as well as the hope and humor they find in even the darkest circumstances. He recently directed the true-story feature film “Miss Virginia,” starring Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba, Matthew Modine, and Vanessa Williams. The film was listed as a New York Times and USA Today Must-See Fall Movie, won the Audience Award at The Naples Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release, cable premiere on BET, and streaming deal with Netflix. In addition to being a finalist for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Science’s Nicholl Fellowship for Screenwriting, he was a winner in the Slamdance, ScriptPipeline, and Screencraft competitions for his social-issue-horror script “They Live on Skid Row,” chronicling a teen girl’s struggle with homelessness via a rip-roaring zombie film. Daniel also explores storytelling as an editor, with ten features under his belt, including horror film “What Lies Below,” which quickly became #1 on Netflix, and the upcoming storm-chasing movie “Supercell” starring Alec Baldwin. He hopes to continue telling cinematic, character-driven stories long past the time any sane person would have retired.