Kimberly Peirce facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Kimberly Peirce
Peirce interviewed in 2013
Born	Kimberly Ane Peirce (1967-09-08) September 8, 1967 (age 57) Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Education	University of Chicago (BA) Columbia University (MFA)
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Evren Savci ​ (m. 2008)​

Kimberly Ane Peirce (born September 8, 1967) is an American filmmaker. She is well known for her first movie, Boys Don't Cry (1999). This film helped Hilary Swank win her first Academy Award for Best Actress. Peirce's second movie, Stop-Loss, came out in 2008. Her third film, Carrie, was released in 2013. Besides directing and writing, she helps lead the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences. She is also a board member of the Directors Guild of America.

Early Life and Education

Kimberly Peirce was born on September 8, 1967. Her birthplace was Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Her parents were Sherry and Robert A. Peirce. Her father owned a construction company. When she was three, her family moved to New York City. At age eleven, she moved to Miami, Florida. She later graduated from Miami Sunset Senior High School.

While studying at the University of Chicago, Peirce lived in Kobe, Japan. She stayed there for two years. During this time, she worked as a photographer. She also taught English. After that, she moved to New York City. She was a photography intern for Time magazine. She worked under the famous photojournalist Alfred Eisenstaedt. She then went back to the University of Chicago. She earned degrees in English and Japanese Literature. Later, Peirce went to Columbia University. There, she earned a master's degree in film.

Career in Filmmaking

Making Boys Don't Cry

Kimberly Peirce changed her main school project. She traveled to Falls City, Nebraska. There, she did a lot of research. She talked to many people from the town. This included Lana Tisdale, who was important to the story. Peirce also went to the murder trial. She made a short film for her school project in 1995. This film was nominated for an award. It also received a special grant.

A film producer named Christine Vachon saw Peirce's short film. Vachon and Peirce then started working on a full-length movie. To get money for writing the film, Peirce worked hard. She was a paralegal at night. She also worked as a film projectionist. She also received a grant from a New York arts group. With help from the Sundance Institute, Peirce finished the movie in 1999.

When it was released, Boys Don't Cry became very popular. It was shown at major film festivals. The movie won many awards. Hilary Swank won the Best Actress Oscar for her role. Chloë Sevigny was nominated for an Oscar too. She also won an Independent Spirit Award.

The film also won awards from critics. It was named "Best American Feature" by Janet Maslin. Peirce herself won awards for Best Debut Director. She was also named Best New Filmmaker.

Directing Stop-Loss

In 2005, Peirce started working on Stop-Loss. She was inspired by stories of American soldiers. Many soldiers were fighting in Iraq and coming home. Her own brother was one of them. Peirce traveled across the country. She interviewed soldiers about their experiences. She worked with writer Mark Richard on the script.

Stop-Loss was released in 2008. It received good reviews from critics. Peirce won awards for her directing. She also created a website called SoundOff. This website let soldiers and their families share their stories. After the film, Peirce spoke to leaders in Washington. She spoke about the stop-loss policy. This policy made soldiers serve extra time. Her efforts helped pass a law. This law gave money to soldiers who served extra tours.

Peirce said her love for The Godfather inspired her films. She learned that she could mix gangster movies with family stories. She said family and violence are important in her movies. She is interested in showing real emotions behind violence.

Remaking Carrie

Peirce directed a new version of the 1976 horror film Carrie. This movie came out on October 18, 2013. It was based on Stephen King's book of the same name. Chloë Grace Moretz played the main character. Julianne Moore and Ansel Elgort also starred in the film.

The movie won the 2014 People's Choice Award. It was named Favorite Horror Movie. It earned over $84 million worldwide.

Television Work

Kimberly Peirce has directed episodes for many TV shows. These include American Crime and Halt and Catch Fire. She also directed for Turn and Manhattan. Other shows include Six, I Love Dick, and Dear White People. She also directed episodes for P-Valley, Game of Silence, and Kidding.

Other Projects

In 2011, it was announced that Peirce would direct The Knife. This was a crime thriller movie. She was also in talks to direct The Enclave. This was a TV series for USA Network.

Peirce also helped write a script for Silent Star. This was a mystery about a Hollywood director's death in 1922. However, this project did not move forward. Peirce is also set to direct a new Amazon movie called This is Jane.

Activism and Awards

Peirce is a founder of ReFrame. This group works to make Hollywood fairer for everyone. She also leads a diversity committee for directors. She has given many important speeches. These include talks at Yale and Outfest. She also spoke at the 2017 Women's March. She has received many awards for her work. These include awards from GLAAD and Lambda Legal Defense. In 2018, she received a Women in Film award for her activism.

Filmography

Short film

Feature film

Television

Appearances

• Raging Bull – 30th Anniversary Release, Special Features
• Chinatown – Centennial Collection DVD, Special Features
• The Godfather – The Coppola Restoration, Special Features, "The Masterpiece That Almost Wasn't"
• Queer for Fear – 2022 television mini-series includes interviews with Peirce

Awards and Honors

• Second place, Canada International Film Festival – The Last Good Breath
• Golden Award, Experiment Division, Chicago International Film Festival – The Last Good Breath
• First place, Suffolk Film Festival
• Best Debut Director – National Board of Review
• Best New Filmmaker – Boston Society of Film Critics
• Young Hollywood Best Director and Best Screenwriter Awards
• Las Vegas Film Critics Society Sierra Award, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay
• Satyajit Ray Award, 1999
• London Film Festival, FIPRESCI Prize
• Stockholm Film Festival, Best Screenplay and FIPRESCI Prize
• St. Louis International Film Festival, Audience Choice Award
• Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Award, Best Limited Release
• Lambda Legal Liberty Award
• Hamilton Behind-the-Camera Directing Award
• Andrew Sarris Directing Award
• In 2019, Peirce's film Boys Don't Cry was chosen by the Library of Congress. It was added to the National Film Registry. This was because it was "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

See also

In Spanish: Kimberly Peirce para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• List of lesbian filmmakers
• List of LGBT-related films directed by women