Tim Kirkman
Visiting Filmmaker, MFA in Film
Profile
A North Carolina native, Tim Kirkman received his bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University’s College of Design, where he ma- jored in graphic design with a minor in journalism. After graduation, he moved to New York City and worked for more than ten years as an art director for Miramax Films, designing posters and advertising campaigns for award-winning films. While at Miramax, Tim completed an M.A. in Media Studies at The New School where he made his first documentary short, JASMINE, which received the top student prize and subsequently screened in festivals around the country.
In addition to his film work, Tim teaches directing at the University of Southern California’s School for Cinematic Arts, as well as screenwriting at UCLA’s School of Theater, Film and Television and at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. Previously, he taught screenwriting in the Master
of Professional Writing Program at USC, as well as Hunter College in New York City. In 2023, Tim created and serves as producer and host of REEL LIVES, a podcast about movies and the people who love them. It is set to launch in 2024. He is co-directing (with André Robert Lee) a short documentary about acclaimed NC artist Freeman Vines.
Tim Kirkman’s first feature, the personal diary documentary DEAR JESSE, received numerous honors, including Emmy, Gotham, GLAAD and Independent Spirit Award nominations. Distributed theatrically by Cowboy Pictures, DEAR JESSE was named Best Documentary of the Year by the Boston Society of Film Critics, won the Audience Award at Frameline and screened in film festivals all over the world. After DEAR JESSE’s HBO/Cinemax Reel Life series debut, Tim was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Documentary Writing.
Tim wrote and directed LOGGERHEADS, which premiered in the Dramatic Competition at the Sundance Film Festival. LOGGERHEADS won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest, Audience Awards at the Florida and Nashville Film Festivals and the top screenwriting prize at the Madrid International LGBT Film Festival. It was released theatrically by Strand Releasing.
He co-founded T42 Entertainment with Todd Shotz in 2017, a production company that seeks to amplify LGBTQ voices. The company produced LAZY EYE, written and directed by Tim. It was released in theaters and then streamed on Netflix after screening in festivals around the world. In 2010, Tim received an Alfred P. Sloan Award for development of KITTY HAWK, his original screenplay biopic about Wilbur and Orville Wright. He has also recently completed MR. FIX-IT, an original screenplay based on true events in the days leading up to the 1964
Presidential election. His pilot script BLESS YOUR HEART was named one of the “Ten Best Unproduced Pilots of the Year” by OutLoud and was an official selection of the NY Television Festival.