Seth Michael Donsky
Seth Michael Donsky is an American filmmaker, producer/screenwriter and former journalist. Biography. As of 2021 Mr. Donsky's feature screenplay "Stardusk", about the life of transgender Andy Warhol Superstar Candy Darling is in pre-production with the Oscar-award winning producer Bruce Cohen. He is also adapting Kate Bornstein's "A Queer and Pleasant Danger" (Beacon Press) and Lauren Roedy Vaughn's "OCD, The Dude and Me" (Penguin Group) (Dial Press) for the screen. His feature screenplay "Grit N' Glitter", the story of Allan Carr producing "La Cage aux Folles" (musical) on Broadway during the HIV /AIDS in the United States was one of five finalists for the Enderby Entertainment Award in the 2018 Austin Film Festival for screenplays with a unique voice and distinct vision. The finalists were selected by Rick Dugdale, Donald Petrie and Daniel Petrie, Jr. of Enderby Entertainment. It also placed in the Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting. He holds an MFA in Film from Columbia University School of the Arts where he twice received the Dean's Fellowship. He wrote and directed the short film "Loopy" as his thesis film for graduation from Columbia. His feature film debut "Twisted" (1996 film), which  he wrote and directed, was produced towards the tail end of the New Queer Cinema. "Loopy" (film) was adapted from a short-story by Edgar Award winning, British crime writer Ruth Rendell and featured a performance by Tony Award winning Elizabeth Franz. It was produced by Benjamin Odell (producer), a fellow student at Columbia University School of the Arts at the time. Loopy premiered at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival, played at the Palm Springs International ShortFest and the Cinequest Film Festival among others, took 1st Runner Up at the HBO Short Film Competition at the Savannah College  of Art and Design film festival and was broadcast in rotation on the IFC (American TV channel). "Twisted" premiered at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, won the audience award at the GLBTQ Film Festival of Turin, was included in the Museum of Modern Art's Charles Dickens bicentenary film series and subsequently accepted into the Museum of Modern Art Department of Film's permanent film collection. "Twisted" was the feature film debut of Tony and Emmy winning Billy Porter (entertainer) and the penultimate screen performance of Oscar and Emmy-nominated William Hickey (actor). It also featured performances from Tony -award winning Anthony Crivello and Elizabeth Franz. "Twisted"'s theatrical run was met with great praise from critics such as Kevin Thomas (film critic) in "The Los Angeles Times" , Bob Satuloff in Film Journal International , Elliott Stein and Dennis Lim in The Village Voice, and Armond White in New York Press. While attending Columbia University School of the Arts Seth was selected to direct two commercial spots, "Love Thy Neighbor" and "History of the Movies", as one of ten national finalists for the Coca-Cola Refreshing Filmmaker's Award Contest. He has taught screenwriting at the New York Film Academy  where he was chairman of the screenwriting department from 2004-2006, The Art Institute of New York City and in the MFA Screenwriting Program at Hollins University. As a journalist he contributed regularly to "Gotham Magazine" and "Los Angeles Confidential" magazines. He also contributed articles to womansday.com, the online version of "Elle Decor" and at pointclickhome.com, the online site for "Metropolitan Home" and to the "Edge", an online LGBT portal. His 2009 "New York Press" cover feature "The Trouble With Safe Sex", was reprinted in "Cleis Press" after choosing it in its special series "Best Sex Writing of 2010". His  2010 "New York Press" cover feature "Free at Las$t" about debtors anonymous in New York City was recognized for excellence in coverage of business and financial news by the New York Press Association and prominently featured in the March/April 2011 Issue of "Utne Reader". He currently lives in Venice Beach with his husband, Patrick Corbin (dancer), their son, three cats and a dog.