Scott Sanders (director)
Encyclopedia
Scott Sanders is an African American
screenwriter
and film director
. He is best known for his work with the films Black Dynamite
and Thick as Thieves.
and raised in Washington, DC
. His mother is Mrs. Estelle "Bunny" Sanders, the current mayor of Roper, North Carolina
. Sanders' Maternal grandfather E.V. Wilkins was the first black mayor of Roper, North Carolina
and has a building named in his honor. His father, John Thomas Sanders (deceased), was an employee of IBM
and also owned and operated a popular D.C. area barbecue pit "Scott's BBQ", which he named after his son. "Scott's BBQ" was a popular eatery for local politicians; regular patrons included Thurgood Marshall
and Walter Mondale
.
Scott Sanders attended Sidwell Friends School
where he graduated in 1986 and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
, where he graduated in 1991 and majored in Radio, TV, and Motion Pictures.
One of Scott's closest childhood friends is actor Ben Shenkman
. He went to middle school with Saturday Night Live
cast member Ana Gasteyer
and they had a scene together in a 7th grade production of the play Auntie Mame
.
. His first job upon arrival in Hollywood was working at United Talent Agency as an assistant to Pat Dollard
, a conservative filmmaker, blogger, and mentor to Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh
.
In addition to writing and directing, Sanders is also a DJ, spinning under the name "Suckapunch".
Sanders began his career as a television writer
working on TV shows such as "A Different World", "Roc
", and "The Wayans Brothers".
Sanders' directorial debut came on the 1998 HBO film Thick as Thieves. Thick as Thieves is a 1998 film directed by Sanders and starring Alec Baldwin
, Michael Jai White
, Rebecca De Mornay
, and Janeane Garofalo
. It was based on the novel "Thick As Thieves" by Patrick Quinn and adapted for the screen by Sanders and Arthur Krystal. The film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by HBO.
Black Dynamite
premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Entertainment
for worldwide distribution. Scott Sanders directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay along with Michael Jai White
and Byron Minns. Black Dynamite has been in many 2009 film festivals including Sundance
, Seattle International
, Tribeca
, Karlovy Vary International
, Munich, Edinburgh International
, Copenhagen Film Festival
, Melbourne International
, and Deauville American
. At the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival
, Black Dynamite
won the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for "Most Popular Film". "Black Dynamite" was released by Sony Pictures on October 16, 2009.
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
. He is best known for his work with the films Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation films...
and Thick as Thieves.
Early life
Scott Sanders was born in Elizabeth City, North CarolinaElizabeth City, North Carolina
Elizabeth City is a city in Pasquotank County and Camden County in the State of North Carolina. With a population of 18,683 at the 2010 census, Elizabeth City is the county seat of Pasquotank County....
and raised in Washington, DC
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
. His mother is Mrs. Estelle "Bunny" Sanders, the current mayor of Roper, North Carolina
Roper, North Carolina
Roper is a town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 613 at the 2000 census. It was known as Lee's Mill until 1890, when the John L...
. Sanders' Maternal grandfather E.V. Wilkins was the first black mayor of Roper, North Carolina
Roper, North Carolina
Roper is a town in Washington County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 613 at the 2000 census. It was known as Lee's Mill until 1890, when the John L...
and has a building named in his honor. His father, John Thomas Sanders (deceased), was an employee of IBM
IBM
International Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
and also owned and operated a popular D.C. area barbecue pit "Scott's BBQ", which he named after his son. "Scott's BBQ" was a popular eatery for local politicians; regular patrons included Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
and Walter Mondale
Walter Mondale
Walter Frederick "Fritz" Mondale is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 42nd Vice President of the United States , under President Jimmy Carter, and as a United States Senator for Minnesota...
.
Scott Sanders attended Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School
Sidwell Friends School is a Quaker private school located in Bethesda, Maryland and Washington, D.C., offering pre-kindergarten through secondary school classes. Founded in 1883 by Thomas Sidwell, its motto is "Eluceat omnibus lux" , alluding to the Quaker concept of inner light...
where he graduated in 1986 and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
, where he graduated in 1991 and majored in Radio, TV, and Motion Pictures.
One of Scott's closest childhood friends is actor Ben Shenkman
Ben Shenkman
Benjamin Shenkman is an American television, film and stage actor.-Life and career:Shenkman was born in New York City and raised in what he described as "the secular Eastern European Jewish tradition". He graduated from Brown University, and obtained a Masters of Fine Arts in 1993 from New York...
. He went to middle school with Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live
Saturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
cast member Ana Gasteyer
Ana Gasteyer
Ana Kristina Gasteyer is an American actress of stage, film, and television. She is best known for her comedic roles when she was a cast member on Saturday Night Live from 1996 to 2002.-Early life:...
and they had a scene together in a 7th grade production of the play Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame
Auntie Mame is a 1955 novel by Patrick Dennis that chronicles the madcap adventures of a boy, Patrick, growing up as the ward of his deceased father's eccentric sister, Mame Dennis. The book is a work of fiction inspired by the author's eccentric aunt, Marion Tanner, whose life and outlook in many...
.
Career
Sanders currently resides in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
. His first job upon arrival in Hollywood was working at United Talent Agency as an assistant to Pat Dollard
Pat Dollard
Patrick Dollard is an American documentary filmmaker. In the 1990s he was a Hollywood talent agent, manager, and producer most known for guiding the career of Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh....
, a conservative filmmaker, blogger, and mentor to Oscar-winning director Steven Soderbergh
Steven Soderbergh
Steven Andrew Soderbergh is an American film producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, editor, and an Academy Award-winning film director. He is best known for directing commercial Hollywood films like Erin Brockovich, Traffic, and the remake of Ocean's Eleven, but he has also directed smaller less...
.
In addition to writing and directing, Sanders is also a DJ, spinning under the name "Suckapunch".
Sanders began his career as a television writer
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
working on TV shows such as "A Different World", "Roc
Roc (TV series)
Roc is an American comedy-drama television series which ran on Fox from August 1991 to May 1994. The series stars Charles S. Dutton as Baltimore garbage collector Roc Emerson and Ella Joyce as his wife Eleanor.-Early episodes:...
", and "The Wayans Brothers".
Sanders' directorial debut came on the 1998 HBO film Thick as Thieves. Thick as Thieves is a 1998 film directed by Sanders and starring Alec Baldwin
Alec Baldwin
Alexander Rae "Alec" Baldwin III is an American actor who has appeared on film, stage, and television.Baldwin first gained recognition through television for his work in the soap opera Knots Landing in the role of Joshua Rush. He was a cast member for two seasons before his character was killed off...
, Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn...
, Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay
Rebecca De Mornay is an American film and television actress. Her breakthrough film role came in 1983, when she played Lana in Risky Business opposite Tom Cruise...
, and Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo
Janeane Garofalo is an American stand-up comedian, actress, political activist and writer. She is the former co-host on the now defunct Air America Radio's The Majority Report. Garofalo continues to circulate regularly within New York City's local comedy and performance art scene.-Early...
. It was based on the novel "Thick As Thieves" by Patrick Quinn and adapted for the screen by Sanders and Arthur Krystal. The film premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by HBO.
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation films...
premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment
Sony Pictures Entertainment, Inc. is the television and film production/distribution unit of Japanese multinational technology and media conglomerate Sony...
for worldwide distribution. Scott Sanders directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay along with Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White
Michael Jai White is an American actor and martial artist who has appeared in numerous films and television series. He is the first African American to portray a major comic book superhero in a major motion picture, having starred as Al Simmons, the protagonist in the 1997 film Spawn...
and Byron Minns. Black Dynamite has been in many 2009 film festivals including Sundance
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
, Seattle International
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
, Tribeca
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival is a film festival founded in 2002 by Jane Rosenthal, Robert De Niro and Craig Hatkoff in a response to the September 11, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and the consequent loss of vitality in the TriBeCa neighborhood in Lower Manhattan.The mission of the festival...
, Karlovy Vary International
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
, Munich, Edinburgh International
Edinburgh International Film Festival
The Edinburgh International Film Festival is an annual fortnight of cinema screenings and related events taking place each June. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival...
, Copenhagen Film Festival
Cph:pix
CPH PIX is an annual film festival in Copenhagen, Denmark. The festival resulted from the merger in 2008 of the Copenhagen International Film Festival and the NatFilm Festival to create an organisation called Copenhagen Film Festivals, which also manages the documentary film festival CPH:DOX and...
, Melbourne International
Melbourne International Film Festival
The Melbourne International Film Festival is an acclaimed annual film festival held over three weeks in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1951, making it one of the oldest in the World....
, and Deauville American
Deauville American Film Festival
The Deauville American Film Festival is a yearly film festival devoted to American cinema, taking place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan and André Halimi....
. At the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival
Seattle International Film Festival
The Seattle International Film Festival , held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees...
, Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite
Black Dynamite is a 2009 American film starring Michael Jai White, Salli Richardson, Arsenio Hall, Kevin Chapman and Tommy Davidson. It is a spoof of 1970s blaxploitation films...
won the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for "Most Popular Film". "Black Dynamite" was released by Sony Pictures on October 16, 2009.