Opting In

About the Director

Susan Dynner is an award-winning director, producer, and writer drawn to stories where grit and beau-ty collide. A Sundance Stories of Change Directing Fellow, Blackmagic Studio Feature Directing Fel-low, Sony TV Directing Fellow, Film Independent Producing Fellow, Trans-Atlantic Producing Fellow, Stowe Story Labs Fellow, and Producers Guild Power of Diversity Mentor, her work has premiered at Cannes, Sundance, AFI, and festivals worldwide. She recently wrote, directed, and produced Opting In, a proof-of-concept short now beginning its festival run ahead of a planned feature adaptation. Her short The Soul Trader, starring Shane West and Donna Mills, also earned festival recognition and is being developed as a feature. She is also directing a documentary about women in magic- fitting, as she is a Magician Member of the legendary Magic Castle. Dynner directed the celebrated theatrical documentary Punk’s Not Dead and the narrative short Code Blue: A Love Story starring Andy Dick. As a producer, she is known for Free Ride starring Anna Paquin, After Porn Ends, and the Sundance-winning cult classic Brick, directed by Rian Johnson. Earlier in her career, she worked in development at Richard Donner Productions, Castle Rock, and Di Novi Pictures, later becoming a creative executive for Wolfgang Petersen and serving as VP for Charlie Sheen and Nick Cassavetes. Dynner began her career photographing bands in gritty clubs at fifteen, chasing the same raw electricity that continues to power her films today. Through her company Aberration Films, she creates bold, immersive work that resonates long after the screen goes dark.