LIFE OF RILEY

Lisa Datz is an award-winning director, writer, actor, and producer, hailed by American Film Market’s Just Cinema International as “a dynamic force in the entertainment industry.”

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Her critically acclaimed directorial debut, Life of Riley, has earned widespread festival recognition, including the Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the Los Angeles International Film Festival and Best International Short at the London Independent Film Festival, along with the Indie Spirit Award and Best Ensemble Cast at the Idyllwild Festival of Cinema. The film was also an Award Finalist at the New York Short Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and Romford Film Festival (UK).

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A University of Michigan B.F.A. graduate, Datz originated roles in the Broadway hits Titanic and The Full Monty opposite Patrick Wilson, and starred Off-Broadway as Yitzhak in Hedwig and the Angry Inch opposite John Cameron Mitchell and Michael Cerveris. Her stage work also includes Three Days of Rain opposite Silas Weir Mitchell and Sasha Roiz, and her performance as Violet in Violet earned critical acclaim and a Jeff Award nomination.

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Her television credits include FBI: Most Wanted (opposite Dylan McDermot), Elementary (opposite Lucy Liu), Castle, and Bones, and her film work includes The Perfect Holiday (with Gabrielle Union) and The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.

 

In gaming, she is widely known for creating the Motion Capture and voicing the character Jessica LeClerk in Red Dead Redemption 2.

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Named one of AFM’s “Rising Female Directors to Discover” and “10 Filmmakers to Watch” at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, Datz recently shadowed acclaimed television director Ken Girotti (FBI: Most Wanted), continuing to expand her work as a filmmaker.

 

She is an avid equestrian, a former competitive figure skater and divides her time between Los Angeles and New York.