Joey Curtis

Short Biography

Joey Curtis was born in the Mojave Desert. His mother, Sharon Nuñez Pereira was of Sephardic Jewish ancestry and knew her son was a born artist but she could not afford formal training. Instead, she took him to the movies. At age 4 his favorite was 'Star Wars' and at age 7, 'Raging Bull' left a permanent impression. He lived for TV matinees, studying the classic works of Sergio Leone, his favorite being, 'Once Upon a Time in the West'. Sadly, Joey's mother passed away before her time and his artistic pursuits were placed on hold. His father started him racing motocross at age 9. By age 11 he was a local champion and nationally known competitor. His passion for racing continued throughout his teens until he sold his race car to pay his own way through college.Joey attended the University of Colorado where he studied under avant-garde film legends Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon. His student film 'Adagio for Sherry', which was an ode to his deceased mother, won the Goldfarb Award for best film. Upon graduating at age 23, he co-wrote, edited, and produced his first feature film 'Brother Tied'. The film made its American premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in 1998 where it was lauded as "one of the most striking American independent debuts in some time, " by The Guardian's Jonathan Romney, and hailed a work of "visual genius, " by New York Newsday's John Anderson. The film traveled to over 30 festivals and won international awards at 6, including The Orson Welles First Feature Film Award at Huntington, the Ecumenical Jury Award at Mannheim/Heidelberg, and Jury Prize for Bold, Original Expression at Florida.At age 27, Joey wrote, directed, shot, and edited his second feature, 'Quattro Noza'. "'Quattro Noza' resembles 'The Fast and the Furious' under the influence of Stan Brakhage. Joey Curtis' directorial debut takes a highly impressionistic look at the world of illegal street racing in Southern California." Todd McCarthy - Variety'Quattro Noza' premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2003 and won Best Cinematography. It was also nominated for 2 Independent Spirit Awards in 2004, Best First Feature and Best Cinematography. It premiered internationally at the Berlin Film Festival. Lionsgate distributed the film in 2005 as 'Streets of Legend'. It premiered at the Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood to rave reviews. "Imagine Vin Diesel and Paul Walker's street-racing saga The Fast and the Furious transformed into a lyrical, stylized romantic tragedy and one would have some idea of what Joey Curtis' unsparing yet beguiling 'Streets of Legend' is like." Kevin Thomas - LA TimesJoey went on to co-write the screenplay 'Blue Valentine', starring Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. 'Blue Valentine' premiered at Sundance in 2010 to great acclaim then premiered internationally at the Cannes Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival. It received 2 Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor and Actress. Michelle Williams received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. The Weinstein Company released the film December 31, 2010 to rave reviews and a highly successful theatrical run.