Short Biography

Donna Deitch is an American film director best known for her 1986 film Desert Hearts. The film was groundbreaking as one of the first releases to depict a lesbian love story in a generally mainstream, albeit art house, vein but with positive and respectful themes.[citation needed] Deitch also directed the mini-series The Women of Brewster Place. Her partner is writer Terri Jentz. Donna Deitch segued from award winning documentary filmmaker to producing and directing Desert Hearts, the landmark hit of the 1986 Sundance, Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals. The film was picked up for worldwide distribution by The Samuel Goldwyn Company. Shortly after seeing the film, Oprah Winfrey hired Deitch to direct the Emmy nominated 4 hour mini-series The Women of Brewster Place. Deitch directed four pilots subsequent to the success of Brewster Place, three of which were picked up for series including Second Noah. She has directed numerous episodes of one hour dramas including NYPD Blue, ER, Murder One, Law and Order: SVU, EZ Streets, The Visitor, Dragnet, Crossing Jordan, Heroes, Private Practice, and others. She directed the pilot episode of The N`s, South of Nowhere. She directed Prison Stories, Women on the Inside for HBO; Showtime’s: Devil’s Arithmetic starring Kirsten Dunst and Brittany Murphy for which Deitch won an Emmy and Common Ground written by Terrence McNally, Paula Vogel, and Harvey Fierstein (also for Showtime). She directed, photographed, and edited Angel On My Shoulder a feature-length documentary about her best friend actress Gwen Welles’ (Nashville) experience with dying which won the Gold Hugo at The Chicago Film Festival.

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