Daniel Barnz

Born and raised outside of Philadelphia, Barnz moved to Los Angeles to direct for Tim Robbins’s theater company, The Actors’ Gang. Shortly thereafter, Barnz entered the MFA program at the University of Southern California School of Cinema-Television where he made several short films, including FAT BOY and GASP, both of which played the festival circuit. After graduating USC, Barnz began to write within the studio system. His first job was an adaptation of the French film DIVA for Diana Ross. Since then, Barnz has worked on several screenplays (some solo, some with Ned Zeman), including SUGARLAND for Jodie Foster, UNDER AND ALONE and SAM AND GEORGE for Mel Gibson, ROGUE for Leonardo DiCaprio and currently MAVERICKS for Walden Media. Barnz also wrote and directed the award-winning short film, THE CUTTING ROOM, which regularly screens on IFC. In 2007, Barnz was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s 25 New Faces of Independent Film. PHOEBE IN WONDERLAND is Barnz’s feature directorial debut.