Susan Seidelman is a filmmaker and producer from Philadelphia. In her work, she skillfully combines drama and comedy and boldly works with different genres. Her films have starred Madonna and Meryl Streep, and have been screened at the Cannes Film Festival and nominated for prestigious awards. It was Susan who directed the first season of the iconic Sex and the City series. In 2024, the woman released her memoirs. We’ll tell you more about her creative life path on philadelphia-trend.
Early years and education
Susan was born on December 11, 1952, in Abington, Pennsylvania, and grew up in Philly. She was the eldest daughter of a teacher and a laborer. After graduating from high school in 1969, she entered Drexel University to study fashion. The woman became interested in filmmaking after enrolling in a course and seeing the work of French directors, including Ingmar Bergman.
In 1976, she made her first short film. The satirical love story of a housewife was nominated for a student Oscar at New York University. After receiving her Master of Arts degree from this institution, she worked as a lecturer at the film department from 2006 to 2019.
Career in cinema
Seidelman made her feature film debut with Smithereens, which she released in 1982. It was a rather gloomy but at the same time humorous look at the bohemian New York of that time. The director shot many scenes directly on the streets of the city and even in the subway. The cost of the film was 40,000 dollars.
It was this film that was first selected among American films for the Cannes Film Festival. This recognition became the starting point for the ambitious woman’s further career.
Her second notable work was the 1985 film Desperately Seeking Susan. It starred Madonna. The film was not only a box office success but also received favorable reviews from critics. In addition, the director showed the world many new performers who later became popular.
Subsequently, the following films directed by Seidelman were released:
- Romantic sci-fi comedy Making Mr. Right (1987)
- Comedy Cookie (1989)
- Dark comedy She-Devil (1989), in which Meryl Streep played her first comedic role.
In 1994, the director was nominated for an Academy Award for her short film The Dutch Master. This film was also screened at the Cannes Film Festival. The director was invited to become a member of the jury at the 44th Berlin International Film Festival.
In addition to film, Susan worked extensively on television in the 1990s and 2000s. For example, she was the one who shot the pilot episodes of the Sex and the City series. The woman called the script very brave because it was the first time that the taboo topic of sex was dealt with openly and humorously. According to the director, in this series, women on screen said things that they usually say to each other only in private. Susan was also the director of the first season.
She has been nominated twice for Emmy Awards for the television movie A Cooler Climate. In addition, Susan directed several episodes of the cult comedy Stella and participated in the relaunch of PBS’s children’s educational television project The Electric Company.
After more active work in television, Seidelman returned to feature films in 2001. She released Gaudi Afternoon (2001). It was a detective story set in Barcelona.
In 2005, the movie Boynton Beach Club was released. The director used her mother’s idea to create the film. The latter lived in South Florida and collected stories of elderly people who had lost their significant others but started dating again. This film was one of the first to address the sexuality of the baby boomer generation and became quite popular.
Her next film, released in 2011, was titled Musical chairs and told the story of a couple in wheelchairs who take part in a ballroom dancing competition. The movie is set in the South Bronx and Manhattan.
Two years later, The Hot Flashes, a movie about middle-aged women from Texas, was released. In the 1980s, they were basketball champions and decided to compete against a high school women’s team to raise money for a breast cancer treatment center. This theme was continued in the 2017 short film Cut in Half. It tells the story of Muslim sisters whose older sister has leukemia.
Personal life
Susan married screenwriter and producer Jonathan Brett. In 2022, the family moved to rural New Jersey, after several decades of living in NYC. The couple has a son together, Oscar, who works as a video editor and producer.
In 2024, the famous director’s memoir Desperately Seeking Something was published. The book was positively received by readers and critics, as Susan’s life is somewhat reminiscent of her films. It is full of unexpected events, and in general, it is magical and happy.
