Daniel Barnz

Daniel Barnz (born 1970) is an American screenwriter and director.

Life and career Barnz was born Daniel Bernstein in Gladwyne, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Philadelphia. His parents, Richard J. Bernstein and Carol L. Bernstein, are both professors. He is openly gay and later changed his surname to an amalgamation of Bernstein and Schwartz, the surname of his partner of almost two decades, Ben Schwartz. The couple has two children. Barnz describes himself as "a Jewish liberal Democrat". He made his directorial debut in the 2001 movie, The Cutting Room. He directed the 2009 movie, Phoebe in Wonderland, which received mixed reviews from critics. He wrote and directed a movie adaption of the novel Beastly, a modern-day take on Beauty and the Beast. The movie was released on 4 March 2011.

His film Won't Back Down (2012) received mixed reviews and garnered controversy; it was attacked by Randi Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers (AFT), the predominant national teachers' union, as having "the most blatant stereotypes and caricatures I have ever seen-even worse than in Waiting for Superman", another film attacked as "anti-teacher union".

In 2014 he directed the film Cake starring Jennifer Aniston, which received mixed reviews. In 2015, the film was honored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration with a Voice Award for its respectful portrayal of mental health.

Filmography Feature film Year Title Director Writer 2008 Phoebe in Wonderland 2011 Beastly 2012 Won't Back Down 2014 Cake

Television Year Title Director Writer ExecutiveProducer Creator 2021 Generation

Accolades Year Award Category Title Result 2008 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic Direction Phoebe in Wonderland