Steve De Jarnatt

Steve De Jarnatt is an American film and television director, screenwriter, and short-story author.

Background and education De Jarnatt grew up in Longview, Washington. His father, Arlie De Jarnatt, was a teacher and public representative who taught history and civics at Monticello Middle School and later R. A. Long High School. He also served five terms as a Democratic Party member of the Washington House of Representatives and six years as a state senator. De Jarnatt's mother, Donna, was an artist who also taught at St. Helens Elementary School and Monticello Middle.

De Jarnatt himself attended R.A. Long, graduating in 1970. Although he was a successful sprinter at high school (where he set several records), he chose Occidental College in Los Angeles, rather than take a track scholarship to a local public university, because he preferred the Southern Californian climate and environment. De Jarnatt first took an interest in film during his time at Occidental; attracted by "access to good film equipment," he subsequently attended The Evergreen State College, from which he graduated in 1974. He later studied at the American Film Institute.

Career De Jarnatt is perhaps best known for writing and directing the nuclear-apocalypse thriller Miracle Mile (1988) and directing the sci-fi film Cherry 2000 (1987). In 1983, Miracle Mile was chosen by American Film magazine as one of the ten best unproduced screenplays circulating in Hollywood. A collection of De Jarnatt's stories, Grace for Grace, was published in 2020.

Selected filmography 1975: Eat the Sun (writer, producer) 1978 Tarzana (writer, director) 1983: Strange Brew (writer) 1988: Cherry 2000 (director) 1988: Miracle Mile (writer, director) 1998: Futuresport (writer)