59 Dee Rees Quotes for You to Enjoy

Dee Rees

American Director

Born: Feb 7, 1977

Me Own People Think You Your

Related authors: David Lynch George Lucas Martin Scorsese Spike Lee Steven Spielberg Tim Burton Woody Allen

When I first came to New York, I was surprised by all these out teenagers who were openly on the street being who they were. That intrigued me because I was 27 and still struggling with being myself. Dee Rees

The only advice I can give is to surround yourself with people who are friends and people who believe in you and your material and who are going to help you take it to the next level. It doesn't mean you don't listen to criticism, but you listen to it and edit it, and you figure out what you can take. Dee Rees

You Yourself People Surround Yourself Criticism Advice Believe Out Give Only Take Edit Material Surround Friends Going Listen Mean Next Next Level Your Figure Help Who Level

With friendship, it's hard sometimes - you don't outgrow your friends, but you do question how people are friends to you in different ways and how it's okay to cultivate other relationships outside of that. Dee Rees

Friendship You People Sometimes Other Relationships Ways Okay Outgrow Outside How Cultivate Question Friends Different Your Hard Different Ways

You don't have to make yourself look like people expect you to look. Dee Rees

You Yourself People Like Look Make Expect

History informs where we are and how we got here. Dee Rees

History Got How Where Informs Here

Knowing what you want is not a shortcoming. Let people deal with their own anxieties. Dee Rees

You People Own Knowing Deal Anxieties Want

I want people to get from 'Pariah' that it's okay to be you and not to check a box as a parent or child. Dee Rees

You People Okay Parent Check Box Child Get Want

I thought I'd get an MBA, and then I could be anything. And I'd write on the side. That was the idea. Dee Rees

Thought Side Could Write Idea Get Anything Then

I've been around many different lives, many different voices. It was amazing material for a writer. Dee Rees

Amazing Voices Writer Around Material Been Different Many Lives

With 'Pariah,' at the time, I had just come out. I had a coming out experience, and I was writing about it, transposing my experience as an adult: What would it have been like if I had been a teenager in Brooklyn? The funny thing was people thought I was from Brooklyn. I had to be like, 'No, I'm from Nashville.' Dee Rees

There's a dearth of media around young black women and certainly a dearth of LGBT media for people of color. Dee Rees

Women People Black Young Color Around Dearth Certainly Media

Before Charlottesville, it might have been easy to dismiss the plot of 'Mudbound' as no longer relevant. Now, I feel like audiences will be more receptive to the material - and to interrogating their personal histories after watching it. Dee Rees

I'm interested in telling stories about characters that are interesting and who are challenging in some way, one that will make you think about them afterwards. Dee Rees

You Will Think Way Characters Telling Some About Make Stories Afterwards Interested Interesting Them Who Challenging

To me, if you can do the Wicked Witch live, you can play anybody. Dee Rees

Me You Live Wicked Witch Anybody Play

For me, Sundance always felt big. It's not the only way to make your way, but for me, it was definitely that critical link between struggling artist, kind of working on my own, to actually working professionally and being connected and being seen. Dee Rees

Me Seen Big Own Way Definitely Sundance Critical Kind My Own Only Struggling Between Make Felt Always Link Artist Being Working Your Connected Professionally Actually

I had this thing where I only wanted to work on original material, no adaptations, and obviously, that changed. I really wanted to have the resources and have the space and the time to tell stories that I've really cared about. I've kind of changed my approach, but I've gotten to do that, to tell stories that I really care about. Dee Rees

Work Time Space Care Changed Approach Resources Tell Kind About Only Had Obviously Material Gotten Where Wanted Stories Really Original Thing Cared Adaptation

The enemy is the system. And the system is made up of people, and we have a choice in that. Dee Rees

People Enemy Made System Up Choice

In some communities it is - like, for me, coming out with my parents, they were not accepting; they were not understanding. So it depends. For kids in New York and L.A., maybe it's different, but for kids in Iowa, for kids in Tennessee, it's still something that's not really talked about. Dee Rees

Me Parents Understanding Kids Out Some About Something Tennessee New Like Talked Iowa Accepting Still Coming Were York Maybe New York Depends Different Really Communities

I still want to do features, but on my own terms. Dee Rees

Own My Own Features Terms Still Want

I can't put anything out that's not me. Dee Rees

Me Out Put Anything

For each character, I try to understand what is driving them. Dee Rees

Character Try Driving Understand Them Each

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