Adapting Personal Stories Into a Film

Big Apple Film Festival

Host and Big Apple Film Founder/Director Jonathan Lipp speaks with acclaimed writer/director/producer Susanna Styron on adapting personal stories into a film.

Susanna also discusses successes and challenges in her film career, as well as advice to aspiring writers and filmmakers.

SUSANNA STYRON is a screenwriter, director and documentary filmmaker. Her debut feature, Sony Pictures’ SHADRACH starring Harvey Keitel and Andie MacDowell, which she wrote and directed, premiered at the Venice Film Festival and was released theatrically worldwide.

Susanna has written several TV movies for Hallmark Hall of Fame and Lifetime. She wrote and directed for the TV series 100 CENTRE STREET created by Sidney Lumet, and wrote for the Netflix series BORGIA created by Tom Fontana. Susanna directed the web series ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE, starring Brooke Adams; and wrote and directed the narrative short, HOUSE OF TEETH.

Susanna was an associate producer for ABC-TV's documentary division, Close-Up. Her documentary directing credits include IN OUR OWN BACKYARDS, 9/12: FROM CHAOS TO COMMUNITY and, most recently, OUT OF MY HEAD which premiered at MoMA’s Doc Fortnight, won Best International Documentary at the Melbourne Documentary Film Festival, released by Kino Lorber is now available on Amazon Prime.

Susanna’s non-fiction essays have appeared in The Yale Review, Spin Magazine, The New York Times and Real Simple magazine. She has taught at Columbia University (MFA film program), NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, Princeton University, and the Mediterranean Film Institute in Greece.