David A. Weiner (pronounced Why-ner) is an American filmmaker, magazine editor, and journalist.
David A. Weiner | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Ithaca College |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1990–present |
He wrote and directed the In Search of Darkness '80s trilogy, which explores the decade of 1980s horror cinema over the course of 14-plus hours:[1] the long-form 2019 documentary film In Search of Darkness,[2] and its sequels In Search of Darkness: Part II (2020) and In Search of Darkness: Part III (2022).[3]
In 2024, he wrote and directed In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994, a six-hour documentary examining early ‘90s horror films and television,[4] part one of a planned two-part series of '90s horror documentaries.[5]
Weiner also wrote and directed the five-hour 2022 documentary on '80s Sci-Fi cinema, In Search of Tomorrow,[6] and executive produced Aliens Expanded (2024), a four-hour doc featuring new interviews with director James Cameron[7] and the cast & crew of Aliens.
Weiner was a writer for The Hollywood Reporter's Heat Vision[8] and LA Weekly,[9] and was a senior editor for Entertainment Tonight Online[10] from 2001 to 2014.
He was the executive editor of Famous Monsters of Filmland from 2015 to 2016, which resulted in him winning the Rondo Hatton Award for Best Interview of the Year in 2015 (for his interview with Mel Brooks for the 40th anniversary of Young Frankenstein),[11] as well as winning the award for Best Classic Magazine (for Famous Monsters of Filmland) two years in a row.[12][13]
After graduating from film school at New York's Ithaca College[14] in 1990, Weiner started his entertainment career in Los Angeles working in various on-set production capacities[15] in film, television, commercials, and music videos. He moved on to film development and script coverage/story analyst jobs, and navigated the dot-com boom and bust in the mid-to-late '90s at AOL's Entertainment Asylum,[16] Scour.com, and Hollywood.com before spending over a decade covering film, television, music, and breaking celebrity news at Entertainment Tonight.[17][18][19]
On creating long-form genre documentaries:
“These films are like the nostalgia of a sense memory, or an unexpected song that takes you back to one of the best times in your life. Revisiting, discussing, and celebrating these films in a long-form documentary time-capsule format is one of the greatest ways to keep the spark alive for so many beloved films.”
Selected filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Round Numbers | Assistant Director |
| 1991 | Samantha | Assistant Director |
| 1991 | Puppet Master III: Toulon's Revenge | Production Manager/AD (second unit) |
| 1992 | Netherworld | Production Manager/AD (second unit) |
| 1992 | Demonic Toys | Locations (as Dave Weiner) |
| 1993 | The Hidden II | Production Assistant |
| 1993 | Project Vampire | Assistant Director |
| 1994 | Desert Winds | Assistant Director |
| 1994 | Don't Do It | Assistant Director |
| 1994 | Live Wire | Production Assistant |
| 1994 | Pentathlon | Production Assistant |
| 1994 | Another Midnight Run | Production Assistant |
| 1994 | Midnight Runaround | Production Assistant |
| 1994 | Midnight Run for Your Life | Production Assistant |
| 2000 | Cast Away | Production Assistant |
| 2019 | In Search of the Last Action Heroes | Producer |
| 2019 | In Search of Darkness | Director, Writer, Producer |
| 2020 | In Search of Darkness: Part II | Director, Writer, Producer |
| 2022 | In Search of Tomorrow | Director, Writer, Producer |
| 2022 | In Search of Darkness: Part III | Director, Writer, Producer |
| 2024 | Aliens Expanded | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994 | Director, Writer, Producer |
| TBA | The Thing Expanded | Executive Producer |
| TBA | In Search of Darkness: 1995-1999 | Director, Writer, Producer |
| TBA | In Search of Tomorrow: Part II | Director, Writer, Producer |
References
edit- ^ "forbes weiner darkness - Google Search". www.google.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Taylor, Nick (March 27, 2019). "Horror Business: David Weiner, Director of In Search of Darkness, The Definitive 80's Horror Documentary". Dread Central. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Clark, Brandy (2022-10-08). "'In Search of Darkness Part III' Trailer Explores the Best of 80s Horror". Collider. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ McAndrews, Mary Beth (2024-10-30). "'In Search of Darkness' Director David Weiner On The Underrated Power of 90s Horror". Dread Central. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ^ InSearchOfDarkness (2024-10-14). "Hey /r/movies! I'm writer/director David Weiner. My new documentary 'In Search of Darkness: 1990-1994' is a curation/celebration of early '90s horror movies & TV featuring interviews with icons of the era. Ask me anything!". r/movies. Retrieved 2024-12-05.
- ^ "In search of tomorrows director dishes on what will be the ultimate documentary for 1980s sci fi fans".
- ^ Squires, John (2024-04-09). "Exclusive Trailer: James Cameron Joins 'Aliens Expanded' Documentary With Exclusive New Interview!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
- ^ Weiner, David. "David Weiner". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "David Weiner". LA Weekly. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (March 12, 2019). "'In Search of Darkness' Trailer Is a Dive Into '80s Horror". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Apr 15; Magazine |, 2016 | FM (2016-04-15). "Famous Monsters is Honored with 3 Rondo Awards!". Famous Monsters of Filmland. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "ABOUT DAVID WEINER". WordPress. 20 September 2017. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Leighton, Susan (March 25, 2019). "David Weiner: The Nostalgia Curator goes In Search of Darkness". 1428Elm.com. FanSided. Retrieved May 29, 2019.
- ^ Swope, Michelle (2019-10-09). "Interview: Director David A. Weiner Talks Creating IN SEARCH OF DARKNESS: THE DEFINITIVE '80S HORROR DOCUMENTARY, A Film For the Fans by the Fans". Dread Central. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "David A. Weiner". IMDb. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Brown, Janelle. "AOL Lays Off Content Staff With Lightspeed". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2024-05-06.
- ^ Brown, Janelle. "AOL Spends Like Crazy on Asylum". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "Interview with David Weiner | Muck Rack". muckrack.com. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ "News Post". www.berkshireschool.org. Retrieved 2023-03-01.
- ^ Weiss, Josh. "'In Search Of Darkness Part III' Closes Out David Weiner's Multi-Year Journey Through '80s Horror". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-02-27.
