Tayarisha Poe

Tayarisha Poe is an American writer and director. Her directorial debut feature film Selah and the Spades won the Best Narrative Feature Award at the 2019 BlackStar Film Festival. Her sophomore film The Young Wife was released at South by Southwest.

Tayarisha Poe
Born
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation(s)Writer, director
Years active2014–present
Notable workSelah and the Spades

Life and career

Poe was born and raised in West Philadelphia. She graduated from the New Jersey-based Peddie School and received her bachelor's degree from Swarthmore College in 2012.[1][2][3] She planned to pursue a career as an attorney but turned her interest to filmmaking in college.[4]

She named Terence Nance, Anna Rose Holmer, and Kasi Lemmons as three of her mentors.[2]

Poe's directorial debut feature film and screenplay, Selah and the Spades, was released in 2019 on Amazon Prime.[2] The film grew from a series of photos, short films, and prose she began posting online in 2014. The story received positive reception online, and Terence Nance agreed to executive produce the project.[5] In 2016 she received support to develop the film through the Sundance Institute's Knight Foundation Fellowship.[6][2] Selah and the Spades stars Lovie Simone, Jharrel Jerome, and Celeste O'Connor.[6] The film received mainly positive reception.[7]

Poe's second feature film, The Young Wife (starring Kiersey Clemons, Judith Light, Leon Bridges, Sheryl Lee Ralph, and Kelly Marie Tran) was released at South by Southwest in March 2023.[8] The film was well-received, with critics praising the production design, the acting, and the "naturalistic" script.[9][10]

Filmography
Film
Year Title Director Writer Producer Ref.
2019 Selah and the Spades Yes Yes Yes [11]
2023 The Young Wife Yes Yes Yes [8]
Television
Year Title Episode(s)
2019 Two Sentence Horror Stories "Tutorial"
"Little Monsters"
2020 The Twilight Zone "Among the Untrodden"
2021 Dave "Somebody Date Me"

Awards and nominations
Year Award Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2019 BlackStar Film Festival Best Narrative Feature Selah and the Spades Won [11]
Palm Springs International Film Festival Directors to Watch Won [11]
Sundance Film Festival NEXT Innovator Award Nominated [12]
2020 Indiana Film Journalists Association Breakout of the Year Nominated [13]
2021 Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best Picture Nominated [14]

References
  1. "Q&A: A Chat with 'Selah and the Spades' Writer/Director Tayarisha Poe - sundance.org". 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  2. Clark, Kevin L. "Meet Tayarisha Poe: A First-Time Filmmaker with a DIY Approach". Essence. Archived from the original on 26 November 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  3. Morfoot, Addie (2019-01-04). "10 Directors to Watch: Tayarisha Poe Shows Her Hand With 'Selah and the Spades'". Variety. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  4. Obenson, Tambay (2020-04-25). "'Selah and the Spades': Tayarisha Poe on Her Journey from 'La Jetée' to One of the Year's Most Assured Debuts". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  5. "25 New Faces of Independent Film". Filmmaker Magazine. 23 July 2015. Archived from the original on 15 October 2022. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  6. D'Alessandro, Anthony (2018-08-21). "Sundance Institute Alum Tayarisha Poe Making Directorial Debut With 'Selah And The Spades'". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  7. "Selah and the Spades". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 25 April 2020. Retrieved 15 October 2022.
  8. Wiseman, Andreas (2022-03-02). "'The Flash's Kiersey Clemons Leads Cast In 'The Young Wife' For FilmNation & Archer Gray". Deadline. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  9. Lattanzio, Ryan (2023-03-18). "'The Young Wife' Review: 'Selah & the Spades' Director Tayarisha Poe Sends a Zany Marital Missive from the Future". IndieWire. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  10. Brady, Erin (2023-03-17). "The Young Wife Review: A Visually Stunning Ode To Radical Love In Times Of Crisis [SXSW 2023]". /Film. Retrieved 2023-08-29.
  11. "The Independent Critic - "Selah and the Spades" a Strong Debut From Tayarisha Poe". theindependentcritic.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  12. Obenson, Tambay (2019-07-17). "'Selah and The Spades': Amazon Acquires Sundance Drama, Will Also Develop as Series". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  13. Monteil, Abby (2021-07-22). "The Refreshing Coming Of Age Hidden Gem You Can Find On Amazon - Looper". Looper.com. Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
  14. TomatesVFritos (2021-03-07). "Las Vegas Film Critics Society 'Sierra' Awards 2020 – Ganadores". Blog de Cine Tomates Verdes Fritos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2022-10-15. Retrieved 2022-10-15.
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