DEBRA ZARNE

Born and raised in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Debra first took the traditional career route: she received an A.B. in English at Stanford University and a J.D. at Harvard Law School, and practiced law for many years in New York, Milwaukee and Tokyo. Ultimately she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a filmmaker -- she went to film school at the University of Southern California and received a Master of Fine Arts in Cinema-Television in USC's Film Production Division.

 

Primarily a writer/director, Debra has made seven feature-length films and 30+ short films, several of which have screened on the festival circuit and won awards; and she has written award-winning scripts -- features and a TV sitcom pilot. On the side she's been a freelance photographer, has had artwork exhibited at the Charles Allis Art Museum in Milwaukee, and has had poetry published in Cosmopolitan Magazine and travel articles in Elle and Ladies’ Home Journal. Her passion, along with filmmaking, is practicing ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging. Debra brings a unique vision to her filmmaking, perhaps influenced by her many years in law. She still takes on law projects on occasion.

 

Please explore Debra's website and contact her if you'd like to discuss collaboration on a film project, hiring her to make a film or video, the purchase of a script, the purchase of a photograph or digital work of art, or the commissioning of an ikebana project.  

 

Thanks for coming to visit! For fun before you leave, check out the Trivia & Production Notes at the bottom of the News page!