Amy Seimetz

Amy Seimetz is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's The Killing, HBO's Family Tree, and films like Upstream Color, Alien: Covenant, Pet Sematary, and No Sudden Move.

Amy Seimetz
Seimetz in 2014
Born	St. Petersburg, Florida, U.S.[1][2]
Occupations	Actress screenwriter producer director editor
Years active	2003–present

In addition to her acting career, she has directed, written and produced several films, including 2012's Sun Don't Shine and 2020's She Dies Tomorrow. In 2015, she co-wrote, co-directed and executive produced the Starz series The Girlfriend Experience, based on the Steven Soderbergh film of the same name,^[3] which was released to positive reviews and acclaim.^[4]

Early life and education

Seimetz was born in Florida and mainly grew up in the Tampa-St. Petersburg area. She has Ukrainian ancestry, and also spent part of her childhood in Ukraine.^[5] She briefly attended film school at Florida State University before moving to Los Angeles. There, she worked as a nanny, a waitress, and a seamstress while learning filmmaking.^[6]

Career

Seimetz began her film career by producing and directing short and independent films, including Barry Jenkins' Medicine for Melancholy, which was nominated for Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards after playing at South By Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival. She acted in Joe Swanberg's Alexander The Last, which premiered at SXSW. She also worked with Swanberg on Silver Bullets and Autoerotic, continuing with acting roles in Gabi on the Roof in July, Tiny Furniture,^[7] Open Five, and The Myth of the American Sleepover.

Seimetz's performance in A Horrible Way to Die won her the Best Actress award at Fantastic Fest. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to good reviews.^[8] She appeared in The Off Hours. About her, the Los Angeles Times wrote: "Every year, the Sundance Film Festival has a semi-official 'it girl' who encapsulates the festival's cocktail of discovery and buzz. But what about someone who embodies the independent film world's sense of community and the pitch-in spirit of collaboration, something like a most valuable player? That prize might well go to Amy Seimetz."^[9]

The Hollywood Reporter singled Seimetz out as one of the breakouts of Sundance that year: "As a late-night truck-stop waitress and orphaned lost soul, Seimetz invests Off Hours' dead-end world of tiny tragedies with a hidden, hard-won strength."^[10] She appeared in Revenge for Jolly!. In 2012, she made her feature directorial debut with the Florida-based thriller Sun Don't Shine, which she also wrote, produced, and co-edited.^[11] The film premiered at South By Southwest to rave reviews.^[12] Indiewire wrote: "Her terrific directorial debut was a brilliant noir exercise with less mumbling than raw brawls. She pinned me to my Alamo Drafthouse seat and the film kept me there for the next 82 minutes."^[13]

Seimetz is the star of Upstream Color and Pit Stop, both of which premiered at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. In February, she was added as a series regular to AMC's series The Killing. In season 3, she plays Danette Leeds, a "hard-living, financially strapped single mother whose 14-year-old daughter goes missing".^[14]

In June 2014, Starz announced that they had ordered a 13-episode anthology series of the film The Girlfriend Experience, co-written, co-directed, and executive produced by Seimetz and Lodge Kerrigan.^[3] This came after the film's creator Steven Soderbergh stated: "I think if I were going to run a studio I'd just be gathering the best filmmakers I could find and sort of let them do their thing within certain economic parameters. So I would call Shane Carruth, or Barry Jenkins or Amy Seimetz and I'd bring them in and go, OK, what do you want to do?"^[15] The series was later renewed for a second season, and Seimetz continued to produce, write, and direct episodes.^[16]

In 2017, Seimetz appeared in Alien: Covenant, directed by Ridley Scott,^[17] and also had roles in Lean on Pete, directed by Andrew Haigh,^[18] and My Days of Mercy, opposite Elliot Page.^[19] In 2018, Seimetz starred opposite Molly Shannon in Wild Nights with Emily directed by Madeleine Olnek.^[20] That same year, Seimetz directed two episodes of Atlanta,^[21] and had a recurring role on the second season of Get Shorty.^[22]

In 2019, Seimetz starred in Pet Sematary, an adaption of the novel of the same name by Stephen King.^[23] She directed She Dies Tomorrow, starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Jane Adams, which was set to have its world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020, but was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[24][25]

Seimetz co-starred in 2020's The Comey Rule, a miniseries for Showtime,^[26] and the thriller film The Secrets We Keep directed by Yuval Alder.^[27]

In 2021, Seimetz was announced as the director and an executive producer of The Idol; however, by April 2022 she had left the project amid its creative overhaul, with roughly 80% of the series already filmed. Her material was not used in the final project.^[28][29]

Personal life

In 2016, Seimetz was engaged to filmmaker Shane Carruth,^[30] though they had separated by 2019.^[31] She later obtained a temporary restraining order against him, alleging years of emotional, mental, and physical abuse, which Carruth denies.^[32] In 2020, Seimetz was granted a restraining order against Carruth that will expire in August 2025.^[32]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2003	Leaving Baghdad		Short film
2004	The 17th Man	Bookstore Patron	Short film
2004	Measure of Love		Short film
2005	The Unseen Kind-Hearted Beast	Georgette	Short film; director, producer, writer, editor
2005	Black Dragon Canyon	Elizabeth Sterling
2006	Wristcutters: A Love Story	Nina
2006	Say It		Short film
2008	Medicine for Melancholy		Associate producer
2008	We Saw Such Things		Director, producer, editor
2009	Alexander the Last	Hellen
2009	Round Town Girls	Girl #1	Short film; also director
2009	Time's Up	Deborah	Short film
2009	One Night Only	Anna	Short film
2010	Gabi on the Roof in July	Chelsea
2010	Tiny Furniture	Ashlynn
2010	Open Five	Lynn
2010	The Myth of the American Sleepover	Julie Higgins
2010	Bitter Feast	Katherine Franks
2010	Incredibly Small	Samantha
2010	Ruff Love	Amy	Short film
2010	Despedida	Leah
2010	A Horrible Way to Die	Sarah
2011	The Jonestown Defense
2011	The Off Hours	Francine
2011	Silver Bullets	Charlie	Also producer
2011	The Dish and the Spoon	Emma's Friend	Also producer
2011	No Matter What	Laura	Also associate producer
2011	Small Pond	Katie
2011	Coffee & Pie		Short film
2011	Autoerotic
2011	You're Next	Aimee
2011	Special Things to Do	Sandy	Short film
2012	Be Good	Mary Kutzman
2012	Revenge for Jolly!	Vicki
2012	Ghost of Old Highways	The Bridesmaid / The Harlot / The Choirgirl	Short film
2012	The Possession	Beth
2012	#PostModem		Short film
2012	Sun Don't Shine		Writer, producer, director and editor
2013	When We Lived in Miami		Short film; director & editor
2013	Upstream Color	Kris
2013	Adventures of Christopher Bosh in the Multiverse	Rollerblading Death Dolphin
2013	9 Full Moons	Frankie
2014	The Sacrament	Caroline
2014	Lucky Them	Sara
2014	I Believe in Unicorns	Clara
2014	The Reconstruction of William Zero	Jules
2014	Tehachapi		Short film
2015	Entertainment	Woman in Bar
2015	Ma	Misty
2015	We'll Find Something	Kendra	Short film
2017	Alien: Covenant – Prologue: Last Supper	Maggie Faris	Short film[33]
2017	Alien: Covenant
2017	Lean on Pete	Lynn
2017	My Days of Mercy	Martha
2018	Wild Nights with Emily	Mabel
2019	Pet Sematary	Rachel Creed
2020	Omniboat: A Fast Boat Fantasia
2020	She Dies Tomorrow		Director, writer and producer
2020	The Secrets We Keep	Rachel Steinman
2020	Archenemy	Cleo
2021	No Sudden Move	Mary Wertz
2022	The Last Manhunt	Clara True

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2013	Family Tree	Ally Keele	3 episodes
2013	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Lena Olsen	Episode: "Rapist Anonymous"
2013–2014	The Killing	Danette Leeds	14 episodes
2016	Junior	Ellen	10 episodes
2016–2017	The Girlfriend Experience	Annabel Reade	5 episodes; also executive producer, writer, director
2016–2017	Stranger Things	Becky Ives	3 episodes
2016	Halt and Catch Fire	Michelle Lattimer	Episode: "NIM"
2018	Atlanta		Director, 2 episodes
2018	Get Shorty	Jinny[34]	Season 2, recurring role; in production
2020	The Comey Rule	Trisha Anderson	Miniseries
2021–present	Sweet Tooth	Birdie	Recurring role (seasons 1–3)
2022	Outer Range		Director, 2 episodes and executive producer
2024	Mr. & Mrs. Smith		Director, 2 episodes

Awards and nominations

Year	Title	Award	Result
2010	Tiny Furniture	Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Performance	Nominated
	The Myth of the American Sleepover	SXSW Film Festival Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble Cast	WonI
2011	A Horrible Way To Die	Fantastic Fest Award for Best Actress	Won
2012	Sun Don't Shine	SXSW Film Festival Special Jury Award - Emergent Narrative Woman Director	Won
		Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You	Nominated
		RiverRun International Film Festival Special Jury Prize - Spark Award	WonII
		Indiewire Best of 2012 Best Undistributed Film	Won
2013	Upstream Color	Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Actress	Nominated
2013	Sun Don't Shine	Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Director	Nominated[35]

Notes

^I Shared with Claire Sloma, Marlon Morton, Amanda Bauer, Brett Jacobsen, Nikita Ramsey, and Jade Ramsey
^II Shared with Brady Corbet, and David Oyelowo.

References

1. "Meet the Filmmaker: Amy Seimetz ("Sun Don't Shine")". Rooftop Films. June 2012. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. I was born in Florida and I am an American- so the film is inextricable from the culture I come from.
2. "Amy Seimetz Biography". TV Guide. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024.
3. Littleton, Cynthia (June 23, 2014). "Starz Orders 'Girlfriend Experience' Series From Steven Soderbergh, Philip Fleishman". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
4. "The Girlfriend Experience". Rotten Tomatoes.
5. Nguyen, Hanh (March 23, 2018). "'Atlanta' Director Amy Seimetz on Creating Those 'Get Out' Vibes in the Creepy Episode 'Helen'". IndieWire. Archived from the original on July 6, 2024. "I also grew up in Ukraine and had gone to Ukrainian festivals and doing a lot of polka and stuff," Seimetz said. "So I kind of pulled on that, this hodgepodge of Eastern European sort of strangeness," she continued. "Then I imagined this experience of maybe entering my family's very Ukrainian, polka dancing parties."
6. "Amy Seimetz Breaks Through". Filmmaker Magazine. April 3, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
7. "Amy Seimetz Digitally Premieres Sun Don't Shine Film". Paste Magazine. September 18, 2013. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
8. Catsoulis, Jeannette (August 18, 2011). "The Serial-Killer Story Takes a New Twist". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331.
9. "Sundance 2011: Amy Seimetz". Los Angeles Times. January 23, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
10. "Who Is the Next Breakout Star of Sundance 2011?". The Hollywood Reporter. January 21, 2011.
11. Murphy, Mekado (March 13, 2012). "Turning Up the Heat With 'Sun Don't Shine'". The New York Times.
12. "Time Out Chicago review of Sun Don't Shine". Archived from the original on June 16, 2012.
13. "Indiewire's 12 Favorite Moments from SXSW 201". IndieWire. March 15, 2012. Retrieved September 7, 2016.
14. Willmore, Alison (February 12, 2013). "Amy Seimetz Joins the Cast of AMC's 'The Killing'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
15. "Steven Soderbergh's State of Cinema Talk". Deadline. April 30, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
16. Birnbaum, Debra (August 1, 2016). "Starz Renews 'The Girlfriend Experience' For Season Two". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
17. Hipes, Patrick (February 25, 2016). "'Alien: Covenant' Crews Up: 'Empire's Jussie Smollett, Amy Seimetz, Carmen Ejogo & More Join Cast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
18. Grater, Tom (September 10, 2016). "First look: 'Lean On Pete'". Screen Daily. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
19. McNary, Dave (August 18, 2016). "Tali Shalom Ezer Directing Ellen Page and Kate Mara in Romantic Drama 'Mercy'". Variety. Retrieved December 31, 2016.
20. Blisten, Jon (March 7, 2019). "Watch Molly Shannon as Emily Dickinson in New 'Wild Nights With Emily' Trailer". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
21. Nyguen, Hahn (March 23, 2018). "'Atlanta' Director Amy Seimetz on Creating Those 'Get Out' Vibes in the Creepy Episode 'Helen'". IndieWire. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
22. Petski, Denise (March 13, 2018). "'Get Shorty': Amy Seimetz Set To Recur In Season 2". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
23. Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 1, 2018). "Amy Seimetz Female Lead In 'Pet Sematary' Remake". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 1, 2018.
24. Ray-Ramos, Dino (January 15, 2020). "SXSW Sets Judd Apatow's 'The King Of Staten Island' As Opening-Night Film, Unveils Features And Episodics Lineups". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
25. "City of Austin Cancels SXSW March Events". South by Southwest. March 6, 2020. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
26. "James Comey Mini Sets Amy Seimetz For Key FBI Attorney Trisha Anderson". Deadline Hollywood. November 25, 2019. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
27. Wiseman, Andreas; Hipes, Patrick (April 23, 2019). "'The Secrets We Keep': Chris Messina & Amy Seimetz Join Noomi Rapace & Joel Kinnaman In AGC-Di Bonaventura Thriller". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
28. Hailu, Selome (April 25, 2022). "Amy Seimetz Out as Director of the Weeknd's HBO Drama Series 'The Idol', Series to Undergo Significant Reshoots". Variety. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
29. Hailu, Selome (April 25, 2022). "The Weeknd's HBO Drama Series 'The Idol' to Undergo Significant Reshoots". Variety. Archived from the original on July 28, 2022. Retrieved April 25, 2022.
30. Erbland, Kate (January 26, 2016). "News Film TV Awards Toolkit More Search Sundance: Amy Seimetz Explains the Most Feminist Decision She Made When Crafting 'The Girlfriend Experience'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
31. Kohn, Eric (April 13, 2019). "Amy Seimetz Conquers Hollywood By Saying No to Marvel and Yes to 'Pet Sematary'". IndieWire. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
32. Maddaus, Gene (July 27, 2020). "'Upstream Color' Director Shane Carruth Accused of Abusing Ex-Girlfriend". Variety. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
33. "Alien: Covenant | Prologue: Last Supper | 20th Century FOX". February 22, 2017 – via YouTube.
34. Petski, Denise (March 13, 2018). "'Get Shorty': Amy Seimetz Set To Recur In Season 2". Deadline. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
35. "From the Archives: Amy Seimetz". Anthem Magazine. October 19, 2013. Retrieved September 7, 2016.

External links

• Amy Seimetz at IMDb