Bio and CV

Daniel Laabs

writer director

AWARD/GRANTS+/RESIDENCY^

2009 Jury Prize, Narrative Short – Videofest
2009 Jury Prize, Comedic Short – Videofest
2011 Grand Jury Prize, Texas Short – SXSW
2011 Recipient, Texas Filmmaker Production Fund
2013 AFS Artist Intensive
2014 Special Jury Prize, Directing – Dallas IFF
2016 Recipient, Austin Film Society Grant
2017 IFP, Narrative Completion Lab
2017 Recipient, SFFILM/Kenneth Rainin Grant
2017 Post Production, US in Progress, Wrocław PL
2017 La Biennale di Venezia College – Cinema
2018 US & French Connection
2018 Grand Jury Prize, Narrative Feature - NewFest
2019 Grand Jury Prize, Narrative Feature - OutFest

FILMORGRAPHY (selected)

Short Films
2009 – Sleet/Snow (Narrative)
2009 – Start a Band (Narrative)
2010 – Haggle (Narrative)
2011 – 8 (Doc/Nar, Co-Director)
2014 – Easy (Narrative, HD)

Feature Films
2018 – Jules of Light and Dark (Narrative)
In Development – Only, Only (Narrative)
In Development – Bergman in Dallas (Documentary)

Bio

Daniel Laabs’ short films have screened at festivals around the world, earning him a Grand Jury Prize at SXSW in 2011. His debut feature, Jules of Light and Dark, won the Grand Jury Prize at Outfest and NewFest and was later released on Showtime. He has received support from La Biennale di Venezia College - Cinema, Austin Film Society, The Gotham, the San Francisco Film Society & Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the Cannes Producer's Network, USinProgress - Wrocław, and US & French Connection.

Daniel currently lives in Dallas, TX, where he works as an editor and story producer. He previously served as Film Curator for the Dallas International Film Festival, the Oak Cliff Film Festival, and Texas Theatre. In 2014, he co-founded Dallas’s first monthly LGBT film series, and in 2019, he launched PleasureStyleAttitude. In 2022, he was the Lead Mentor for Pegasus Media Project’s Media Apprentice Program, and he currently serves on the Austin Film Society Filmmaker Advisory Council.