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'''Robinson Devor''' is an{{short description|American film director and screenwriter.}}

[[File:Robinson Devor.jpg|thumb|Devor in New York, 2017]]

Since 1999, his filmography includes narrative works such as ''[[The Woman Chaser]]'' (1999) and ''[[Police Beat]]'' (2005). Devor has directed both documentaries as well as fiction films; these include ''[[Zoo (2007 film)|Zoo]]'', for which he won a special award at the 2000 [[Florida Film Festival]],<ref name="iwint">{{cite news|last=|first=|date=April 26, 2007|title=indieWIRE INTERVIEW : “Zoo” Director Robinson Devor and Writer Charles Mudede|work=[[IndieWire]]|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2007/04/indiewire-interview-zoo-director-robinson-devor-and-writer-charles-mudede-74710/|accessdate=September 15, 2020}}</ref> and ''Pow Wow''.<ref name="powwow">{{cite news|last=Upchurch|first=Michael|date=March 1, 2018|title=‘Pow Wow’: Seattle director ponders stunning California valley|work=[[The Seattle Times]]|url=https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/movies/pow-wow/|accessdate=September 15, 2020}}</ref> He has also worked on films as an editor, including the 2017 feature ''Wallflower''.<ref name="Wallflower">{{cite news|last=Harvey|first=Dennis|date=June 13, 2017|title=Film Review: ‘Wallflower’|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2017/film/reviews/wallflower-review-1202463549/|accessdate=September 15, 2020}}</ref>

{{Infobox person

He currently teaches Advanced Narrative Filmmaking at the [[Cornish College of the Arts]].

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'''Robinson Devor''' is an American film director, screenwriter and editor. He is also a film professor at [[Cornish College of the Arts]].

== Early Life ==

Devor has directed both documentaries as well as fiction films; his filmography includes narrative works such as ''[[The Woman Chaser]]'' (1999) and ''[[Police Beat]]'' (2005), and his documentary work includes ''[[Zoo (2007 film)|Zoo]]'' (2007), and ''Pow Wow'' (2018) and ''Suburban Fury (2024).''

After attaining his BFA in Film from [[Southern Methodist University|SMU]], Devor moved to Los Angeles, where he became a regular attendee at the [[New Beverly Cinema]] . He considered becoming a poet and applied to study under [[James Dickey]] at the [[University of South Carolina]], but an unexpected job offer as a banker in Africa<ref name="nitrint">{{cite news|last=Lybarger|first=Dan|date=August 4, 2000|title=The Woman Chaser: Interview with Robinson Devor|work=Nitrate Online|url=https://nitrateonline.com/2000/fwomanchaser.html|accessdate=September 15, 2020}}</ref> diverted him for a year. During that time he made enough money to develop and edit the footage of his first documentary.

== Early Lifelife ==

Devor was raised in Westchester County in New York. After attaining his BFA in Film from [[Southern Methodist University|SMU]], Devor moved to Los Angeles, where he became a regular attendee at the [[New Beverly Cinema]] . He considered becoming a poet and applied to study under [[James Dickey]] at the [[University of South Carolina]], but an unexpected job offer as a banker in Africa<ref name="nitrint">{{cite news|last=Lybarger|first=Dan|date=August 4, 2000|title=The Woman Chaser: Interview with Robinson Devor|work=Nitrate Online|url=https://nitrateonline.com/2000/fwomanchaser.html|accessdateaccess-date=September 15, 2020}}</ref> diverted him for a year. During that time he made enough money to develop and edit the footage of his first documentary ''Angelyne'' (1995).

==Career==

===''Angelyne'' (1995)===

Devor’sDevor's first short documentary ''Angelyne'' was a half-hour, black and white 16mm film co-directed by Michael Guccioni. ItDevor met Guccioni at a weekly avant-garde film night in Los Angeles, where the two chose to work on a collaborative project as co-directors. ''Angelyne'' captured a day in the life of the self-made LA billboard queen, [[Angelyne]]. The film premiered at the New York Underground Film Festival, where [[The Village Voice]] called it “a visual knockout”.

=== ''[[The Woman Chaser]]'' (1999) ===

Devor’sDevor's first feature film, ''The Woman Chaser'',  debuted at the 1999 [[New York Film Festival]] and then at [[Sundance Film Festival|Sundance]]. Devor had acquired the rights to the 1960 Charles Willeford novel and adapted the novelbook into a screenplay. The story centers around a used car salesman who decides to become a film director. The film received critical high marks throughout its USU.S. theatrical run and  became a [[cult classic]].

[[File:Still from 'The Woman Chaser'.png|thumb|[[Patrick Warburton]] in Devor's first feature film, ''The Woman Chaser''.]]

Devor’s first feature film, ''The Woman Chaser'',  debuted at the 1999 [[New York Film Festival]] and then at [[Sundance Film Festival|Sundance]]. Devor had acquired the rights to the Charles Willeford novel and adapted the novel into a screenplay. The film received critical high marks throughout its US theatrical run and became a [[cult classic]].

''The Woman Chaser'' was released on VHS in Stereo in its black-and-white version in 2000 by Tribe Enterprises/The GLOBAL Asylum.

=== ''[[Police Beat]]'' (2005) ===

Devor’sDevor's narrativesecond feature film, ''Police Beat'', was nominated for the Grand Prize at the 2005 [[Sundance Film Festival]]. The film was a loose adaptation of [[Charles Mudede’sMudede]]’s weekly column, Police Beat., Itand receivedfocused criticalon acclaim,a andMuslim-African born lovesick bike cop in Seattle. It was named one of the year's best films by Film Comment and Art Forum. ForIt hishas efforts, Devor was nominated for an Indie Spirit Award.  The film wasbeen included in the permanent collection of the [[Museum of Modern Art]].

=== ''[[Zoo (2007 film)|Zoo]]'' (2007) ===

Devor's next documentary, ''Zoo'', also a collaboration with Mudede, made its world premierpremiere at the [[2007 Sundance Film Festival]], and then went on to play at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in the Director’sDirector's Fortnight Section. The film was based on a true story about a Seattle engineer who died while having sex with a horse. The film was named as "one of the Best 15 Documentaries of the 2000s" by [[Taste of Cinema]].

=== ''Pow Wow'' (20162018) ===

Robinson Devor ‘s 2018 feature documentary ''Pow Wow: An Anthropological Study of the Members of the Indian Desert Country Club'', a collaboration with writer Michael McConville, debuted at the [[Locarno Film Festival]] and then in the US at [[Lincoln Center]] (Art of the Real). It was named one of the best films of the year by [[Richard Brody]] of [[The New Yorker]].

=== Future''[[Suburban ProjectsFury]]'' (2024) ===

Robinson Devor ‘s newest documentary, “Suburban Fury” debuted at the 2024 New York Film Festival and went on to win the Grand Prize for Documentaries at the 2025 Seattle International Film Festival. The film achieved a 100% percent Rotten Tomatoes score, with Variety calling it “a rapt documentary thriller.”

Mr. Devor is currently in post-production on the film ''You Can't Win'' (TBD), and entering pre-production on ''Coup d’Etat: How I Was Part of the Problem and Became a Problem For The Problem'' (TBD).

==References==

{{reflist}}

<small>3.</small> <small>Brody, Richard. “One Must-See New Movie, and Two Older Ones, That Expand Documentary Filmmaking.” ''The New Yorker'', [https://www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/one-must-see-new-movie-and-two-older-ones-that-expand-documentary-filmmaking www.newyorker.com/culture/richard-brody/one-must-see-new-movie-and-two-older-ones-that-expand-documentary-filmmaking].</small>

<small>4. Petrillo, Zac. “The 15 Best Documentaries of The 2000s.” ''Taste of Cinema - Movie Reviews and Classic Movie Lists'', 24 Oct. 2014, [http://www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/the-15-best-documentaries-of-the-2000s/ www.tasteofcinema.com/2014/the-15-best-documentaries-of-the-2000s/].</small>

==External links==

* {{IMDb name|0222894}}

{{Authority control}}

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[[Category:American documentary film directors]]

[[Category:American film directors]]

[[Category:American film editors]]

[[Category:Living people]]

[[Category:Place of birth unknown]]

[[Category:Year of birth unknown]]

[[Category:People from Westchester County, New York]]

[[Category:Film directors from New York (state)]]

{{US-film-director-stub}}

[[Category:Southern Methodist University alumni]]

[[Category:Cornish College of the Arts faculty]]

[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]