Dempsey Tillman

Dempsey Tillman has a flair for the dramatic, the supernatural, the fantastical. One of a growing number of young African-American directors making their mark in the industry, Dempsey aims for his films to “look beyond the ordinary to the extraordinary.” Dempsey got his start working alongside Hollywood’s most respected and successful directors of our time, including billion-dollar director Sam Raimi ("Spider-Man" franchise), Oscar-winner Robert Redford ("Lions for Lambs"), veteran Rob Reiner ("Rumor Has It...") and groundbreakers Antoine Fuqua ("Training Day"), Justin Lin ("Fast and Furious") and Michel Gondry ("The Green Hornet" with Seth Rogen) to name a few. As one of the top Video Assist men in the industry for the past decade, Tillman is also credited with additional photography for 2009’s Land of the Lost plus un-credited re-shoot work on "Rumor Has It…" and "Dude, Where’s My Car?." His talent has certainly not gone unrecognized, as he was awarded the “Best Director” from the NBC Universal Short Cuts Film Festival, and the “Syfy Award,” which resulted in a directing assignment with the SyFy Channel. No more is that award-winning creativity on display than with his directorial debut Collector. Screened in over 40 film festivals around the work, the short film has garnered 20 awards, including seven “Best Short Film” awards, two “Best Director” awards, “Best Cinematography,” “Best Sound Design” and four “Awards of Excellence.” In addition, the film also received a “Best Visual Effects” honor. Written and edited by Tillman, "Collector" focuses on one down on his luck man’s struggle with the forces of good and evil. The film stars Brad Renfro, and was his last leading role before his untimely death in 2008. Says Dempsey, “Brad was driven to take part in this project because he felt he had a connection to the story and to the character of Justin. He wanted the opportunity to express a small part of himself through the character.” Brad’s moving performance won him three “Best Actor” awards. To further cement his place on the Hollywood scene, Dempsey was invited to participate as a director in NBC Universal’s “Diversity Scene Showcase.” His vision and drive were also showcased this year as part of the 2nd Annual African American Filmmaker Celebration at the American Cinematheque. Currently, Dempsey is at work on the feature film The Almighty, a supernatural thriller in which God bestows a faithless man, Oscar Renfro, with the ability to tear demons from the possessed. Based in part on a scene from Collector, the film will also be written and directed by Dempsey, and will showcase some of the same cutting edge effects that audiences can see in "Collector". Dempsey is also set to direct the dramatic feature Greed Street, based on the true story of African-American experiences in the cut-throat world of Wall Street. Both films will be produced by Man in the Box Productions and The Brakefield Company says actor Matthew Boylan, who starred in "Collector", “Dempsey Tillman is amazing to work with. There is so much emotion and drama flowing through his work that it could have been almost too much, but Dempsey knows how to draw the line between subtlety and suspense. I can’t wait for his next project.” A native of Michigan, Dempsey grew up with a love of filmmaking and an 8mm in his hand. One of his first short horror films was honored by Paramount Pictures in a local contest. Encouraged by his mother and aunts, he set out for Hollywood, and almost immediately landed a job on "The Sixth Day". Since then, he has worked on over 30 blockbuster films while writing, editing and honing his skills.