Seidelman, Susan (1952–)

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Seidelman, Susan (1952–)

American film director. Born Dec 11, 1952, in Abington, Pennsylvania; graduate of Drexel University; attended New York University Graduate School of Film and Television (1974–77).

At NYU, won student Oscar for short film And You Act Like One, Too (1976), and made several other feminist-oriented student films 1976–77); won acclaim for Yours Truly, Andrea G. Stern (1978); self-financed Smithereens (1982), the 1st independent US feature to be accepted in main competition at Cannes Film Festival; had hit debut in mainstream cinema with Desperately Seeking Susan (1985), screwball comedy starring Madonna; had less success with successive films, Making Mr. Right (1987), Cookie (1989) and She-Devil (1989); wrote and directed several short films, including documentary Confessions of a Suburban Girl (1992) and The Dutch Master (1994); made moderately successful feature-length film Gaudi Afternoon (2003) and The Boynton Beach Bereavement Club (2005); for tv, directed "Sex and the City" pilot episode (1998), as well as "A Cooler Climate" (1999), "Now and Again" (1999), "Power and Beauty" (2002) and "The Ranch" (2004).