Director X | |
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 Director X in October 2005 | |
| Born | Julien Christian Lutz (1975-10-31)October 31, 1975 (age 49) |
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| Years active | 1998–present |
| Website | directorxfilms |
Julien Christian Lutz (born October 31, 1975), known professionally asDirector X, is a Canadian music video director. Having trained underHype Williams, Lutz has been credited for directing over a hundredmusic videos spanning various genres since 1998, includingJay-Z,Drake,Future,John Mayer,Kanye West,DJ Khaled,Usher,Ice Cube,Little Mix,Fabolous,Fifth Harmony,Mystikal andAkon. In film, he directed the crime thrillerSuperfly in 2018, which saw mixed reception. In television, he created the short-lived action dramaRobyn Hood in 2023.
Lutz was born and raised in theGreater Toronto Area, mostly in and aroundBrampton, and is of mixed Trinidadian and Swiss descent.[1]
Lutz began his career working on several productions; he was a visual consultant onHype Williams' 1998 filmBelly. Lutz was slated to direct Disney's horror featureRazorwire, though the film never moved into production.[2]
Lutz worked on several projects and trained under Hype Williams.[3] Since the late 1990s, Lutz has directed dozens of music videosand been noted for his high-budget, visually distinctive music videos, including forThe Wanted,R. Kelly,Usher,Kanye West,Jay-Z,Korn,David Guetta,Nelly Furtado,Sean Paul,Justin Bieber,Drake,Nicki Minaj,T.I.,Little Mix,Rihanna,Union J,Fifth Harmony,Miguel,One Direction,Zayn Malik andIggy Azalea.[citation needed] In 2004, Lutz appeared inMya Baker's documentary filmSilence: In Search of Black Female Sexuality in America.[4]
In 2015, Lutz founded his own production company, Popp Rok, in Toronto.[5] In 2017, he appeared on episode 7 of Cycle 23 ofAmerica's Next Top Model ("X Marks The Spot") as the director for a Gypsy Sports-themed music video.[6]
In addition to music video directing, Lutz has directed two feature films and onetelevision film; he made his featuredirectorial debut in 2015 withAcross the Line. The film starredStephan James and the storyline was inspired by the 1989Cole Harbour District High School race riots.[7]Across the Line was set and shot in Nova Scotia. The first screening ofAcross the Line was 19 September 2015 at theAtlantic Film Festival where it won the award for "Best Atlantic Feature".[8][7]
In 2016, he directed theteen drama television filmCenter Stage: On Pointe. The film starsNicole Muñoz, Barton Cowperthwaite, Maude Green,Chloe Lukasiak,[9]Kenny Wormald andPeter Gallagher. It premiered onLifetime on June 25, 2016.[10][11] The official DVD was released in September 6, 2016.[12]Variety critic Sonia Saraiya noted of Lutz's direction, "...though it is frustrating that the film feels like 15-odd low-budget music videos strung together, the dance in those segments, and the way it's filmed, are some of the best parts of the movie."[13]
In 2018, Lutz directedSuperfly, a remake of the 1972blaxploitationfilm of the same name.[14]Superfly was released in the United States on June 13, 2018 and received mixed reviews from critics.Variety'sOwen Gleiberman wrote: "Shot in a functional, slammed-together manner that's less sensually stylish than you'd expect from a music-video auteur, the film is a competent yet glossy and hermetic street-hustle drug thriller, less a new urban myth than a lavishly concocted episode. It holds your attention yet leaves you with nothing."[15]
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Center Stage: On Pointe premieres June 25 at 8 p.m. ET on Lifetime.
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