Ry Russo-Young | |
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 Russo-Young in 2012 | |
| Born | (1981-11-16)November 16, 1981 (age 43) New York City, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Oberlin College |
| Known for | Independent filmmaker |
Ry Russo-Young (born November 16, 1981) is an American filmmaker and producer, originally from New York City. Her early independent work has been associated with themumblecore genre, though she has gone on to direct the wide release featuresBefore I Fall (2017) andThe Sun Is Also a Star (2019) as well as the HBO documentaryNuclear Family and other film and television projects.
Ry Russo-Young was born in 1981, the younger daughter of same-sex parents Sandy Russo and Robin Young, both real estate brokers in Manhattan. Her mother Sandy is a retired lawyer who formerly worked as the housing law coordinator ofLegal Services NYC in Manhattan.[1] Russo-Young was born with the given name "Ry", which is not a nickname.[2] Her elder sister, Cade, was born in 1980, conceived from another donor. When she was young, her sperm donor, Thomas Haus Steel,[3] a lawyer known for civil rights cases[4] and a gay man,[2] and that of Cade sometimes vacationed with the family, "until those relationships ruptured"; in Russo and Young's view "it was a given that Steel would have no parental rights, although they made it clear he was welcome to visit the family and to get to know Ry and Cade", and when Steel sought permission to take Russo-Young to see his parents and grandmother, they refused, leading him to file for paternity.[5] In 1991, Steel sued Russo-Young's mothers for recognition as father and for immediate visitation, losing the initial judgement but winning on appeal to the State Supreme Court; he never enforced his right to visitation and only spoke with Russo-Young once more before his death from AIDS[2] in 1998, aged 48; Russo-Young, having heard of his fatal illness, called him: "'He was high on medicine... saying, "I'm sorry, I loved you, I never meant to hurt you, I always wanted to be your father." But after going through the case, I was rolling my eyes. You know: "So now you want me to forgive you because you're on your deathbed?"... I mean, there was a time when I did care a lot about him... Not as a father - more like an icon of a man.'"[5] Steel'sNew York Times obituary, listing his partner and son, parents, and siblings, made no reference to Russo-Young.[6] Russo-Young has explored her upbringing in her work, particularly in the 2021 three-part HBO documentaryNuclear Family.[7] She attendedOberlin College andSaint Ann's School in Brooklyn. As of 2019, she resided inLos Angeles, California.[8]
Her 2005 short filmMarion won several awards including a Silver Hugo for Best Experimental Short at theChicago International Film Festival.[9] Her first feature,Orphans, won a special jury prize atSouth by Southwest in 2007.[10] Her filmsNobody Walks andYou Wont Miss Me appeared at theSundance Film Festival.Nobody Walks won a special jury prize and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2014.[11]You Wont Miss Me won aGotham Award for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. She also appeared as an actress inJoe Swanberg'sHannah Takes the Stairs and Alex Ross Perry'sThe Color Wheel.
Russo-Young directedBefore I Fall, based on the book byLauren Oliver. The film starsZoey Deutch,Halston Sage,Logan Miller, andJennifer Beals, and was released by Open Road Films in 2017.[12]Before I Fall premiered at theSundance Film Festival in January 2017 and also had a special screening at theNext Wave 17Toronto International Film Festival in February 2017.
Russo-Young's next feature as director isThe Sun Is Also a Star, adapted fromNicola Yoon’s novel of the same name. The film starsYara Shahidi,Charles Melton, andJohn Leguizamo, and was co-produced byMGM andWarner Brothers. The film follows high school student Natasha Kingsely (Shahidi) who falls for Daniel Bae (Melton) the day before she is to be deported. It was released on May 17, 2019.
In 2018, Russo-Young directed three episodes of theNetflix original seriesEverything Sucks!, as well as episodes ofSweetbitter, andMarvel'sCloak & Dagger.
In 2015, Russo-Young won aCreative Capital award for her film,The Family Movie.[13] which evolved over several years into a 3-part documentary series. Released in 2021 on HBO, Russo-Young directed and appeared in the film, retitledNuclear Family.[14] The documentary explores the landmark custody dispute that hinged on the parental rights of her two mothers (a same-sex couple) and the interests of her biological father.[14]
Russo-Young lives in Los Angeles with her husband Colin Spoelman,Yale-educated co-founder and master distiller of theKings County Distillery whisky manufacturer in Brooklyn, whom she married in 2014,[1][15] and their two sons.[7]
Russo-Young's You Wont Miss Me won aGotham Award for Best Film Not Coming to Theater Near You. In 2022,Nuclear Family was nominated for anIndependent Spirit Award, aGLAAD Media Award, and aPeabody Award in 2021.
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