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R. J. Daniel Hanna Headshot.jpg

Maybe it was growing up in Arkansas as a Canadian, or the summers in rural Ireland with his grandparents, but Daniel has always been drawn to out-of-place characters, strange environments, and the unique rhythms of how people talk. He just completed post on his horror film “Succubus,” starring Ron Perlman and Rosanna Arquette, to be released in 2024. Crossing over 500 screens in the U.S. and beginning its run in the U.K. is his feature “Hard Miles,” starring Golden Globe-winner Matthew Modine and Oscar-Nominee Sean Astin, which has won multiple awards and screened at prestigious festivals including Chicago International, Heartland Film Festival, and Cinequest. Prior to that, Daniel directed the true-story feature “Miss Virginia,” starring three-time Emmy-winner Uzo Aduba, Oscar-Nominee Aunjanue Ellis, and Vanessa Williams. The film was listed as a New York Times and USA Today Must-See Fall Movie, won the Audience Award at The Naples Film Festival, and received a limited theatrical release, cable premiere on BET, and streaming deal with Netflix.

As a writer, Daniel is a winner of The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting, as well as the Slamdance, ScriptPipeline, and Screencraft writing awards. He also explores storytelling as an editor, with ten features under his belt, including horror film “What Lies Below,” starring Mena Suvari, which hit #1 on Netflix, and “Supercell” starring Alec Baldwin, Anne Heche, and Skeet Ulrich, which hit #1 on Hulu. Daniel hopes to continue telling cinematic, character-driven stories long past the time any sane person would have retired. He lives on the east-side of L.A. with his excessively-vocal cat “Dottie.”

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AWARDS & RECOGNITIONS

DIRECTING

"Hard Miles"

Jimmy Stewart Legacy Award, Heartland Film Festival

Audience Award - Denver Film Festival

Audience Award - Naples Film Festival

Audience Award - Breckenridge Film Festival

Best International Film - Puerto Rico Film Festival

"Miss Virginia" 

Audience Award - Naples Film Festival 

"Shelter"

Audience Award - Arkansas Cinema Society

Best Narrative Short - Fayetteville Film Festival

Excellence in Filmmaking - Anthem Film Festival

2015 Most Voted Film - The Audience Awards

 

WRITING

"Shelter Animal"

WINNER The Academy Nicholl Fellowship

"They Live on Skid Row" 

Best Horror Feature (3rd), Slamdance

Best Horror Feature, ScreenCraft ​

Finalist, Script Pipeline

"Snuff Film"

Best Comedy Feature (2nd), Screencraft

Finalist, Austin Film Festival

"Satan In Arkansas City"

Finalist, Script Pipeline

Semi-Finalist, The Academy Nicholl Fellowship

Semi-Finalist, Austin Film Festival

Semi-Finalist, Enderby Entertainment Award

CONTACT

 

 

rjdanielhanna@gmail.com

 

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