David Lipson '05 Profile 

While David Lipson ‘05 is now writing the first feature film he intends to direct, it was during his time as a student at Seattle Academy that he began to pursue his passion for filmmaking. “For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to make movies,” David said in an interview with City Arts Magazine.  “I attended Seattle Academy for high school where the digital video program really enabled me to take my writing and directing more seriously.” SAAS Video Teacher Cheryll Hidalgo helped David tap into the Seattle filmmaking community through her own work in independent film, introducing David to local artists like cinematographer Ben Kasulke and director Lynn Shelton. In 2008 while attending the University of Washington, David worked with Lynn to help develop the script for “Humpday.” The film premiered at Sundance and went on to win awards at international film festivals, including the 2009 USA National Review Board Top Independent Film Award, in addition to being remade in France. Following the release and success of “Humpday,” David says “the consulting and writing opportunities just kept trickling in.”
 
In 2010 David partnered with Shelton again on MTV’s “$5 Cover: Seattle” as a Story Consultant before consulting for filmmaker Megan Griffiths on her script “Sadie”, which was selected for the 2011 Sundance Creative Producing Lab. After working with Megan to restructure her 2012 SXSW hit Eden, David and Megan co-wrote a feature-length screenplay together. This last winter “Sadie” finally came to fruition. The film stars Melanie Lynskey and John Gallagher Jr.  "Working closely with Megan to develop Sadie, I brought a lot of personal experience to the material and I couldn't be more excited to see the film realized,” said David.
 
When asked in an interview about any up-and-coming people in the Seattle film scene that excite her, director Megan Griffiths said “the first person who jumps to mind is a writer David Lipson, who I think is really, really talented…. If people don’t already know who he is, they will soon know.” In 2014 David was a finalist for the prestigious Nantucket Screenwriters Colony, making it to the top ten among a pool of industry-nominated applicants.  David also worked as a consultant for Oscar-winning director Jeffrey D. Brown on his 2016 film “Sold” which featured actors Gillian Anderson and David Arquette.
 
As a writer/director, David’s short films “Tell Me Who” and “Our Time Together” have been featured at such festivals as Indie Memphis opening night, Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, Oxford Film Festival, and the Atlanta International Film Festival as well as on Comcast On Demand. Writing about “Our Time Together” The Stranger writer Charles Mudede described David’s work: “The film sets the harsh realities of loneliness and longing against the blurred background of the city. The city almost never comes into focus; its merry/magic lights are, for the urban loner, as cold as all the distant and wandering stars.”
 
David recently taught a one-night seminar at the Northwest Film Forum, a Seattle non-profit dedicated to supporting and educating film artists. David’s workshop “Writing Character for the Screen” explored the theory and practice of character writing. He’s currently in-development on a new film, “Instruction.” “I'm eager to step beyond the screenwriting stage and direct my own work again,” David told us. “I can’t wait.”