DURKIN
Sean

• 1. Career

Timothy Sean Durkin is a Canadian-American film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Durkin is known for directing the critically acclaimed independent films Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Nest (2020), and The Iron Claw (2023). He is also known for directing episodes of the Channel 4 series Southcliffe (2013) and the Amazon Prime Video miniseries Dead Ringers (2023).

Career

In an interview with Robert K. Elder for the book The Best Film You've Never Seen, Durkin said, “When I make a film, I think about things that scare me. My exploration of those things is to try and wrap my head around them and confront them.” Durkin is a founding member of Borderline Films with fellow directors Antonio Campos and Josh Mond.

Durkin started his career directing several short films starting with Doris in 2006. His short film, Mary Last Seen won the award for best short film at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival Directors' Fortnight. Durkin adapted the short into his first feature length film, the psychological-thriller Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011) which was starred Elizabeth Olsen, John Hawkes, and Sarah Paulson. The film revolves around a woman suffering from paranoia after returning to her family from an abusive cult in the Catskill Mountains. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where he won the Dramatic Directing Award. The film received positive reviews with Christy Lemire of the Associated Press naming it the best film of 2011.

In 2013, Durkin directed the Channel 4 drama series Southcliffe, starring Sean Harris and Rory Kinnear. His second film, another psychological drama, The Nest (2020) starred Carrie Coon and Jude Law. The film follows a couple whose marriage dissolves once they move from New York to London. Film critic Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair declared the film the best film of the year. The film received six British Independent Film Award nominations including three awards Durkin for Best Director, Best Screenplay and Best British Independent Film. Durkin then directed his third film the A24 drama The Iron Claw (2023), starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, Harris Dickinson, and Lily James. The film is a biography based on the Von Erich family of wrestlers.