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American film director and screenwriter
Greg Kwedar
👁 Image
Kwedar in 2025
Bornc. 1984 or 1985 (age 40–41)
Alma materTexas A&M
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • director
  • writer
  • producer
Years active2016–present

Greg Kwedar (/ˈkwdɑːr/)[1] is an American film director and screenwriter.[2][3] He directed the 2023 film Sing Sing, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay alongside Clint Bentley, Clarence Maclin, and John "Divine G" Whitfield.[4][5][6][7][8] He co-wrote the screenplay for 2025 film Train Dreams, which was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2026.

Early life

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Greg Kwedar was born in Fort Worth, Texas. Recruited to play rugby for Texas A&M, he majored in accounting and enrolled in the university's Professional Program of Accounting.[9] While in college, he became a Mays Business School Fellow[10] and served as president of Business Student Council[11]. After realizing mid-exam that accounting was not his calling,[12] Kwedar began to explore more creative careers and opportunities. The idea that would become his first feature film, Transpecos, was born from the time he spent volunteering at the U.S.-Mexican border. Kwedar stayed a fifth year at Texas A&M to earn a master's in marketing and apply for film programs.[13] After graduating from Texas A&M in 2008, he turned down a graduate school offer from New York University and moved to Austin, Texas to pursue filmmaking full-time.[14]

Career

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Upon his arrival in Austin, Kwedar began working as a writer and director at film studio One Spark.[15] He worked on music videos, commercials, short films, and documentaries for One Spark while working on scripts for two feature films. He worked as a producer on the 2012 documentary Rising From Ashes, a film about the creation of Rwandan's first national cycling team in the wake of the Rwandan genocide.[16]

In 2016, Kwedar made his directorial feature film debut with Transpecos, a film he directed, produced, and co-wrote with Clint Bentley. The film, based in Kwedar's experiences volunteering on the US-Mexican border, was released to positive reviews from critics. John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Artfully made but wholly accessible for a mainstream audience, it features strong performances but no names in the cast who'll draw attention on their own." [17]

The success of Kwedar's previous films led to production beginning on his sophomore feature film, Sing Sing. Kwedar directed, produced, and co-wrote the film (again with Bentley). Sing Sing premiered in the Special Presentations program at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival and won the 2024 SXSW Festival Audience Award.[18] It was then acquired by A24 and released in the United States on July 12, 2024.[19] The film was met with critical acclaim and amassed multiple accolades, including three nominations at the 78th British Academy Film Awards (including Best Actor for starring actor Colman Domingo and Best Supporting Actor for Clarence Maclin) and three nominations at the 97th Academy Awards (including Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Domingo).[20]

Kwedar co-wrote the screenplay for Train Dreams with Clint Bentley, adapting it from the 2011 novella of the same name by Denis Johnson. Starring Joel Edgerton, the film premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and was acquired for a streaming release by Netflix. The film premiered on Netflix on November 7, 2025 to critical acclaim. It received four nominations at the 98th Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.[21][22]

On September 5, 2025, Deadline announced that Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan and Will Poulter would star in Kwedar's upcoming third feature film, Saturn Return.[23]

Filmography

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Year Title Director Writer Producer
2016 Transpecos Yes Yes Yes
2021 Jockey No Yes Yes
2023 Sing Sing Yes Yes Yes
2025 Train Dreams No Yes No
2026 Saturn Return Yes No No

Documentaries produced:

Accolades

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Award Date of ceremony Category Nominated work Result
Academy Awards March 2, 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay Sing Sing Nominated
March 15, 2026 Train Dreams Nominated
BAFTA Awards February 16, 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay Sing Sing Nominated
Critics' Choice Movie Awards January 12, 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
January 4, 2026 Train Dreams Nominated
Film Independent Spirit Awards March 6, 2022 John Cassavetes Award Jockey Nominated
February 22, 2025 Best Feature Sing Sing Nominated
Gotham Awards December 1, 2025 Best Adapted Screenplay Train Dreams Nominated
Satellite Awards January 26, 2025 Best Director Sing Sing Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
March 8, 2026 Train Dreams Nominated

References

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  1. ^ "Colman Domingo & Director Greg Kwedar Break Down a Scene From 'Sing Sing'". Vanity Fair. August 1, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Gyarkye, Lovia (September 14, 2023). "'Sing Sing' Review: Colman Domingo Shines in a Subtle Portrait of a Prison Arts Program". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  3. ^ Bradbury, Stephanie (November 21, 2024). "The Making Of Prison Drama 'Sing Sing': How Colman Domingo, Non-Professional Actors & Equal Pay For Cast & Crew Made For A Surprise Hit". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  4. ^ "The 97th Academy Awards (2025) Nominees and Winners". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr.; Hipes, Patrick (January 23, 2025). "Oscar Nominations: 'Emilia Pérez' Leads With 13; 'The Brutalist' And 'Wicked' Score 10 Apiece In Wide-Open Race". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  6. ^ Lewis, Hilary; Nordyke, Kimberly (January 23, 2025). "Oscars: Full List of Nominees". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  7. ^ Lang, Brent; Moreay, Jordan (January 23, 2025). "Oscar Nominations 2025: 'Emilia Pérez' Leads With 13 Nods, 'Wicked' and 'The Brutalist' Follow With 10". Variety. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  8. ^ Garcia, Brayden (January 24, 2025). "Fort Worth natives Greg Kwedar and Abraham Alexander land Oscar nominations for 'Sing Sing'". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Retrieved January 25, 2025.
  9. ^ Abraham, Joshua (March 5, 2025). "From Lone Star State to Los Angeles stage". The Battalion. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  10. ^ "Former Business Fellows". Mays Business School. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  11. ^ "Former Business Student Councils". Mays Business School. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  12. ^ Johnston, Nick (August 5, 2024). "Interview: 'Sing Sing' director Greg Kwedar on escapism through art". Vanyaland. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  13. ^ Abraham, Joshua (March 5, 2025). "From Lone Star State to Los Angeles stage". The Battalion. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  14. ^ Abraham, Joshua (March 5, 2025). "From Lone Star State to Los Angeles stage". The Battalion. Retrieved February 21, 2026.
  15. ^ "Greg Kwedar". Zacuto. Retrieved February 23, 2026.
  16. ^ "'Rising From Ashes: Film Review'". The Hollywood Reporter. July 31, 2013.
  17. ^ DeFore, John (March 16, 2016). "'Transpecos': SXSW Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  18. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (July 24, 2023). "TIFF Lineup Unveiled Amid Strikes: Awards Contenders 'Dumb Money', 'The Holdovers', 'Rustin'; Starry Pics for Sale with Scarlett Johansson, Kate Winslet, Michael Keaton, Viggo Mortensen & More". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 24, 2023. Retrieved July 30, 2024.
  19. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (September 15, 2023). "A24 Lands U.S. Rights on Toronto Buzz Title 'Sing Sing' starring Colman Domingo". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on November 16, 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  20. ^ "97th Oscar Nominees Announced". Oscars.org. 23 January 2025. Retrieved 23 January 2025.
  21. ^ "The 98th Academy Awards | (2026)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 22, 2026.
  22. ^ "Oscars 2026 Nominations: Complete List of Nominees". Bru Times News.
  23. ^ Charles Melton, Rachel Brosnahan And Will Poulter To Star In ‘Saturn Return’ From Netflix and Greg Kwedar

External links

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