Raymond De Felitta

Raymond De Felitta, born on June 30, 1964, in New York City, New York, is an American independent film director, screenwriter, and musician. He is the son of Frank De Felitta, a notable figure in his own right. De Felitta pursued his education at Bard College, graduating in 1985, and later at the American Film Institute’s directing program, completing it in 1990. His early career quickly gained recognition when his AFI thesis short film, “Bronx Cheers,” earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Live Action Short Film in 1991. The same year, he received a Nicholl Fellowship in Screenwriting for his screenplay “Begin The Beguine,” signaling his dual talent for directing and writing.

Throughout his career, De Felitta has consistently delivered critically recognized projects. In 1995, he wrote and directed “Cafe Society,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. This was followed by “Two Family House” in 2000, which received the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay. His filmography also includes “The Thing About My Folks” (2005), which won the Audience Award at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, and the documentary “‘Tis Autumn: The Search for Jackie Paris” (2006), which was honored as Best Jazz Documentary at the Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee. In 2009, he wrote and directed “City Island,” which secured the First Place Audience Award at the Tribeca Film Festival and enjoyed a significant theatrical run.

De Felitta further explored documentary filmmaking with “Booker’s Place: A Mississippi Story” (2012), a project inspired by his father’s earlier work, which also led to a “Dateline NBC” episode. He directed “Rob the Mob” in 2014, collaborating for a second time with acclaimed actor Andy Garcia, and the television mini-series “Madoff” in 2016, starring Richard Dreyfuss, for which he received a Directors Guild of America Award nomination. His more recent work includes the baseball-themed drama “Bottom of the 9th” (2018). Beyond film, De Felitta is a professional jazz pianist and composer, having released multiple CDs, and also maintains a blog and podcast titled “Movies ‘Til Dawn,” where he discusses film, music, and urban history, often featuring conversations with fellow filmmakers.