Susan Streitfeld

Susan trained in painting at Syracuse University, completed a BFA in Film and Television at NYU Film School and after a stint making documentaries for The Smithsonian Institute, she relocated to Los Angeles to join the faculty of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts/West as an acting teacher and director. She directed numerous critically acclaimed theatrical productions in LA, including the world premiere of John Cassavetes "East/West Game" with Nick Cassavetes and Sandy Martin. Concurrent to her theatre career, she joined the newly formed Triad Artists Agency, where she had the vision to create an entirely new division. By signing Daniel Day-Lewis, Colin Firth, John Hurt, Joanne Whalley, Ian Holm and Juliette Binoche, European talent who had never had American representation before, she turned an underachieving and small enterprise into a high profile, high profit center for Triad Artists. Likewise, she was a dynamic leader of the burgeoning independent film movement, packaging clients Danny Glover in To Sleep with Anger (1990), Ed Harris in -Walker (1987)_ Norma Aleandro in _Gaby, A True Story (1987)_, Gregory Peck in Old Gringo (1989), Daniel Day-Lewis in Eversmile New Jersey (1989) and Colin Firth in Apartment Zero (1988) Her American roster included Jennifer Jason Leigh, Amy Madigan, Patrick Swayze, Linda Hunt, Wallace Shawn, Bradley Whitford, among others. With a passion to pursue her long standing goal of directing feature films, Susan left Triad to develop Louise J. Kaplan's "Female Perversions" as an independent film. As director of Female Perversions (1996) Susan again made a bold move when she cast Tilda Swinton in her first American role. The film premiered at Sundance in'96 in the dramatic competition, followed by openings in Europe, Asia, Australia and America. It received the audience award for best film at Creteil, the highly prestigious women's film festival in Paris. Susan also wrote and directed a short erotic film for the German Arts station WDR, The Summer of My Deflowering (2000) with Beth Riesgraf. The film bowed at the Erotic Film Festival at MOMA in NYC. Susan's latest writing/directing effort, Golf in the Kingdom (2010) was adapted from Michael Murphy's best selling golf novel of all time. With David O'Hara, Mason Gamble and Malcolm McDowell, the film premiered at the AMC in Time's Square, NYC.