User:Student19877/Tanya Wexler

Tanya Wexler
Tanya Wexler (born August 6, 1970) is an award-winning American television and film director and producer. Wexler has been working in the film industry since 1998, when her first film Finding North (1998), was released. Wexler is most known for her 2011 feature film Hysteria. Wexler is known for exploring women's issues in her films and including complex female characters. Wexler has also been involved in advocating for women in the film industry, and advocating for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community.

Early Life
Wexler was born on August 6th, 1970 in Chicago, Illinois. Wexler is the daughter of Chicago real estate developer Jerrold Wexler, and his second wife, Susan Jeanne (née Metzger). She is the niece of cinematographer Haskell Wexler. Her mother has two other daughters, Daryl Hannah and Page Hannah, as well as a son, Donald, from a previous marriage. Wexler's father is Jewish, whereas her mother is Catholic. Wexler worked as a child actor in Chicago from a young age. She attended Yale University ('92), where she studied psychology. There she was roommates with actress Bellamy Young. Wexler also holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from Columbia University ('95).

Career
Wexler has been active in the film industry for over two decades (1998-present). Throughout her career, Wexler has been involved in both film and television directing and producing. Originally, Wexler wanted to be an actress. Wexler decided to be a director when she was more interested in the pre-production and production processes, rather than acting which has little involvement in the two previously mentioned processes. Throughout her career, Wexler has directed five feature films: Finding North (1998), Relative Evil (2001), Hysteria (2011), Buffaloed (2019), and Jolt (2021). Wexler also directed the following televisions series: Partner Track (2022), The Arrangement (2018), and Girlfriend’s Guide to Divorce (2017). Wexler is involved in producing the upcoming Amazon Prime movie, Tough Love. Wexler has been nominated for, and won awards for her work in the film and television directing. Wexler's most notable film is called Hysteria (2011).

Hysteria (2011)
Wexler's 2011 feature film, Hysteria, starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy, is a satirical romcom about the man who created the vibrator (Joseph Mortimer Granville) and the experience of being a women in Victorian England. The vibrator was invented in 1883, by Granville as a replacment for genital massages used to treat Hysteria. In the Victorian age, vibrators were branded as a medical tool. Wexler has said that the point of this film is to empower women to take charge of their own happiness. In 2011, this film was nominated for "Best Film" at Verzaubert International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

Awards and Nominations
Throughout her career, Wexler’s work has been recognized by various awards and nominations. In 2003, Wexler’s film Relative Evil (2001), won “Best Feature” at Washington DC Independent Film Festival. In 1998, Wexler’s film Finding North (1998), was nominated for “Best Film” at Verzaubert-International Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. In 2011, Wexler’s Film Hysteria (2011), was nominated for the Golden Marc’Aurelio Award at the Rome Film Festival.

Personal Life
Wexler met her wife, Amy Zimmerman, during her time at Yale University. Wexler and Zimmerman got married in Massachusetts on May 19th 2004, because Massachusetts was the first U.S. state to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. As a young couple, Zimmerman did not expect to have children, as it was not very normalized at the time for same-sex couples to raise children. Wexler was the first to propose the idea to have children, and Zimmerman accepted. Wexler and Zimmerman have four children: a son named Jerrold (born 1999) and three daughters named Ella (born 2000), Ruby (born 2003), and Violet (born 2006). Wexler and Zimmerman each birthed two of their four children. Wexler now lives in New York City with her children and their dog, Snoopy.

Activism
Wexler has often been involved in activism throughout her adulthood. Wexler has been involved in advocating for LGBTQ+ rights and advocating for more female inclusion in the male dominated film industry. Wexler has spoken out about how the amount of women that are given directorial roles in the film industry is not anywhere near the amount of men who are given those opportunities. Wexler has stated that she hopes room is made "at the table," for everyone. As a member of the community, Wexler has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community’s rights for a long time. For example, Wexler has served on the board of directors for the Gay and Lesbian Aliance Against Defimation (GLAAD).