{{Short description|American filmmaker}} {{Infobox person | name = Ry Russo-Young | image = Ry Russo-Young by Adam Schartoff.jpg | caption = Russo-Young in 2012 | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1981|11|16}} | birth_place = [[New York City]], U.S. | other_names = | known_for = [[filmmaker]] | alma_mater = [[Oberlin College]] }}
'''Ry Russo-Young''' is an American filmmaker and producer, originally from New York City. Her early independent work has been associated with the [[mumblecore]] genre, though she has gone on to direct wide-release feature films ''[[Before I Fall (film)|Before I Fall]]'' (2017) and ''[[The Sun Is Also a Star]]'' (2019) as well as high profile documentary projects ''[[Nuclear Family (TV series)|Nuclear Family]]'' (2021), ''[[Call Her Alex]]'' (2025), and episodic television (''[[And Just Like That...]]'', ''[[Shrinking (TV series)|Shrinking]]'').
==Early life and education== Ry Russo-Young is the younger daughter of same-sex parents Sandy Russo and Robin Young. Her mother Sandy is a retired lawyer who formerly worked as the housing law coordinator of [[Legal Services NYC]] in Manhattan.<ref name="auto2">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/08/fashion/weddings/ry-russo-young-colin-spoelman.html|title=Ry Russo-Young, Colin Spoelman|date=8 June 2014|access-date=8 February 2022|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Russo-Young was born with the given name "Ry", which is not a nickname.<ref name="auto"/> Her elder sister, Cade, was born in 1980, conceived from another donor. When she was young, her sperm donor, Thomas Haus Steel,<ref>Marin Independent Journal, Tuesday, 21 July 1998, Section B, p. 2</ref> a lawyer known for civil rights cases<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/tv/story/2021-10-10/nuclear-family-hbo-ry-russo-young-documentary-tom-steel|title=How this 'Nuclear Family' weathered HBO doc's 'terrifying' spotlight|date=11 October 2021|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> and a gay man,<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/24/magazine/growing-up-with-mom-and-mom.html|title=Growing Up With Mom and Mom|first=Susan|last=Dominus|date=24 October 2004|access-date=8 February 2022|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> and that of Cade sometimes vacationed with the family, "until those relationships ruptured"; in Russo and Young's view "it was a given that Steel would have no parental rights, although they made it clear he was welcome to visit the family and to get to know Ry and Cade", and when Steel sought permission to take Russo-Young to see his parents and grandmother, they refused, leading him to file for paternity.<ref name="auto3">{{Cite news|url=http://www.theguardian.com/theobserver/2004/nov/28/features.magazine137|title=I'll have to ask my mums, part two|first=Susan|last=Dominus|date=28 November 2004|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> In 1991, Steel sued Russo-Young's mothers for recognition as father and for immediate visitation, losing the initial judgement but winning on appeal to the State Supreme Court; he never enforced his right to visitation and only spoke with Russo-Young once more before his death from AIDS<ref name="auto"/> in 1998, aged 48; Russo-Young, having heard of his fatal illness, called him: "'He was high on medicine... saying, "I'm sorry, I loved you, I never meant to hurt you, I always wanted to be your father." But after going through the case, I was rolling my eyes. You know: "So now you want me to forgive you because you're on your deathbed?"... I mean, there was a time when I did care a lot about him... Not as a father - more like an icon of a man.'"<ref name="auto3"/> Steel's ''New York Times'' obituary, listing his partner and son, parents, and siblings, made no reference to Russo-Young.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/08/09/nyregion/thomas-steel-a-lawyer-known-for-civil-rights-cases-was-48.html|title=Thomas Steel, a Lawyer Known For Civil Rights Cases, Was 48|first=Holcomb B.|last=Noble|date=9 August 1998|access-date=8 February 2022|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> Russo-Young has explored her upbringing in her work, particularly in the 2021 three-part HBO documentary ''Nuclear Family''.<ref name="auto1">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/22/arts/television/nuclear-family-ry-russo-young.html|title=In 'Nuclear Family,' a Filmmaker Frames Herself|first=Alexis|last=Soloski|date=22 September 2021|access-date=8 February 2022|website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref> She attended [[Oberlin College]] and [[Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn)|Saint Ann's School]] in Brooklyn. As of 2019, she resided in [[Los Angeles]], California.<ref name=constellation>{{cite web|url=https://www.constellationmag.space/ry-russo-young|work=Constellation Magazine|title=Ry Russo-Young|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611105039/https://www.constellationmag.space/ry-russo-young|archive-date=June 11, 2019}}</ref>
== Early work == Her 2005 short film ''Marion'' won several awards including a Silver Hugo for Best Experimental Short at the [[Chicago International Film Festival]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://filmmakermagazine.com/16734-ry-russo-young-yon-wont-miss-me/ |title=Ry Russo-Young, ''You Won't Miss Me'' |work=[[Filmmaker (magazine)|Filmmaker Magazine]] |date=8 December 2010 |access-date=21 June 2020 |last=Smith |first=Damon}}</ref> Her first feature, ''Orphans'', won a special jury prize at [[South by Southwest]] in 2007.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sxsw.com/film/film_awards/past_winners |title=South By Southwest Film News | South by Southwest 2016 Music, Film and Interactive Festivals - Austin Texas |website=Sxsw.com |access-date=2016-04-14 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107024628/http://sxsw.com/film/film_awards/past_winners |archive-date=2010-01-07 }}</ref> Her films ''[[Nobody Walks]]'' and ''You Wont Miss Me'' appeared at the [[Sundance Film Festival]]. ''Nobody Walks'' won a special jury prize and was released by Magnolia Pictures in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.magpictures.com/nobodywalks/|title=Nobody Walks (Official Movie Site)|website=Magpictures.com|access-date=2016-05-31}}</ref> ''You Wont Miss Me'' won a [[Gotham Award]] for Best Film Not Playing at a Theater Near You. She also appeared as an actress in [[Joe Swanberg]]'s ''[[Hannah Takes the Stairs]]'' and Alex Ross Perry's ''[[The Color Wheel]].''
== Career == Russo-Young directed ''[[Before I Fall (film)|Before I Fall]]'', based on the book by [[Lauren Oliver]]. The film stars [[Zoey Deutch]], [[Halston Sage]], [[Logan Miller]], and [[Jennifer Beals]], and was released by Open Road Films in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/05/before-i-fall-open-road-cannes-wide-release-commitment-lauren-oliver-young-adult-novel-1201755928/|title=Open Road Falls Hard For 'Before I Fall;' Commits To Wide Release For Awesomeness Pic As Good Universe Shops Intl: Cannes|last=Fleming|first=Mike Jr. |date=2016-05-14|website=Deadline|language=en-US|access-date=2016-05-31}}</ref> ''[[Before I Fall (film)|Before I Fall]]'' premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in January 2017 and also had a special screening at the ''Next Wave 17 [[Toronto International Film Festival]]'' in February 2017.
Russo-Young's next feature as director is ''[[The Sun Is Also a Star]]'', adapted from [[Nicola Yoon]]’s novel of the same name. The film stars [[Yara Shahidi]], [[Charles Melton (actor)|Charles Melton]], and [[John Leguizamo]], and was co-produced by [[MGM]] and [[Warner Brothers]]. The film follows high school student Natasha Kingsely (Shahidi) who falls for Daniel Bae (Melton) the day before she is to be deported. It was released on May 17, 2019.
In 2018, Russo-Young directed three episodes of the [[Netflix]] original series ''[[Everything Sucks!]]'', as well as episodes of ''[[Sweetbitter (TV series)|Sweetbitter]]'', and [[Marvel Entertainment|Marvel]]'s ''[[Cloak & Dagger (TV series)|Cloak & Dagger]]''. More recent television work includes episodes of the HBO series ''[[And Just Like That]]'' and ''[[Shrinking (TV series)|Shrinking]]''.
In 2015, Russo-Young won a [[Creative Capital]] award for her film, ''The Family Movie''.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Creative Capital - Investing in Artists who Shape the Future|url=http://creative-capital.org/grantees/view/755/project:815|access-date=2016-11-17|website=creative-capital.org}}</ref> which evolved over several years into a 3-part documentary series. Released in 2021 on HBO, Russo-Young directed and appeared in the film, retitled ''[[Nuclear Family (TV series)|Nuclear Family]]''.<ref name=nuclear>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2021/09/nuclear-family-hbo-documentary-series-director-ry-russo-young-producer-dan-cogan-interview-news-1234842741/|title="Incredibly, Intimately Personal": 'Nuclear Family' Tells Story Of Lesbian Moms And Daughter Caught In Monumental Custody Battle|work=Deadline|first=Matthew|last=Carey|date=September 23, 2021|access-date=September 24, 2021}}</ref> The documentary explores the landmark custody dispute that hinged on the parental rights of her two mothers (a same-sex couple) and the interests of her biological father.<ref name=nuclear/> Russo-Young followed this with the 2025 documentary series on Hulu titled ''[[Call her Alex]]'' following podcaster and media personality Alex Cooper of the podcast ''[[Call Her Daddy]]''. The first episode premiered at the [[Tribeca Film Festival]] in June, 2025.
==Personal life== Russo-Young lives in Los Angeles with her husband Colin Spoelman, [[Yale University|Yale]]-educated co-founder and master distiller of the [[Kings County Distillery]] whisky manufacturer in Brooklyn, whom she married in 2014,<ref name="auto2"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vogue.com/article/ry-russo-young-colin-spoelman-wedding-kings-county-distillery-brooklyn|title=Ry Russo-Young and Colin Spoelman's Wedding in Brooklyn|date=30 July 2014|website=Vogue.com|access-date=8 February 2022}}</ref> and their two sons.<ref name="auto1"/>
== Awards == Russo-Young's You Wont Miss Me won a [[Gotham Award]] for Best Film Not Coming to Theater Near You. In 2022, [[Nuclear Family (TV series)|Nuclear Family]] was nominated for an [[Independent Spirit Award]], a [[GLAAD Media Award]], and a [[Peabody Award]] in 2021.
==Filmography== ===As director=== * 2025: ''[[Call Her Alex]]'' * 2023: ''[[Shrinking (TV series)|Shrinking]]'' (Episodes "Fortress of Solitude" and "Fifteen Minutes" * 2023: ''[[And Just Like That...]]'' (Episodes "February 14th" and "A Hundred Years Ago" * 2021: ''[[Nuclear Family (TV series)|Nuclear Family]]''<ref name=nuclear/> * 2021: ''[[Panic (TV series)|Panic]]'' (Episodes: "PANIC" and "HEIGHTS") * 2019: ''[[The Sun Is Also a Star]]'' * 2018: ''[[Cloak & Dagger (TV series)|Cloak & Dagger]]'' (Episode: "Princeton Offense") * 2018: ''[[Sweetbitter (TV series)|Sweetbitter]]'' (Episode: "Weird Night") * 2018: ''[[Everything Sucks!]]'' (Episodes: "What the Hell's a Zarginda?", "Sometimes I Hear My Voice", and "Cheesecake to a Fat Man") * 2017: ''[[Before I Fall (film)|Before I Fall]]'' * 2012: ''[[Nobody Walks]]'' * 2009: ''You Wont Miss Me'' * 2007: ''Orphans'' * 2005: ''Marion (Short)'' * 2003: ''Babes in Toyland (Short)''
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{IMDb name|1735543}}
{{Ry Russo-Young}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Russo-Young, Ry}} [[Category:1981 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Film directors from New York City]] [[Category:Saint Ann's School (Brooklyn) alumni]] [[Category:Oberlin College alumni]] [[Category:American women film directors]] [[Category:American television directors]] [[Category:American women television directors]] [[Category:21st-century American women]]