Filmmaker Dee Rees is interested in telling socially conscious, character-driven stories that deal with concepts of identity and self-determination. Rees has written and directed several short films, most notably Pariah, which screened at over 40 festivals worldwide, including the 2008 Sundance Film Festival and won 25 “Best Short” awards. She expanded it into the feature-length Pariah about a lesbian teenager’s struggle with her identity. It premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Excellence in Cinematography Award.