Rashad Frett
Rashad Frett | |
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| Born | Rashad Frett Hartford, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Education | New York University Tisch School of the Arts |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 2008–present |
Rashad Frett is an American director, filmmaker, and film professor. He won the 2025 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award in the U.S. Dramatic Competition for his debut feature film Ricky. His prior work includes TV pilot The Second District (2011) which garnered mention in the Wall Street Journal.
Frett currently lives in New York City and teaches college level directing and producing classes.[1]
Early life and career
Frett was raised between the U.S. Virgin Islands and Hartford.[2] He attended Hartford Public High School prior to joining the Army as a combat medic at the age of 17.[3] He served as a 9/11 first responder during his time in the Army.[4]
In 2009, he graduated from the communications program at Central Connecticut State University. Frett's first TV directing role was the result of introductions through CCSU professor and filmmaker Jeffrey Teitler, who also introduced him to two of his future co-producers on Ricky.[2][5] In addition to developing TV pilot The Second District, Frett spent several years between 2009 and 2016 working for a Connecticut nonprofit and filming documentaries of incarcerated parents,[6] then went on to attend New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, graduating in 2021.[4] At NYU, Frett made the short film K.I.N.G. (Kid In Need of Guidance) as well as a short film version of Ricky, the two of which received awards and recognition from BAFTA, Sundance, the Directors Guild of America, and programs funded by Spike Lee, Ryan Murphy, Martin Scorsese, and Cary Fukunaga.[6]
In 2023, Frett was signed by WME to develop short film Ricky, which he co-wrote with NYU classmate Lin Que Ayoung, into a feature. The short premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival in the Short Film program, and both Frett and Lin Que were selected for the festival's Screenwriter's Lab and Intensive to develop Ricky into a feature-length film.[7]
Of Ricky, Frett has described writing the script as "an act of revisiting memories" from his time in Hartford working with the families of incarcerated individuals, incorporating input from co-writer Lin Que Ayoung.[8] The film was self-distributed, which The Hollywood Reporter called "a radical release strategy" and "a new model for indie distribution," and its wider reception has included community engagement screenings including at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center men's prison.[9]
Frett has said that his creative inspirations and mentors include Spike Lee, Jeffrey Teitler, and Seith Mann, and that Kathryn Bigelow, Ernest Dickerson, the Safdie brothers, Alejandro González Iñárritu and works like City of God are additional influences.[2][6]
Filmography
Film
As director
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Thicker Than Water | short film |
| 2015 | Step Up | short film |
| 2016 | Homecoming | short film |
| 2017 | Prototype | short film |
| 2018 | K.I.N.G. | short film |
| 2020 | Polaroid Stories | short film |
| 2023 | Ricky | short film - 2023 Sundance Short Film program selection |
| 2025 | Ricky | 2025 Sundance U.S. Dramatic Competition selection; released in theaters April 2026 |
Television
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Second District | Director | Pilot |
| 2018 | Otis | Cinematographer | S1E1 "After the Party" |
References
- ↑ Jackson, Angelique (2025-01-25). "'Ricky' Filmmaker Rashad Frett on Developing His First Feature Through 3 Sundance Labs and the Best Advice Spike Lee Gave Him". Variety. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- 1 2 3 Tillman, Laura (2026-07-26). "How a CT filmmaker won at Sundance with Hartford-based feature". CT Mirror. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ Alexander, Reed. "How an Army combat medic pivoted to filmmaking, thanks in part to a Sundance program that fostered directors like Ryan Coogler and Chloe Zhao". Business Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- 1 2 Mayes, Leslie (2021-11-10). "'Somebody From Hartford Rose Above': Filmmaker Remembers His Roots". NBC Connecticut. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ Day, Cassandra (2026-02-04). "Hartford natives' film made in CT set to hit theaters next month after Sundance win". CT Insider. Retrieved 2026-08-20.
- 1 2 3 Rizov, Vadim (2023-09-20). "Rashad Frett". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2023-01-23). "WME Signs Rashad Frett; Agency Will Help Writer-Director's Sundance Short 'Ricky' To Become A Feature". Deadline. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ Jones, Okla (April 23, 2026). "'Ricky' Film Explores Accountability, And Life After Incarceration". Essence. Retrieved 2026-08-06.
- ↑ Canfield, David (2026-04-17). "Why Sundance Winner 'Ricky' Is Self-Distributing: 'We Refuse for You Not to See It'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2026-08-06.