Biography
DeShawn Holmes, known professionally as Shawn Holmes, was born on September 25, 1986, in Wheeling, West Virginia. He is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Holmes made his feature film debut with Memory Lane (2012), a science-fiction movie he wrote, directed, produced, and edited, which won several awards. Since 2011, he has held the distinction of being the youngest nominee ever for the West Virginia Filmmaker of the Year award. His directing style has drawn comparisons to David Fincher and Christopher Nolan, characterized by non-linear narratives and tightly controlled pacing.
Holmes was born to a sixteen-year-old single mother in Wheeling and grew up in Martins Ferry, Ohio. He attended The Linsly School in Wheeling before briefly enrolling at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where his mentor was actor and director Barry Primus.
For Memory Lane, Holmes managed all key creative roles and produced the film on a budget under three hundred dollars. The film premiered on May 6, 2012, at the Sci-Fi-London film festival in London, England. Inspired by his friend Michael Guy Allen’s return from military service in Afghanistan, Holmes shot the movie in Martins Ferry and Wheeling. Wild Eye Releasing handled distribution in North America, while Monster Pictures managed worldwide release.
In 2017, Holmes began editing work for actress Tasha Smith and producer Lee Daniels.
In April 2018, Holmes appeared on WTRF-TV to promote a fundraiser to start pre-production on his second feature, a crime thriller titled The Knife Salesman. The screenplay had been recognized as a finalist in the 2014 Script Pipeline 5th Great Movie Idea Contest.
