Daniel Straub is an award-winning Los Angeles–based director and producer with a recent hyperfixation on pencils. His work reflects a curiosity for process and detail, often finding creativity in unexpected places.
Please List the Title of Your Film at BIFF 2026
A SHORT DOCUMENTARY ABOUT A GIANT PENCIL
What was your first experience with film and how did it influence your first project?
It might not have been my very first experience with film, but it was the first time I saw “film” as something people could actually work on. Watching the behind-the-scenes DVD of Raiders of the Lost Ark, I saw all the different roles it took to make a movie happen. I fell in love with filmmaking—and without fully realizing it, documentary—through those bonus features.
Who are your favorite Filmmakers?
The Coens. Alex Garland. Denis Villeneuve.
What are you working on that no one knows about?
I run a specialty coffee shop with my friends called Good Taste.
Who would play you in a movie? What’s your go to movie snack? What’s the film title that best describes your life?
Play me in a movie: Ideally, the dog from Air Bud (1997).
Go-to movie snack: It’s too dark when I watch movies and I get distracted trying to eat (a whole pint of ice cream).
Film title that best describes my life: Sorry to Bother You.
