Destin Daniel Cretton

Destin Daniel Cretton is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor. He is best known for writing and directing his second feature film, "Short Term 12."

Cretton was born in Haiku, Hawaii on the island of Maui, and lived there until he was 19 years old, when he moved to San Diego, California to attend Point Loma Nazarene University. After graduating, Cretton started working at a group home for at-risk teenagers while making short films as a hobby and later graduated from San Diego State University, where he attended film school. The short film that served as the basis of "Short Term 12" was his senior project.

Cretton's first short film, "Short Term 12," premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for U.S. Short Filmmaking. He wrote a feature-length adaptation of the short, which earned an Academy Nicholl Fellowship in 2010. Funding for the adaptation was difficult to procure, so Cretton wrote and directed his first feature-length film, "I Am Not a Hipster." The film was an official selection at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival, and helped get "Short Term 12" funded.

Cretton's second feature-length film, "Short Term 12," was heavily based on his original short film. It focuses on the employees of a small center for at-risk teenagers. The film received widespread critical acclaim and several awards.

Cretton has worked in collaboration with his sister, Joy Cretton, who has served as costume designer on both of his feature films and some of his shorts.