Silas Howard is an American director, scriptwriter and actor. His first feature film was By Hook or by Crookin 2001 with Harry Dodge, and he earned an MFA in directing at UCLA. He began directing episodes during the second season of Transparent, making him the show's first trans director.
Early life
Howard grew up in south Vermont. He arrived in San Francisco in the early 1990s. Howard played guitar for Tribe 8, a queerpunk rock band originating in the San Francisco area. In San Francisco, he and Harry Dodge, a former band member, opened Red Dora's Bearded Lady Café, where artists displayed their art.
2000s
In 2001, Howard and Harry Dodge again wrote, directed and acted in By Hook or by Crook. The film depicts the tale of two unlikely friends who commit petty crimes as they search for a path to understanding themselves and the outside world.
We totally home-schooled it, we made this feature film without having made a short or anything, because we're like, we have the urgent need to tell this story, to have these different faces on the screen."
Howard was the first trans director for Transparent. The creator Jill Soloway wanted trans directors to tell their own stories. He directed the episodes "Bulnerable", "When the Battle Is Over", and "Just the Facts". In September 2017's article in LGBT Weekly, one writer speaks of Howard as: "A man whose ability to synthesize the messy intersection between life and art seem apparent yet remarkable... whose many previous videos speak volumes about his talent behind a camera, creates authentic and organic visions that rely on the inherent tension between the ideal and the real. " As of early 2017, Howard had begun work on his third feature film A Kid Like Jake starring Claire Danes, Jim Parsons, Octavia Spencer and Transparent actress Amy Landecker. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2018. In June 2019, to mark the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, sparking the start of the modern LGBTQ rights movement, Queerty named him one of the Pride50 “trailblazing individuals who actively ensure society remains moving towards equality, acceptance and dignity for all queer people.
Seattle Lesbian & Gay Film Festival - 2001 / Award for excellence -Best female director: By Hook or by Crook, Best Narrative Feature By Hook or by Crook
L.A. Outfest 2001 / Grand Jury Award -Outstanding Screenwriting: By Hook or by Crook
