Tamra Davis

Davis participated in The Polygram Video’s program called No Alternative: A benefit for AIDS, education and relief which had a section in their program where multiple independent film directors created a series of short films. In this program, Tamra Davis directed a short film called No Alternative Girls which discussed gender inequality.

For the film CB4, Rupert Wainwright was originally asked to direct the film. Davis was their second choice after Wainwright turned the project down. According to Gwendolyn Audrey Foster, the comedy made fun of the seriousness and sexism of rap music videos while also taking a look at how Hollywood has misused African-American culture in the industry. Foster also examined that Davis was not part of the writing of this film. However, it was noted that she did add her own knowledge of music videos, rap, and politics into the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed difficulties Davis had with the production of the film. These difficulties included a limited time to film, the filming conditions due to the heat was difficult, and the script was changed often. The book also mentioned that Tamra Davis speaks highly of her time working on CB4. Foster wrote in her book, Women Film Directors: An International Bio-Critical Dictionary, that this film proved Davis’ skills as a comedy director.

Davis was born the second out of four children in Studio City, California. She was exposed to the media industry at an early age by her grandfather, a comedy writer, and her grandmother, who was an actress at Fox. Davis and her family constantly watched films and she aspired to become an actress. In the 11th grade, Davis dropped out of high school and met Egyptian film producer Ibrahim Moussa. Ibrahim took Davis to Italy for six months to work.

According to an article in The New York Times, Tamra Davis had trouble finding a good location for the Western for the film she was originally supposed to direct, Bad Girls (1994).

Many sources state that the studio disagreed with the feminist approach Davis was taking for the film Bad Girls (1994). According to multiple sources, many producers were in disagreement with what Davis wanted within the film. The book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break discussed the budget given was not enough to provide Davis with the equipment she needed. In the end, Davis was replaced with director Jonathan Kaplan. With the new director, the script was rewritten and the earlier footage was abandoned.

Davis has been married to Mike D of the Beastie Boys since 1993, but they are legally separated. They have two children, Skyler and Davis.

Tamra Davis also directed Guncrazy (1992), a film which starred actor Drew Barrymore. This film was a remake of the 50s film Gun Crazy. Many books and articles have stated that her film had similar elements to Bonnie and Clyde . Christina Lane stated in her book Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break acknowledged the mixed reviews for Davis' film. Lane wrote that some thought the film was too violent and others said the violence was necessary for the story she was telling. When asked about the violence of the film Davis said she did it because she wanted a strong emotional reaction from the audience. In the book, Feminist Hollywood: From Born in Flames to Point Break, Davis expressed that she was not cautious when it came to her audiences’ emotions. Davis stated, “I wanted to say something about how our society abuses people and yet gives them violent possibilities to turn that abuse back onto society.” Before the production of the film, Davis researched reactions teenagers had to sexual abuse. Davis said that she also looked at how a teenage girl’s everyday life changed after the abuse.

Tamra Davis (born January 22, 1962) is an American film, television and music video director.