Born in Riga, Latvia, Dan Kinber immigrated to the United States in 1993.

He graduated from Wesleyan University (2001) with BA in Computer Science and French Studies, which included the study of art history and literature in Paris, France. Dan has also studied classical piano since the age of five, which later influenced the subject of his short films.  After taking directing and cinematography courses at School of Visual Arts and New School University, Dan went on to receive an M.A. in Cinema Studies from New York University - Tisch School of the Arts (2005). 

In 2006, he wrote and directed “Audition” (2006), a film about an Israeli cellist’s agony before an important audition, as she’s torn between her career in New York and nostalgia for home.  Dan continued the music theme in a documentary “Countdown” (2009), trying to capture another musician’s anxiety before a critical step in her career, set against the background of a momentous presidential election.