2013 New Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Members
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is extending invitations to join the organization to 276 artists and executives who have distinguished themselves by their contributions to theatrical motion pictures. Those who accept the invitations will be the only additions to the Academy's membership in 2013.
Source:
Academy Invites 276 to Membership
Beverly Hills, CA (June 28, 2013)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Also see:
New Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Members
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Board of Governors
2012–2013 2013–2014
Not found on IMDb:
Executives: [link=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5449317/hallett-head-fox-finances
]Dean C. Hallett[/link]
Members-at-Large: [link=http://www.yatedo.com/p/Lori+Furie/normal/a8639fc2df584a38d36e75d59c74936f
]Lori Furie[/link]
Public Relations: Theresa Cross
Public Relations: John G. Sabel
Associates: Markham L. Goldstein
Associates: Gregory S. Laemmle
Associates: Kimberly Snyder
Source:
Academy Invites 276 to Membership
Beverly Hills, CA (June 28, 2013)
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Also see:
New Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Members
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) Board of Governors
2012–2013 2013–2014
Not found on IMDb:
Executives: [link=http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/5449317/hallett-head-fox-finances
]Dean C. Hallett[/link]
Members-at-Large: [link=http://www.yatedo.com/p/Lori+Furie/normal/a8639fc2df584a38d36e75d59c74936f
]Lori Furie[/link]
Public Relations: Theresa Cross
Public Relations: John G. Sabel
Associates: Markham L. Goldstein
Associates: Gregory S. Laemmle
Associates: Kimberly Snyder
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Jason Bateman is an American film and television actor, known for his role as Michael Bluth on the television sitcom Arrested Development (2003), as well as his role on Valerie (1986).
He was born in Rye, New York. His father, Kent Bateman, from a Utah-based family, is a film and television director and producer, and founder of a Hollywood repertory stage company. His mother, Victoria Bateman, was born in Shropshire, England, and worked as a flight attendant. His sister is actress Justine Bateman. In 1981, at the age of 12, young Bateman made his debut on television as James Cooper Ingalls in Little House on the Prairie (1974): Uncle Jed, appearing in 18 more episodes in one season. Jason also appeared in the original Knight Rider with David Hasselhoff for the season three episode "Lost Knight" (aired Dec 1984) playing the character "Doug" who befriends Kitt when he loses his memory. In the mid-1980s, he became the DGA's youngest-ever director when he directed three episodes of Valerie (1986) at age 18. During the 2000s, Bateman's film career has been on soaring trajectory. In 2005, he won the Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series, Musical or Comedy, for Arrested Development (2003), and received other awards and nominations.
Bateman has been enjoying a happy family life with his wife, actress Amanda Anka (daughter of singer Paul Anka), with whom he has two children. The Batemans reside in Los Angeles, California.Actors: Jason Bateman – "Up in the Air," "Juno"- Actress
- Additional Crew
Miriam Colon was born on 20 August 1936 in Ponce, Puerto Rico. She was an actress, known for Scarface (1983), Sabrina (1995) and Goal! The Dream Begins (2005). She was married to Fred Valle, George Paul Edgar and ???. She died on 3 March 2017 in New York City, New York, USA.Actors: Miriam Colon – "City of Hope," "Scarface"- Actress
- Producer
- Director
This stunning and resourceful actress has been primarily a film player thus far. Only recently has she been opening herself up more to doing television (the series Gemini Division (2008), which she executive-produced), and animated voice-overs. Dawson's powerhouse talent stands out the most in edgy, urban filming that dates back to 1995 when she was only sixteen.
A rags-to-riches article entitled "Rosario Dawson: From Tenement to Tinseltown" probably says it all. Rosario was born on May 9, 1979 in New York City. Her mother, Isabel Celeste, of Puerto Rican and Afro-Cuban descent, is a singer, and her stepfather, who raised her, Greg Dawson, of Irish descent, is a construction laborer. Her parents, who married when both were teenagers, eventually divorced. Rosario and her younger brother, Clay Dawson, had it hard while growing up, and were cared for by family members, most of whom were poverty-stricken, and some of whom were HIV-positive.
Her career actually started as a child when she made a minor showing on the children's show, Sesame Street (1969). As the story goes, she was "discovered" as an adolescent on her front porch step by two photographers. One of them, Harmony Korine, was an aspiring screenwriter who thought the inexperienced sixteen-year-old was ideal for the controversial cult film Kids (1995), in which she would portray a sexually active adolescent. It took time for Rosario's film career to kick in after that, but by the late 1990s, she had nabbed several independent films. Since then, she has moved into main-stream hits (and misses) and has surprised viewers with her earthy, provocative, uninhibited approach to her roles.
Reflecting New York's tougher, tawdrier side as assorted streetwalkers, homeless mothers, drug addicts, etc., her film highlights have included Light It Up (1999), Edward Burns' Sidewalks of New York (2001), Spike Lee's 25th Hour (2002) and Shattered Glass (2003). For Oliver Stone, she portrayed the duped bride of Colin Farrell's famed B.C. Macedonian warrior, Alexander (2004) (as in "...the Great"), which featured a notoriously violent-tinged nude/sex scene.
Expanding her horizons beyond film, she has always expressed interest in singing. She hooked up with Prince for the re-release of his 1980s hit "1999" and appeared in The Chemical Brothers' video for the song "Out of Control" from the album "Surrender". She is also featured on the Outkast track, "She Lives in My Lap". On stage, she co-starred as Julia in a revival of "Two Gentlemen of Verona" at the Public Theater's "Shakespeare in the Park" and appeared in "The Vagina Monologues".
She lucked into and got to show off her singing chops in the film adaptation of the hit New York musical Rent (2005), when Daphne Rubin-Vega, the original Mimi, became pregnant and was unable to reprise her exotic dancer role. Rosario also appeared as a prostitute in the adaptation of the graphic novel Sin City (2005). Of late, she has turned to producing. One of those, Descent (2007), had her playing a college coed who is brutally attacked and raped by a fellow student. Her more popular ventures have thus far included the role of Valerie Brown in the live-action version of the comic strip Josie and the Pussycats (2001), the Will Smith starrer Men in Black II (2002), Eagle Eye (2008) with Shia LaBeouf and Seven Pounds (2008), again with Smith, in which she offered one of her more tender-hearted performances as a woman with a potentially fatal heart condition.
More recent millennium films opposite some of Hollywood's top leading movie men include the tense actioneer Unstoppable (2010) with Denzel Washington and Chris Pine; the comedy/fantasy Zookeeper (2011) opposite Dalekmania (1995); romantic dramedy 10 Years (2011) with Channing Tatum; crime drama Fire with Fire (2012) with Bruce Willis; romantic comedy Top Five (2014) with Chris Rock; and action adventure Zombieland: Double Tap (2019) with Woody Harrelson. She has also top-lined independent films with her own feisty characters such as the thriller Unforgettable (2017) and the title role in the dramedy Krystal (2017).
Focusing also on TV projects, Rosario has graced such action series/mini-series as Daredevil (2015), Iron Fist (2017) and The Defenders (2017), as well as the comedy Jane the Virgin (2014) and animated cartoon series The Last Kids on Earth (2019).
Off-camera, the still-single Dawson is highly active in political, social and environmental causes and has been involved with such organizations/charities/campaigns as the Lower East Side Girls Club, Global Cool, the O.N.E. Campaign, Oxfam, Amnesty International, Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, Control Arms, International Rescue Committee, Voto Latino (which she founded), Conservation International, Doctors Without Borders, National Geographic Society, The Nature Conservancy and Save the Children. In October 2008, she lent her voice to the RESPECT! Campaign, a movement aimed at preventing domestic violence.Actors: Rosario Dawson – "Rent," "Frank Miller's Sin City"- Actress
- Executive
- Soundtrack
Kimberly Elise was born on 17 April 1967 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. She is an actress and executive, known for Diary of a Mad Black Woman (2005), The Manchurian Candidate (2004) and John Q (2002). She was previously married to Maurice Oldham.Actors: Kimberly Elise – "For Colored Girls," "Beloved"- Actor
- Producer
- Writer
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt was born February 17, 1981 in Los Angeles, California, to Jane Gordon and Dennis Levitt. Joseph was raised in a Jewish family with his late older brother, Dan Gordon-Levitt, who passed away in October 2010. His parents worked for the Pacifica Radio station KPFK-FM and his maternal grandfather, Michael Gordon, had been a well-known movie director. Joseph first became well known for his starring role on NBC's award-winning comedy series 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996). During his six seasons on the show, he won two YoungStar Awards and also shared in three Screen Actors Guild Award® nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Comedy Series Ensemble.
Prior to his success on television, Joseph had already worked steadily in feature films. Early in his career, he won a Young Artist Award for his first major role, in Robert Redford's drama A River Runs Through It (1992). During the 1990s, he also co-starred in the films Angels in the Outfield (1994), The Juror (1996), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), a well-reviewed slasher sequel, and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999), opposite Heath Ledger, which has become a teen comedy classic.
Following his work on 3rd Rock, Joseph took time off from acting to attend Columbia University. In the early 2000s, he broke from the mold of his television and film comedy supporting roles by appearing in a string of intense dramatic parts, mostly in smaller, independent films, such as Manic (2001), with Don Cheadle; Mysterious Skin (2004), for writer/director Gregg Araki; Rian Johnson's award-winning debut, dramatic thriller Brick (2005) (2005); Lee Daniels' Shadowboxer (2005); the crime drama The Lookout (2007), which marked Scott Frank's directorial debut; John Madden's Killshot (2008), with Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke; Spike Lee's World War II film Miracle at St. Anna (2008); and the controversial drama Stop-Loss (2008), in which he starred with Ryan Phillippe, under the direction of Kimberly Peirce. By 2009, Joseph was officially established as one a new generation of leading men with his Golden Globe-nominated role in Marc Webb's comedy-drama 500 Days of Summer (2009), also starring Zooey Deschanel , for which he received Golden Globe, Independent Spirit Award and People's Choice Award nominations. He also adapted the Elmore Leonard short story Sparks (2009) into a 24-minute short film that he directed, which screened at the Sundance Film Festival.
Beginning the new decade, he headlined the indie drama Hesher (2010) and established himself as an action star in Christopher Nolan's Inception (2010), also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Marion Cotillard and Elliot Page. Balancing both independent and Hollywood film, Joseph scored another Golden Globe nod for the cancer drama 50/50 (2011), directed by Jonathan Levine and also starring Seth Rogen, Anna Kendrick, and Bryce Dallas Howard. He worked again with director Nolan on The Dark Knight Rises (2012), the third and final installment in the director's Batman series, for which he received a People's Choice Award nomination for Favorite Movie Actor; and snagged leading roles in both Premium Rush (2012), directed by David Koepp, and Looper (2012), reuniting with his Brick director, Rian Johnson, opposite Bruce Willis and Emily Blunt. Rounding out the year, he played Abraham Lincoln's son Robert in Steven Spielberg's Oscar-nominated Lincoln (2012), with Daniel Day-Lewis and Sally Field.
In 2013, Gordon-Levitt starred in his critically-acclaimed feature film directorial debut, Don Jon (2013), from a script he wrote, opposite Scarlett Johansson and Julianne Moore. He was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for "Best First Screenplay" for the film. He also provided the voice of Jiro Horikoshi in the 2014 English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's Academy Award-nominated animated feature The Wind Rises (2013), and appeared in Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller's Sin City: A Dame to Kill For (2014), in which he played Johnny, a character Miller created for the film. In 2015, he starred in The Walk (2015), directed by Robert Zemeckis, and in which he portrayed Philippe Pettit, and in 2016 headlined Oliver Stone's Snowden (2016).
Joseph has completed production on Project Power (2020), Henry Joost/Ariel Schulman sci-fi film for Netflix, in which he stars opposite Jamie Foxx, and on the independent thriller, 7500 (2019), written and directed by Patrick Vollarth. Among his other projects, he will play attorney Richard Schultz in Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and is in development on a variety of feature films including Fraggle Rock.
Joseph has also founded and directs hitRECord, an open collaborative production. hitRECord creates and develops art and media collectively using their website where anyone with an internet connection can upload their records, download and remix others' records, and work on projects together. When the results of these RECords are produced and make a profit, hitRECord splits the profits 50/50 with everybody who contributed to the final production. hitRECord has published books, put out records, gone on tour and has screened their work at major festivals including Sundance and TIFF. The half-hour variety program, "Hit Record on TV with Joseph Gordon-Levitt," which includes short films, live performances, music, animation, conversation and more, earned an Emmy Award for Creative Achievement in Interactive Media - Social TV Experience. hitRECord's project, "Band Together with Logic," is a one-hour YouTube Originals special that sees Grammy-nominated rapper Logic open up his creative process like never before, inviting the world to collaborate with him on an original song and music video.
In 2016, the ACLU honored Gordon-Levitt with their annual Bill of Rights Award for furthering diversity efforts, promoting free speech, empowering women and otherwise supporting civil rights and liberties for all Americans.Actors: Joseph Gordon-Levitt – "Lincoln," "The Dark Knight Rises"- Actor
- Writer
- Director
Deadpan comedian Charles Sydney Grodin (originally Grodinsky) was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania of Russian/Polish ancestry and raised in a Jewish orthodox home. He attended the University of Miami but dropped out, opting instead for the life of a struggling actor. The movie A Place in the Sun (1951) was said to have steered him towards his chosen profession. In his own words: "It was two things. One is I think I developed an overwhelming crush on Elizabeth Taylor. And two, Montgomery Clift made acting look like 'Gee, well that looks pretty easy - just a guy talking.'".
After a spell with Uta Hagen (1956-59), he attended Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio before making his stage debut on Broadway in 1962. Though he appeared on screen from as early as 1954, Grodin did not make a great deal of headway in this medium until he attracted critical notice playing the small but crucial role of obstetrician Dr. C.C. Hill in Rosemary's Baby (1968). More substantial roles soon followed. His first major starring turn was in The Heartbreak Kid (1972), a black comedy written by Neil Simon and directed by Elaine May. Grodin managed to inject charm and humanity in what was essentially an egotistical central character. Film reviewer Roger Ebert praised his performance, describing the actor as a "kind of Dustin Hoffman-as-overachiever", an opinion which was echoed by Vincent Canby of the New York Times. Ironically, Grodin had earlier turned down the pivotal role in The Graduate (1967) which propelled Hoffman to stardom (he also -- probably unwisely -- spurned the role of oceanographer Matt Hooper in Jaws (1975) which instead went to Richard Dreyfuss).
Grodin's ultimate breakthrough came on the Broadway stage in "Same Time Next Year" (1975) (opposite Ellen Burstyn), a hugely successful romantic comedy about two people, each married to someone else, who conduct an extramarital affair for a single day over the course of 24 years in the same room of a northern Californian inn. Though the two leads left the show after seven months, Grodin was now much sought-after in Hollywood as a droll comic actor and cast in a string of hit comedies: Heaven Can Wait (1978), Seems Like Old Times (1980), The Lonely Guy (1984) and Midnight Run (1988). He also appeared to sterling effect in the underrated farce The Couch Trip (1988), in which he co-starred with Walter Matthau and Dan Aykroyd as the brittle psychiatrist and radio host Dr. George Maitlin. Arguably his most popular box office success was opposite the titular Saint Bernard canine in the family-oriented comedy Beethoven (1992). Despite less than enthusiastic critical reviews, the film was a hit with audiences, grossed $147.2 million worldwide and spawned a sequel.
In the mid-1990s, Grodin reinvented himself as a television host (The Charles Grodin Show (1995)) and political commentator. He made frequent guest appearances on talk shows with Carson or Letterman, typically adopting the persona of a belligerent tongue-in-cheek character to facilitate "comically uncomfortable situations on the set". Grodin was also a prolific author, both of fiction and non-fiction. An autobiography was entitled "It Would Be So Nice If You Weren't Here: My Journey Through Show Business" (1989). Charles Grodin died at age 86 of bone marrow cancer on May 18, 2021 at his home in Wilton, Connecticut.Actors: Charles Grodin – "Midnight Run," "The Heartbreak Kid"- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Rebecca Hall was born in London, England, the daughter of Peter Hall, a stage director and founder of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Maria Ewing, an opera singer. Her father was English. Her mother, who is American, is of Dutch and African-American origin. Her parents separated when she was still young, and they divorced in 1990. She has a half-brother, Edward Hall, who is a theatre director, and four other half-siblings, including theatre designer Lucy Hall, veteran TV drama producer Christopher Hall, and Jennifer Caron Hall, a writer and painter.Actors: Rebecca Hall – "Iron Man 3," "The Town"- Actor
- Producer
- Additional Crew
An intense, versatile actor as adept at playing clean-cut FBI agents as he is psychotic motorcycle-gang leaders, who can go from portraying soulless, murderous vampires to burned-out, world-weary homicide detectives, Lance Henriksen has starred in a variety of films that have allowed him to stretch his talents just about as far as an actor could possibly hope. He played "Awful Knoffel" in the TNT original movie Evel Knievel (2004), directed by John Badham and executive produced by Mel Gibson. Henriksen portrayed "Awful Knoffel" in this project based on the life of the famed daredevil, played by George Eads. Henriksen starred for three seasons (1996-1999) on Millennium (1996), Fox-TV's critically acclaimed series created by Chris Carter (The X-Files (1993)). His performance as Frank Black, a retired FBI agent who has the ability to get inside the minds of killers, landed him three consecutive Golden Globe nominations for "Best Performance by a Lead Actor in a Drama Series" and a People's Choice Award nomination for "Favorite New TV Male Star".
Henriksen was born in New York City. His mother, Margueritte, was a waitress, dance instructor, and model. His father, James Marin Henriksen, who was from Tønsberg, Norway, was a boxer and merchant sailor. Henriksen studied at the Actors Studio and began his career off-Broadway in Eugene O'Neill's "Three Plays of the Sea." One of his first film appearances was as an FBI agent in Sidney Lumet's Dog Day Afternoon (1975), followed by parts in Lumet's Network (1976) and Prince of the City (1981). He then appeared in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977) with Richard Dreyfuss and François Truffaut, Damien: Omen II (1978) and in Philip Kaufman's The Right Stuff (1983), in which he played Mercury astronaut Capt. Wally Schirra.
James Cameron cast Henriksen in his first directorial effort, Piranha II: The Spawning (1982), then used him again in The Terminator (1984) and as the android Bishop in the sci-fi classic Aliens (1986). Sam Raimi cast Henriksen as an outrageously garbed gunfighter in his quirky western The Quick and the Dead (1995). Henriksen has also appeared in what has developed into a cult classic: Kathryn Bigelow's Near Dark (1987), in which he plays the head of a clan of murderous redneck vampires. He was nominated for a Golden Satellite Award for his portrayal of Abraham Lincoln in the TNT original film The Day Lincoln Was Shot (1998).
In addition to his abilities as an actor, Henriksen is an accomplished painter and potter. His talent as a ceramist has enabled him to create some of the most unusual ceramic artworks available on the art market today. He resides in Southern California with his wife Jane and their five-year-old daughter Sage.Actors: Lance Henriksen – "Aliens," "The Terminator"- Actor
- Soundtrack
Jack Alexander Huston is a British actor. He appeared as Richard Harrow in the HBO television drama series Boardwalk Empire. He also had a supporting role in the 2013 film American Hustle, portrayed the eponymous Ben-Hur in the 2016 historical drama, and appeared as one of the main characters in the fourth season of the FX anthology series Fargo (2020).Actors: Jack Huston – "Not Fade Away," "Factory Girl"- Actress
- Producer
- Director
Milla Jovovich is a Ukrainian-American actress, supermodel, fashion designer, singer and public figure, who was on the cover of more than a hundred magazines, and starred in such films as The Fifth Element (1997), Ultraviolet (2006), and the Resident Evil (2002) franchise.
Milica Bogdanovna Jovovich was born on December 17, 1975 in Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now in Ukraine). Her Serbian father, Bogdan Jovovich, was a medical doctor in Kyiv. There, he met her mother, Galina Jovovich (née Loginova), a Russian actress. At the age of 5, in 1981, Milla emigrated with her parents from the Soviet Union, moving first to London, UK, then to Sacramento, California, and eventually settled in Los Angeles. There her parents worked as house cleaners for the household of director Brian De Palma. Her parents separated, and eventually divorced, because her father was arrested and spent several years in prison.
Young Milla Jovovich was brought up by her single mother in Los Angeles. In addition to her native Ukrainian, she also speaks Russian and English. However, in spite of her cosmopolitan background, Milla was ostracized by some of her classmates, as a kid who emigrated from the Soviet Union amidst the paranoia of the Cold War. Many emotional scars had affected her behavior, but she eventually emerged as a resilient, multi-talented, albeit rebellious and risk-taking girl. She was coached by her actress mother since her childhood, first at home, then studied music, ballet, and acting in Los Angeles.
She shot to international fame after she was spotted by the photographer Richard Avedon at the age of 11, and was featured in Revlon's "Most Unforgettable Women in the World" advertisements, and on the cover of the Italian fashion magazine 'Lei' which was her first cover shoot. She made her first professional model contract at the age of 12, and soon made it to the cover of 'The Face', 'Vogue', 'Cosmopolitan' and many other magazines. In 1994, she appeared on the cover of 'High Times' in the UK, at the age of 18. The total number of her magazine covers worldwide was over one hundred by 2004, and keeps counting. In 2004, she made $10.4 million, becoming the highest paid supermodel in the world.
Milla appeared in ad campaigns for Chanel, Versace, Emporio Armani, Donna Karen, DKNY, Celine, P&K, H&H, and continues her role as the worldwide spokesperson and model for L'Oreal. Thanks to their continued success with Milla, Giorgio Armani chose her to be the face of his fragrance, Night. In addition to Armani's fragrance, Milla was the face for Calvin Klein's Obsession and Christian Dior's Poison for over 10 years and has most recently become the new face for Donna Karan's Cashmere Mist fragrance, which debuts in August 2009. Milla continues to shoot with the fashion industry's most sought after photographers, including Peter Lindbergh, Mario Sorrenti, Craig McDean and Inez & Vinoodh.
Milla made her acting debut in the Disney Channel movie The Night Train to Kathmandu (1988) and she made guest appearances on television series including Married... with Children (1987) (in 1989 as a French exchange student), Paradise (1988) and Parker Lewis Can't Lose (1990). In 1988, at age 12, she made her film debut credited as Milla in a supporting role in Two Moon Junction (1988) by writer/director Zalman King. During the 1980s and early 1990s, she played several supporting roles as a teenage actress in film and on television, then starred in Return to the Blue Lagoon (1991). In 1997, she co-starred opposite Bruce Willis in the sci-fi blockbuster The Fifth Element (1997), then she starred as the title character of The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc (1999).
In the early 2000s, Milla had a few years of uncertainty in her acting career due to the uneven quality of her films, as well as some hectic events in her private life. She appeared with Mel Gibson in Wim Wenders' The Million Dollar Hotel (2000) which premiered at the Berlin Film Festival. She went on to co-star with Wes Bentley and Sarah Polley in The Claim (2000) and in Ben Stiller's spoof of the world of models and high-fashion, Zoolander (2001).
Milla achieved box office success in the U.S. and around the world with the action-packed thriller, Resident Evil (2002), based on the wildly popular video game, Resident Evil. It was written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson. Milla reprised her role as the zombie slaying heroine, Alice, in Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), Resident Evil: Extinction (2007), Resident Evil: Afterlife (2010), Resident Evil: Retribution (2012), and again in Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (2016) A seventh resident Evil movie is in pre-production.
She received glowing reviews opposite Oscar-winner Adrien Brody and Illeana Douglas in Dummy (2002) which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival. In the spring of 2006, Milla returned to the big screen as action heroine, Violet, in the futuristic film Ultraviolet (2006) directed by Kurt Wimmer.
Focusing on her personal sense of style, her love of fashion led Milla and her friend and business partner, Carmen Hawk, to launch their Jovovich-Hawk clothing line, which achieved instant acclaim in the domestic and international fashion world. The fresh, unique line garnered the attention of red carpet watchers and fashion magazines, including American Vogue, who featured Jovovich-Hawk on their coveted list of "10 Things to Watch Out for in 2005." A student of voice and guitar since she was very young, Milla began writing songs for her first record at the age of 15.
Her first album, "The Divine Comedy", was released by EMI Records in 1994. Informed by her experiences as a child growing up as a Russian emigrant in the Red-bashing Reagan era, the introspective European-folkish debut drew favorable reviews for Milla's songwriting and performing. She continues to write music, and has had songs featured on several film soundtracks. She has been writing music and lyrics to her song-demos, playing her guitar and sampling other sounds from her computer, and allowing free download and remix of her songs from her website.
Charitable work also plays a major part in Milla's life. She has served as Master of Ceremonies and co-chaired with Elizabeth Taylor for the amfAR and Cinema Against AIDS event at the Venice Film Festival, and has been heavily involved with The Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, as well as The Wildlands Project.
For many years Milla Jovovich has been maintaining a healthier lifestyle, practicing yoga and meditation, trying to avoid junk food, and cooking for herself. Since she was a little girl, Milla has been writing a private diary, a habit she learned from her mother. She has been keeping a record of many good and bad facts of her life, her travels, her relationships, and all important ideas and events in her career, planning eventually to publish an autobiography. After dissolution of her two previous marriages, Milla Jovovich became engaged to film director Paul W.S. Anderson; their daughter, Ever Anderson, was born on November 3, 2007. They got married on August 22, 2009. Their second daughter, Dashiel Edan, was born on April 1, 2015.Actors: Milla Jovovich – "Resident Evil," "Chaplin"- Actress
- Director
- Producer
Born to immigrants in New York City, Lucy Liu has always tried to balance an interest in her cultural heritage with a desire to move beyond a strictly Asian-American experience. Her mother, Cecilia, a biochemist, is from Beijing & her father, Tom Liu, a civil engineer, is from Shanghai. Once relegated to "ethnic" parts, the energetic actress is finally earning her stripes as an across-the-board leading lady.
She graduated from Stuyvesant High School in 1986 & enrolled in NYU. However, she was discouraged by the dark and sarcastic atmosphere, so she transferred to the University of Michigan after her freshman year. She graduated w/ a degree in Asian Languages & Cultures, managing to squeeze in some additional training in dance, voice, fine arts & acting. During her senior year, she auditioned for a small part in a production of Alice in Wonderland and walked away with the lead. Encouraged by the experience, she decided to take the plunge into professional acting. She moved to L.A., splitting her time between auditions & food service day jobs. She eventually scored a guest appearance as a waitress on Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990). That performance led to more walk-on parts in shows like NYPD Blue (1993), ER (1994) & The X-Files (1993). In 1996, she was cast as an ambitious college student on Rhea Perlman's ephemeral sitcom Pearl (1996).
She first appeared on the big screen as an ex-girlfriend in Jerry Maguire (1996) (she had previously filmed a scene in the indie Bang (1995), but it was shelved for 2 years). She then waded through a series of supporting parts in small films before landing her big break on Ally McBeal (1997). She initially auditioned for the role of Nelle Porter, which went to Portia de Rossi. However, writer-producer David E. Kelley was so impressed w/ her that he promised to write a part for her in an upcoming episode. The part turned out to be that of growling, ill-tempered lawyer Ling Woo, which she filled w/ such aplomb that she was signed on as a regular cast member.
The "Ally" win gave her film career a much-needed boost-in 1999, she was cast as a dominatrix in the Mel Gibson action flick Payback (1999) & as a hitchhiker in the ill-received boxing saga Play It to the Bone (1999). The following year brought even larger roles: first as the kidnapped Princess Pei Pei in Jackie Chan's western Shanghai Noon (2000), then as one-third of the comely crime-fighting trio in Charlie's Angels (2000).
When she's not hissing at clients or throwing well-coiffed punches, she keeps busy w/ an eclectic mix of off-screen hobbies. She practices the martial art of Kali-Eskrima-Silat (knife-and-stick fighting), skis, rock climbs, rides horses &plays the accordion. In 1993, she exhibited a collection of multimedia art pieces at the Cast Iron Gallery in SoHo (New York), after which she won a grant to study & create art in China. Her hectic schedule doesn't leave much time for romantic intrigue, but she says she prefers to keep that side of her life uncluttered.Actors: Lucy Liu – "Kill Bill: Vol. 1," "Chicago"- Music Artist
- Producer
- Actress
Jennifer Lynn Lopez was born on July 24, 1969 in The Bronx, New York City, New York to teacher Lupe López and computer specialist David López. The two Puerto Ricans were brought to the continental United States during their childhoods and eventually met while living in New York City. Their daughters would have a stable, middle-class upbringing.
Jennifer always dreamed of being a multi-tasking superstar. As a child, she enjoyed a variety of musical genres, mainly Afro-Caribbean rhythms like salsa, merengue, and bachata, and mainstream music like pop, hip-hop, and R&B. Although she loved music, the film industry also intrigued her. Her biggest influence was the Rita Moreno musical, West Side Story (1961). At 5, Jennifer began taking singing and dancing lessons. Aside from being a budding entertainer, Jennifer was also a Catholic schoolgirl, attending eight years at a Catholic elementary school named Holy Family, located in The Bronx, before graduating from all-girls prep school Preston High School after a four-year stay. At school, Jennifer was an amazing athlete and participated in track and field and tennis. She spent most of her upbringing in a two-story house in the Castle Hill neighborhood.
At 18, Jennifer moved out of her parents' home. After high school, she briefly worked in a law office and took dance classes at night. During this time, she continued dance classes at night. Her big break came when she was offered a job as a fly girl on Fox's hit comedy In Living Color (1990). After a two-year stay at In Living Color (1990) where actress Rosie Perez served as choreographer, Lopez then went on to dance for famed singer-actress Janet Jackson. Her first major film was Gregory Nava's My Family/Mi familia (1995), and her career went into overdrive when she portrayed late Tejana singer Selena in Selena (1997).Actors: Jennifer Lopez – "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "Selena"- Actress
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Alma is an American Mestiza actor born in Monclova, Coahuila, Mexico.
Her debut in Luis Valdez's American film classic Zoot Suit launched a prolific film and television career that in 2013 led to her induction into the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Shortly after Zoot Suit, Australian director Fred Schepisi cast her in his American film debut Barbarosa with Willie Nelson and Gary Busey. This performance was followed by Under Fire with Gene Hackman, Nick Nolte, Ed Harris, and Jean-Louis Trintignant, Born in East L.A. with Cheech Marin, Ballad of a Soldier with Luis Valdez, Trial by Terror with Martin Landau and Kay Lenz, For Greater Glory with Andy Garcia and Oscar Isaac, Dollie Dearest with Rip Torn, Strike One with Danny Trejo, Crossing Over with Harrison Ford and Ray Liotta, Stevie D with Hal Linden, Cake with Jennifer Aniston and Adriana Barraza, The Darkness with Kevin Bacon and Paul Reiser, Transpecos with Clifton Collins Jr. and Gabriel Luna, and Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice with Kevin Costner and Henry Cavill, among others. Most recently, Alma's active film work includes the Sundance Grand Jury awarding winning film Clemency with Alfre Woodard and Wendell Pierce, Ms. Purple directed by Justin Chon, Don't Say No directed by "SJ" Main Muñoz, Getting From Here with Alejandro Patiño, El Portafolio with Juan Carlos Cantu and Albert Hammond Jr., Only In Dreams with Miles Anderson, Family Cena with Jeff Meacham and Diana Elizabeth Torres and the role of Josie in the upcoming The Answer to My Prayers with Vannessa Vasquez, Chris Kattan, Luis Fonsi and Executive Produced by Edward James Olmos. She voiced roles in the award-winning documentaries Maria's Story, The Panama Deception (Oscar Best Documentary), 500 Nations, and Food Chains.
Her extensive television performances include her memorable work as Lupe Ladera in the two season run of Netflix's Gentefied. Other roles include the Peabody Award winning drama, The Bridge where she played drug cartel leader and series villain Graciela Rivera. Other television series work includes the role of Gabriela Luna in Bosch: Legacy, Rosario in Undone, Lady Yolanda in Elena of Avalor, and Rocio Trujillo in The Terror. Her TV movies include the role of Anna Alcala the mother of the title character in Dating Game Killer with Guillermo Diaz, Robert Knepper and directed by Peter Medak, Sequin with Edward James Olmos and Henry Darrow, Sister of the Bride with Michael Gross, as well as the Peabody Award winning musical-drama, Corridos: Tales of Passion & Revolution with Linda Ronstadt and directed by Luis Valdez. Additional series appearances include, The Rebel, My Name Is Dick, Queen Sugar, Vampirina, MacGyver, Strange Angel, The Last Man on Earth, Good Behavior, Grey's Anatomy, American Crime Story: The People vs O.J. Simpson, Rake, Welcome to the Family, The Unit, Nash Bridges, Twilight Zone, St. Elsewhere, and Sergeant Elizabeth Cruz in 19 episodes of The New Adam 12
A consummate stage actor, Alma has performed on Broadway, Off Broadway, regional theatre and Mexican and European stages. In 2023, the Connecticut Critics Circle awarded her "Outstanding Featured Actress in a Play" for her work in Yale Repertory Theatre's production of Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles. She was discovered as a stage actress by Luis Valdez, founder and Artistic Director of El Teatro Campesino, one of the most influential political theatre groups of the 1960's and 70's. She has been the lead actress in many of his most important projects: a collaboration that has spanned over 40 years. Alma made her Broadway debut in In the Summer House directed by Joanne Akalaitis and featuring Dianne Wiest, Frances Conroy and Liev Schreiber, in a performance that garnered her excellent reviews. Her Off Broadway work includes Greencard at the Joyce Theatre. She has performed in theatre venues that include the Mark Taper Forum, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center Theatre, Pasadena Playhouse, Berkeley Repertory, Asolo Theatre, San Jose Repertory, Sundance Theatre Institute, San Diego Repertory, The Repertory St. Louis, Santa Cruz Shakespeare Festival, South Coast Repertory, Arizona Theatre Company, Pennsylvania Stage, Eureka Theatre, Long Beach Civic Light Opera, San Diego Repertory Theatre, Teatro Juan Ruiz De Alarcón (Mexico City), Teatro Calderon (Zacatecas, Mexico), Teatro Antico Greco (Taormina, Italy), Castello Sforesco (Milan, Italy), Festival De Sant Arcangelo (Italy), Teatro Romano (Fiesolo, Italy), Oktoberfest (Munich, Germany) and Neiuwe Scene (Antwerp, Belgium), among others.
She is represented by Avi Simon at Rectangle Entertainment. See lessActors: Alma Martinez – "Born in East L.A.," "Under Fire"- Actress
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British actress Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer was born in Hammersmith, London, England, to writer and barrister Sir John Mortimer and his second wife, Penelope (née Gollop). She was educated at St Paul's Girls' School in West London, and it was whilst there she began acting. Mortimer moved on from school to Lincoln College, Oxford University, where she studied English Literature and Russian, and spent two terms at the Moscow Arts Theater Drama School, studying acting.
While appearing in an Oxford University student production, Mortimer was spotted by a TV producer who cast her in an adaptation of Catherine Cookson' s The Glass Virgin (1995). She made her feature film debut in 1996 alongside Val Kilmer in The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). Roles in various projects have followed, including Elizabeth (1998), Love's Labour's Lost (2000), Match Point (2005), Lars and the Real Girl (2007), Shutter Island (2010) and Hugo (2011).
During the making of Love's Labour's Lost (2000), Mortimer met her husband Alessandro Nivola. The couple have two children, Sam Nivola and May Nivola.Actors: Emily Mortimer – "Hugo," "Lars and the Real Girl"- Actress
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Sandra Oh was born to Korean parents in the Ottawa suburb of Nepean, Ontario, Canada. Her father, Oh Junsu, a businessman, and her mother, Oh Young-Nam, a biochemist, were married in Seoul, Korea. They both attended graduate school at the University of Toronto. Sandra began her career as a ballet dancer and eventually studied drama at the National Theatre School in Montreal. She then starred in a London (Ontario) stage production of David Mamet's "Oleanna" and appeared as the title character in the Canadian television production The Diary of Evelyn Lau (1994), beating out over 1,000 applicants. Her list of awards includes the FIPA d'Or for Best Actress at the 1994 Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels at Cannes, France, two Genie Awards (the Canadian Oscar), a Cable Ace Award, a Theatre World Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In 2003, she married writer-director Alexander Payne and their first film together was the Oscar-winning Sideways (2004).Actors: Sandra Oh – "Rabbit Hole," "Sideways"- Actress
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Paula Patton was born in Los Angeles, California, to Joyce (Vanraden) and Charles Patton. Her father is African-American and her mother, who is caucasian, has German, English, and Dutch ancestry. Her family lived across the street from the 20th Century Fox lot when she was growing up and she was a fan of films from her earliest years. Her mother, who also appreciated good films, was a schoolteacher, and her father was a lawyer. Paula claims that as a girl she would escape by "pretending to be someone else" so it was not a surprise that she acted in high school plays at Hamilton Magnet Arts High School. Her favorite role was that of "Abigail" in "The Crucible". However, she went on to study film at the University of Southern California in a summer program, and won a 3-month assignment making documentaries for PBS. This led to her working as a production assistant for TV documentaries, and also for Howie Mandel's talk show. She progressed to actually producing documentary segments for Medical Diaries (2000) airing on Discovery Health Channel. Paula now professes that she liked what she was doing, but her dream remained the same as when she was small so she took acting lessons and shifted gears to become a performer. She was almost immediately successful and, within three years, had played parts in major features, Hitch (2005) and Idlewild (2006) and the female lead in Deja Vu (2006) opposite Denzel Washington.Actors: Paula Patton – "Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol," "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire"- Actor
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Michael Peña was born and raised in Chicago, to Nicolasa, a social worker, and Eleuterio Peña, who worked at a button factory. His parents were originally from Mexico. After graduating from high school, he went to an open casting call for the Peter Bogdanovich feature To Sir, with Love II (1996), and to his surprise, beat out hundreds of other young men for a role. After relocating to Los Angeles Peña quickly booked a succession of roles in features including Star Maps, My Fellow Americans (1996) (opposite Jack Lemmon and James Garner), La Cucaracha (1998) (winner of the Best Picture in the Austin Film Festival), Bellyfruit (1999), and the Disney/Jerry Bruckheimer feature Gone in 60 Seconds (2000). Michael resides in Los Angeles, where he plays bass guitar with his band, plays golf, and boxes for relaxation.Actors: Michael Peña – "End of Watch," "Crash"- An only child, Emmanuelle was born Paulette Germaine Riva in Cheniménil, but eventually grew up in Remiremont. Her mother, Jeanne Fernande Nourdin, was a seamstress. Her father, René Alfred "Alfredo" Riva, was a sign writer. Her paternal grandfather was Italian. She dreamed of becoming an actress since she was six, so that the entire world would take notice of her. This ambition was, however, to be met with firm opposition from her own family. Emmanuelle's father, a strict disciplinarian to whom the word "actress" was basically a synonym for "prostitute", disapproved of her way of thinking, since it clashed with the simple values he wished to pass on to her. Emmanuelle felt great affection towards her parents, but, at the same time, was under the impression that they couldn't really understand what she wanted. A bit of a tomboy and a rebel in her schooldays, she showed little interest in studying, but always directed her passion towards acting, appearing in every year-end play. In her early 20's, Emmanuelle was to find out the true meaning of nervous depression. Having completed the seamstress apprenticeship she had started at age 15, she eventually resigned herself to take up this profession, also discouraged by the thought that, in a city like Remiremont, the only possible alternative was to become a hairdresser. The sense of boredom that was weighing her down actually got so devouring that sewing sort of became the only form of escape from the horror of her everyday reality. But luckily, things were soon to change for the better. The day Emmanuelle discovered the announcement of a contest at the Dramatic Arts Centre of Rue Blanche was the day she found the courage to stand up to her parents and state that she would have traveled to Paris to become an actress. Having finally understood the depth of her sadness, her family couldn't oppose her wishes any longer, so, on the 13th May of 1953, she arrived in Paris.
At the Rue Blanche contest, Emmanuelle auditioned in front of one of the leading actors and directors of the Comédie-Française, the great Jean Meyer. She acted one scene from "On ne badine pas avec l'Amour" by Alfred de Musset. Meyer and the other acting teachers in the jury were just mesmerized by her performance and immediately realized that they had found the next big thing. It goes without saying that Emmanuelle was awarded a scholarship and Meyer himself decided to take her as his own pupil. At 26, Riva was too old to enter the French National Academy of Dramatic Arts, but she soon got her big break anyway, since French stage pillar René Dupuy cast her in a production of George Bernard Shaw's "Arms and the Man". Her next theatrical credits were "Mrs.Warren's Profession" (Shaw), "L'espoir" (Henri Bernstein), "Le dialogue des Carmélites" (Georges Bernanos), Britannicus (Jean Racine), "Il seduttore" (Diego Fabbri). Emmanuelle's small screen debut was in a 1957 episode of the history program Énigmes de l'histoire (1956), "Le Chevalier d'Éon". In the program, she played the Queen of England opposite Marcelle Ranson-Hervé as the cross-dressing knight in the service of the French crown. 1958, on the other hand, was the year that saw her first film appearance, an uncredited role in the Jean Gabin movie The Possessors (1958). The following year would, however, mark a turning point in her career. Emmanuelle was starring in the Dominique Rolin play "L'Epouvantail" at the "théatre de L'Oeuvre" in Paris when one night she found a visitor in her dressing room. His name was Alain Resnais and he was a young director responsible for a few shorts and documentaries (including the Holocaust-themed masterpiece Night and Fog (1956)). He was apparently looking for the female lead of his first feature film, Hiroshima Mon Amour (1959), based on a script by the great author, Marguerite Duras. Having seen a picture of Riva in a playbill of the production she was starring in, Resnais had immediately urged to see her. Without promising her anything, the director just asked Emmanuelle if he could take a few photos of her, so that he would have later shown them to Duras for a response. In addition to this, he also invited her at his place where he filmed her reciting some lines from "Arms and the Man". When he brought Duras the material, the author set her eyes on Emmanuelle's melancholic, enigmatic expression and immediately realized that they had found the one they were looking for. "Hiroshima Mon Amour" turned out to be one of the most acclaimed and representative movies of the French New Wave and launched both Resnais and Riva's careers in full orbit. Being somehow familiar with a sense of captivity, Emmanuelle gave an incredibly personal and involving performance as the unnamed heroine of the movie, and it was one that came straight from her heart. Playing an actress from Nevers who develops a love affection towards a Japanese architect (Eiji Okada) while filming an anti-war movie in Hiroshima, Emmanuelle helped modernizing acting and female figures in film through an intimate, almost minimalistic woman portrayal that was quite unlike anything else that had been seen on the silver screen to that moment. Speaking her character's thoughts through a great deal of voice-over that could give the viewer constant access to her mind (making for an unusual amount of psychological introspection) , she was able to masterfully translate every last one of these feelings to subtle facial expressions whose richness and eloquence made her face the mirror of the compex soul she was baring before the camera. Combining this heartfelt approach with a refined diction that could perfectly deliver Duras' deep, existentialist lines of dialogue, she gave the world a new type of heroine who, while set apart by a distinctive intellectual charm, remained very humanly relatable. This ground-breaking acting was greatly praised by the critics of the time who were most open to innovation, including some that later became masters of revolutionary cinema themselves. Jean-Luc Godard stated: "Let's take the character played by Emmanuelle Riva. If you ran into her on the street, or saw her every day, I think she would only be of interest to a very limited number of people. But in the film she interests everyone. For me, she's the kind of girl who works at the "Editions du Seuil" or for "L'Express", a kind of 1959 George Sand. A priori, she doesn't interest me, because I prefer the kind of girl you see in [Renato] Castellani's film. This said, Resnais has directed Emmanuelle Riva in such a prodigious way that now I want to read books from "Le Seuil" or "L'Express"." This was Éric Rohmer's take on Riva's 'Elle': " She isn't a classical heroine, at least not one that a certain classical cinema has habituated us to see, from David Griffith to 'Nicholas Ray'." Jacques Doniol-Valcroze summed her up this way: "She is unique. It's the first time that we've seen on the screen an adult woman with an interiority and a capacity for reasoning pushed to such a degree. Emmanuelle Riva is a modern adult woman because she is not an adult woman. She is, on the contrary, very childlike, guided by her impulses alone and not by her ideas." And Jean Domarchi commented that "In a sense, Hiroshima is a documentary on Emmanuelle Riva." The phenomenal intelligence and dramatic intensity of Emmanuelle's performance made "Elle" one of the most indelible characters in film history: however, while Duras' screenplay received an Oscar nomination, her star-making turn was sadly overlooked by the Academy. At least she won the "Étoile de Cristal" (the top film award in France between 1955 and 1975, given by the "Académie française" and later replaced by the César) for Best Actress for her work in the movie.
One year later, Emmanuelle was known as a major talent and, consequently, plenty of directors from different nationalities were knocking at her door. She followed her Hiroshima success with two acclaimed turns in Le huitième jour (1960) and Recours en grâce (1960). In addition to playing these leading roles for French cinema, a scene-stealing Riva was also seen as Simone Signoret's feisty friend in Antonio Pietrangeli's excellent Adua e le compagne (1960) and gave the standout performance in Gillo Pontecorvo's superb Kapo (1960) as a Jewish prisoner in a concentration camp. Enter 1961: another year, another career highlight. Emmanuelle was cast opposite Jean-Paul Belmondo in Jean-Pierre Melville's ground-breaking (and shocking for its time) Léon Morin, Priest (1961). In the movie, Riva's Barny, an atheist widow, and Belmondo's Morin, a young and seductive priest, develop a deep, theological relationship with strong sexual implications. Melville cast Emmanuelle thinking that she possessed the kind of intellectual eroticism the character needed and decided to demean her appearance as much as possible by having her dressed in the plainest clothes, so that Barny's major appeal would have been the cultural vivacity shining through her beautiful facial features. Riva and Belmondo's performances turned out to be outstanding and the film, against all odds, ended up being a big success. Riva next appeared in Climats (1962), the first (and only) feature film of TV writer and director Stellio Lorenzi, the man behind celebrated history programs such as La caméra explore le temps (1957) and its immediate predecessor, "Énigmes de L'Histoire", where Emmanuelle had done her screen debut. Adapting André Maurois' novel, Lorenzi hired Emmanuelle seeing her great interpretative sensitivity as being close to the nature of the character she would have played in the movie, also starring Jean-Pierre Marielle and Marina Vlady. In the story, Marielle is torn between sacred and profane love, leaving Vlady's vain and frivolous Odile for Riva's kind and good-hearted Isabelle. The same year, Emmanuelle scored another huge personal triumph as the title heroine of Georges Franju's Therese (1962). Her performance as François Mauriac's ill-fated 20th century Emma Bovary was a true masterpiece of psychological introspection: she perfectly captured all the key traits of the character at once, making her vulnerability coexist with her spirit of rebellion and her desire for freedom go along with a strong sense of self-destruction. Emmanuelle's work in the movie won her enormous raves and a sacred, unanimous Volpi Cup at Venice Film Festival. For the rest of the 60's (her golden period), Emmanuelle kept playing leading roles in French and Italian movies alike and also kept expanding her work to the TV medium. She found excellent, showcasing roles both in Thomas the Impostor (1965) (where she was directed by Franju for the second and last time) and in the lovely comedy The Hours of Love (1963) where she enjoyed a very unusual kind of wedding to Ugo Tognazzi. The third segment of Io uccido, tu uccidi (1965) paired her for the first time with Jean-Louis Trintignant. In this story of "Amour Fou", Riva plays a woman willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to save Trintignant's character, a man undeserving of her affection. Some TV work the actress did in this decade deserves to be noted as well. She reprised the role of Thérèse Desqueyroux in La fin de la nuit (1966), a dark and crepuscular adaptation of the Mauriac novel of the same name. This sequel follows Thérèse as she relocates to Paris where she has nothing to do but waiting for death to come. The TV play La forêt noire (1968), a fictionalized retelling of the relationship between Brahms and the Schumanns, featured another remarkable Riva performance, and so did Caterina (1963), which saw her taking on the role of Caterina Cornaro.
Going into the 70's and 80's, it wasn't easy for Emmanuelle to keep replicating the impact of her early performances and, while she always played leading roles in her native France, the majority of her movies didn't have a great international resonance. Misguided productions like Fernando Arrabal's I Will Walk Like a Crazy Horse (1973) proved totally unworthy of her talent. Like her contemporaries Delphine Seyrig, Bernadette Lafont, Bulle Ogier and Edith Scob, she liked to pick alternative, anti-mainstream projects, stating that she had no interest in doing things that had already been done before. In this period, she declined countless roles because she found them too traditional and, as a direct consequence of this, most directors stopped making her any more offers. Between 1982 and 1983 she was served with another couple of meaty parts to sink her teeth into. The first was in Marco Bellocchio's The Eyes, the Mouth (1982) (an underrated sequel of sorts to Fists in the Pocket (1965)) as the mother of Lou Castel, here taking on the role of Giovanni, the actor who had supposedly played Alessandro in the classic movie. The second was in Philippe Garrel's poignant Liberté, la nuit (1984) where she was paired with the director's father, the glorious actor, Maurice Garrel. In the subsequent years, Emmanuelle always found work in respectable productions, with the great director occasionally calling her for a project of superior quality (like Krzysztof Kieslowski's Three Colors: Blue (1993)) but the great roles seemed to be way behind her by now. In 2008, she had a nice cameo in A Man and His Dog (2008), a French remake of Umberto D. (1952) which reunited her with her "Léon Morin, prêtre" co-star, Jean-Paul Belmondo. Riva briefly appears in the movie as a gentle lady who meets Belmondo's character -not coincidentally- in a church. She was soon to enjoy, however, an incredible and unforeseen career renaissance.
In 2010, Emmanuelle was cast in Michael Haneke's latest movie, Amour (2012). The script managed as well to get Jean-Louis Trintignant out of retirement and frequent Haneke collaborator Isabelle Huppert also got on board for the ride. Haneke had written the script with precisely Trintignant in mind, but hadn't already thought of a specific actress to play the leading female role. The director had greatly admired Emmanuelle's performance in "Hiroshima Mon Amour", but wasn't much familiar with her subsequent work. Still, a recent photo of hers lead him to think that she would have been believable as Trintignant's wife and decided to audition her along with a few other actresses her age. It soon became obvious that she was the best choice in the world. The Austrian director's most recent masterpiece follows Georges (Trintignant) and Anne (Riva), a long time married couple whose life changes drastically when she suffers a stroke. An incredibly deep reflection about the two most important components of life, love and death, Haneke's heartbreaking movie took Cannes film festival by storm, making obvious from the day it was screened that no other film had the slightest possibility to win the Golden Palm. A fundamental part of "Amour"'s success were of course the immense central performances of its two leads. Jury president Nanni Moretti would have liked to give "Amour" the main festival prize along with top acting honors for its two veteran stars, but unfortunately a festival rule forbids to give any other major award to the Golden Palm winner. Moretti was displeased by this, but he still managed to find a way to recognize Trintignant and Riva's work. Although the Best Actor Award went to Mads Mikkelsen for The Hunt (2012) and the Best Actress Award was given to Cosmina Stratan and Cristina Flutur for Beyond the Hills (2012), the Golden Palm which the director was awarded was given alongside a special mention to the film's leads for their indispensable work. All three were invited on the stage to make an acceptance speech: it was one of the highest honors a thespian could ever dream of. Although Haneke remains the only official recipient of the Palm, Riva and Trintignant were, in spirit, the big acting winners of the 65th edition of the prestigious film festival. But the love for "Amour" wasn't to end here. After it amazed the audience at Toronto film festival, it became clear that the film would have done this over and over while getting screened all around the globe. Further accolades for the movie came at the end of November, when it scored an impressive four wins at the European Film Awards (Picture, Director, Actor and Actress). In the following weeks, Emmanuelle also racked up a good share of critic awards in America, including wins from major groups such as the National Society of Film Critics. On Oscar nominations day, Emmanuelle's performance was recognized along with the movie, its director and its screenplay. Having traveled to New York to attend the 2013 National Board of Review awards (where Amour had been named "Best Foreign Language Film"), Emmanuelle was still there when, bright and early, her room neighbors' jubilation cheers told her that she had been nominated. In great humbleness, she stated that she didn't expect it because 'there's plenty of talented people everywhere'. Shortly after, she also added a BAFTA to her mantle. After her triumph, Culture and communication Minister Aurélie Filippetti complimented Emmanuelle on her charisma and on the quality of her performance and stated that she would have defended France's colors at the upcoming Oscars. Emmanuelle's next appointment was with an overdue first César. After receiving a well-deserved standing ovation, she made a very beautiful and moving speech, quoting Von Kleist and paying homage to Maurice Garrel. A couple of days later she attended the Oscars and eventually failed to win the award, but this couldn't change the fact that she had made history already. Having always been in possession of one of cinema's most expressive faces, being equally effective with her physical language and having displayed unsurpassable courage and honesty in portraying the deterioration of Anne's body and soul, Emmanuelle gave a performance that went beyond every linguistic barrier and strongly touched and affected everyone who saw it. Her stunning work is for the ages.
Having hit such a high note near the end of her film career, it seems only natural that Emmanuelle did the same thing on the Parisian stage shortly after, scoring a new triumph in Didier Bezace's production of Marguerite Duras' play "Savannah Bay", which marked her theatrical return after a 13 years absence. Acting a text of the celebrated author who had penned the movie which had simultaneously given her immediate fame and screen immortality was the most inspired way to bring her exceptional career to full circle. Duras had written the part (originally performed by Madeleine Renaud) on the condition that only an actress no longer in the spring of youth would have played it: disregarding this wish would have been a mistake, but it must be added that no other actress in the same age range and associated with the author could have been an equally perfect choice. Wearing that slightly absent look loaded with a mixture of vulnerability and melancholy that only she can do so effectively, the actress reached- for the few, privileged ones who witnessed this new achievement- some basically unmatchable levels of heartbreak, repeating several times the words 'mon amour' to such an involving and powerful effect no one else could have produced. The actress stated that she would have probably refused to ever return to the stage hadn't she been offered this part. And her choice was, once again, a winning one. Emmanuelle kept working regularly for the next two years-- shooting films and doing poetry recitals all around Europe-- until she died on the 27 January 2017 after a secret battle with cancer. As profoundly devastating as the news of this artistic and human loss were, the world had to salute with utmost admiration a woman who, true to her formidable spirit, always lived a life that was determined by the choices she wanted.
Now, considering that she won her first audience by acting one scene from "On ne badine pas avec l'Amour" in front of her future mentor, got her international consecration by playing the leading role in "Hiroshima Mon Amour" and rose from her ashes with her superlative work in "Amour", one can conclude that the word Amour is most definitely a good luck charm to Emmanuelle Riva.Actors: Emmanuelle Riva – "Amour," "Hiroshima, Mon Amour" - Actor
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Jason Francesco Schwartzman is an American actor and musician. Schwartzman made his film debut in Wes Anderson's 1998 film Rushmore, and has gone on to appear in seven other Anderson films: The Darjeeling Limited (2007), Fantastic Mr. Fox (2009), Moonrise Kingdom (2012), The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), Isle of Dogs (2018), The French Dispatch (2021) and Asteroid City (2023). His other film roles include Spun (2003), I Heart Huckabees (2004), Marie Antoinette (2006), and Klaus (2019). Schwartzman starred in the television series Bored to Death (2009-11) and appeared in the fourth season of the FX anthology series Fargo (2020). He was an executive producer on the Amazon Prime show Mozart in the Jungle (2014-18), a series he also acted in. Schwartzman has released three albums through his solo project Coconut Records, having previously been drummer in the rock band Phantom Planet.Actors: Jason Schwartzman – "Moonrise Kingdom," "Rushmore"- Geno Silva was born on 20 January 1948 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He was an actor, known for A Man Apart (2003), 1941 (1979) and Scarface (1983). He was married to Pamela Phillips. He died on 9 May 2020 in Los Angeles, California, USA.Actors: Geno Silva – "Mulholland Drive," "Amistad"
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Danny Trejo was born Dan Trejo in Echo Park, Los Angeles, to Alice (Rivera) and Dan Trejo, a construction worker. A child drug addict and criminal, Trejo was in and out of jail for 11 years. While serving time in San Quentin, he won the lightweight and welterweight boxing titles. Imprisoned for armed robbery and drug offenses, he successfully completed a 12-step rehabilitation program that changed his life. While speaking at a Cocaine Anonymous meeting in 1985, Trejo met a young man who later called him for support. Trejo went to meet him at what turned out to be the set of Runaway Train (1985). Trejo was immediately offered a role as a convict extra, probably because of his tough tattooed appearance. Also on the set was a screenwriter who did time with Trejo in San Quentin. Remembering Trejo's boxing skills, the screenwriter offered him $320 per day to train the actors for a boxing match. Director Andrey Konchalovskiy saw Trejo training Eric Roberts and immediately offered him a featured role as Roberts' opponent in the film. Trejo has subsequently appeared in many other films, usually as a tough criminal or villain.
Trejo is of Mexican descent.Actors: Danny Trejo – "Machete," "Heat"- Actor
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At one point in time, Chris Tucker was the highest-paid actor in Hollywood.
Tucker was born in Atlanta, Georgia, to Mary Louise (Bryant) and Norris Tucker, who owned a janitorial service. After graduating from high school, Tucker made a change to move to Hollywood from Georgia to pursue a career in show business. He found himself a frequent guest on the Def Comedy Jam (1992). Tucker was noted for doing exceptionally "clean", non-vulgar stand-up comedy routines. Tucker states his inspirations for comedy are Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor.
Tucker made his film debut in House Party 3 (1994), along side stars such as Bernie Mac, Marques Houston, and Khandi Alexander. In 1995 Tucker appeared in one of his most notable and hilarious films, Friday (1995), alongside Ice Cube. Tucker's character, Smokey, was a drug addict who was an energetic and outlandish person. Films such as Friday (1995) showed Tucker's television-comedy styling was very different from his stand-up. In 1995, Tucker also appeared in in another film, Dead Presidents (1995).
In 1997 was the busiest year of Tucker's career. He starred in three hit movies all in the same year: The Fifth Element (1997), Money Talks (1997), and Jackie Brown (1997).
In 1998, Tucker got a role to star along-side Jackie Chan. The movie was Rush Hour (1998) and it grossed more than $200 million worldwide. This resulted in two additional sequels, Rush Hour 2 (2001) and Rush Hour 3 (2007). In 2006, Tucker got a deal on his Rush Hour 3 (2007) contract that paid $25 million, making him the highest-paid actor in Hollywood at that time.
In 2001, Tucker also was in a music video with friend, pop legend Michael Jackson, in the music video, "You Rock My World."Actors: Chris Tucker – "Silver Linings Playbook," "Rush Hour"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Editorial Department
Luca Bigazzi was born on 9 December 1958 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He is a cinematographer, known for The Great Beauty (2013), This Must Be the Place (2011) and Youth (2015).Cinematographers: Luca Bigazzi – "This Must Be the Place," "Certified Copy"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Benoit was born in Nanterre in the west suburb of Paris in 1961 and spent his childhood in Cherbourg, in Normandy. He started to study cinema in 1980 at the Paris Sorbonne University and at the Ecole Louis Lumiere where he specialized in cinematography mentored by Robert Bresson's favorite camera operator.
Benoit's early breakthrough as a director of photography came with the movie he shot for the Vietnamese director Tran Anh Hung « The Scent of Green Papaya », a poetic recreation of the 1950's Saigon entirely shot on stage in Paris. The film won the Camera d'Or Award in Cannes Film Festival and an Academy Award nomination for best foreign film. Following that success, Benoit re-teamed with the same director for «Cyclo »,a violent tale of contemporary Vietnam all shot in the busy streets of Ho Chi Minh City and was awarded a Golden Lion in Venice Film Festival by president of the jury Abbas Kiorastami.
Since then Benoit established himself as a very international cinematographer. He loves nothing more than jumping from one universe to another.
« The Loss of Sexual Innocence », a fearless collage of bold images shot in three weeks in three different countries on Ektachrome for Academy Award winning director Mike Figgis was Benoit's first English speaking movie quickly followed by « The Winslow Boy », a very painterly adaptation of an Edwardian play directed by David Mamet. Then a biopic of the scandalous Marquis de Sade during the french Revolution directed by Benoit Jacquot ( « Sade » ) followed by a ghost story in the streets of Tapei with revered Taiwanese director Tsai Ming Liang ( « What Time is it There » ). An adaption of Shakespeare's « Merchant of Venice » starring Al Pacino and Jeremy Irons shot in a dilapidated Venice back lot in Luxembourg followed by a brutal and extremely stylish western shot in the Australian Outback, written by Nick Cave and directed by John Hillcoat ( « The Proposition » ) A love story between Jude Law and Juliette Binoche directed by Academy award winner Anthony Minghella and set in London's Kings Cross new development ( « Breaking and Entering » ) followed by a tragic love story between the son of a concentration camp's commander and a Jewish boy ( « The Boy in Striped Pyjamas » ) A very experimental film adapted from Oscar Wilde's « Salome » directed by Al Pacino. Al directs and acts with Jessica Chastain and Benoit helps him to mix abruptly the play and real life in a small stage in Los Angeles followed by a post 9-11 spy story adapted from a John Le Carré's novel and shot in the warehouses of Hamburg's harbor and directed by the legendary dutch photographer Anton Corbijn and starring Philipp Seymour Hoffman ( « A Most Wanted Man » ) A biopic of the cosmologist Stephen Hawking fighting with motor neuron disease shot on the campus of Cambridge University and directed by Academy Award winning director James Marsh and starring Eddie Redmayne who won an Oscar for best actor for this performance ( « The Theory of Everything » ) followed by the last two years of the life of Vincent Van Gogh shot entirely handheld by Benoit in Provence under the direction of the « painter director » Julian Schnabel. Willem Dafoe plays Vincent and gets and academy award nomination for best actor ( At Eternity's Gate ). Benoit is also developing a parallel career as a painter. His first show « My Hollywood » opened in New York in march 2017.Cinematographers: Benoît Delhomme – "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas," "The Proposition"- Cinematographer
Simon Duggan was born in Wellington, New Zealand. He is a cinematographer, known for The Great Gatsby (2013), Hacksaw Ridge (2016) and I, Robot (2004).Cinematographers: Simon Duggan – "The Great Gatsby," "Killer Elite"- Cinematographer
- Producer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Greig Fraser was born on 3 October 1975 in Melbourne, Australia. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for Dune (2021), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and Zero Dark Thirty (2012). He is married to Jodie Fried. They have three children.Cinematographers: Greig Fraser – "Zero Dark Thirty," "Snow White and the Huntsman"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Soundtrack
Jonathan Freeman was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He is known for Game of Thrones (2011), 3 Body Problem (2024) and Defending Jacob (2020).Cinematographers: Jonathan Freeman – "Remember Me," "Fifty Dead Men Walking"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Greg Gardiner was born in New York, New York, USA. He is known for Repo Man (1984), Race to Witch Mountain (2009) and Men in Black II (2002).Cinematographers: Greg Gardiner – "Race to Witch Mountain," "Elf"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Additional Crew
Eric Gautier was born on 2 April 1961 in Paris, France. He is a cinematographer, known for Into the Wild (2007), The Motorcycle Diaries (2004) and Ash Is Purest White (2018).Cinematographers: Eric Gautier – "Into the Wild," "The Motorcycle Diaries"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Production Manager
Agnès Godard was born on 29 May 1951 in Dun-sur-Auron, Cher, France. She is a cinematographer and production manager, known for Beau Travail (1999), Home (2008) and Wings of Desire (1987).Cinematographers: Agnès Godard – "Sister," "Beau Travail"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Born in Barcelona in 1981, Edu Grau is one of the youngest members of the American Society of Cinematographers. He is mostly known for his adaptable and beautiful style in very different movies such as A single man, Buried, The gift, Suffragette, Boy Erased, The Way Back and Passing as well as some European art-house like Honor de Cavalleria and Quién te cantará.
Edu (short for Eduard) specialized in Cinematography at ESCAC in Barcelona and the NFTS in London, before making his first feature as a director of photography at 23, Honor de Cavalleria, that was selected in Cannes Film Festival 2006. In 2008 Tom Ford felt in love with his reel and brought him to the US to shoot his big break A Single Man. Edu was 27. The movie, named by Vice one of the ¨30 most beautiful movies of all time¨, changed Edu's career and put him in the Global map of Cinematographers. He has worked since with some of the biggest stars and talents in the planet, with the likes of Nicole Kidman, Ryan Reynolds, Carey Mulligan, Meryl Streep, Lady Gaga, Ben Affleck, Emily Blunt, Penelope Cruz, Micheal Fassbender, Tessa Thompson, Rebecca Hall, David Oyelowo, Joel Edgerton, Charlize Theron, Sam Rockwell, Margot Robbie, Ruth Negga and Michelle Williams to name a few.
His range of directors is equally impressive, ranging from art-house cult auteurs like Albert Serra and Carlos Vermut to powerful visual powerhouses like Tom Ford, Gavin O'Connor and Sarah Gavron combined with actors turned directors like Joel Edgerton and Rebecca Hall. Throughout his work, he has shown an impressive capability to adapt to the director's visual language while keeping a strong beautiful style that supports the performance of the actors.
Edu Grau won the Bronze Frog at Camerimage 2011 for his cinematography of Buried, as well as being nominated for the Goya, Gaudí and CECC Awards. He was selected in Competition at Camerimage for his films A single man, Suffragette and A single shot and Animals. He was nominated for a Goya and a Gaudí Award for Quién te cantará, as well as winning the CECC Award in 2019. He combines features films with TV series and commercials.
Passing, his latest film by Rebecca Hall with Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp and Alexander Skarsgârd premiered in Sundance 2021 and was bought by Netflix, that is planning to release the B&W 4:3 movie in the awards season.Cinematographers: Eduard Grau – "Buried," "A Single Man"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Jess Hall was born on March 16, 1971 in England. He is known for his work on Hot Fuzz (2007), Grindhouse (2007), The Spectacular Now (2014), Ghost In The Shell (2017) and WandaVision (2021). He attended Saint Martins School of Art and New York University where he studied film and fine art. Hall states; 'I grew up experiencing two very different kinds of light. The Caribbean light is intense, powerful and high contrast. And on the other hand, there was the soft, silver-gray light of northern Europe. Much of my work exists in this tension between these two sensibilities'.Cinematographers: Jess Hall – "The Spectacular Now," "Brideshead Revisited"- Cinematographer
- Editor
- Director
Born in Berlin (West), Fred Kelemen studied painting, music, philosophy, science of religions and theatre sciences and worked in different theatres as a director's assistant before he began his studies at the German Film & TV Academy Berlin (dffb) in 1989. Since that time, he has made a number of films and videos as director and collaborated as Director of Photography and Cameraman with several film directors like Béla Tarr (Utazás az Alföldön (1995), The Man from London (2007), The Turin Horse (2011)), Gisa Schleelein (Tatau Samoa (2000)) and Gariné Torossian (Stone Time Touch (2007)). In 2000 and 2001 he directed several plays at different theaters in Germany. Since 1995 he is working as a guest lecturer at the Centre of Cinematographic Studies of Catalania (C.E.C.C.) in Barcelona/Spain, at the School of Visual Arts (ESBAG) in Geneva/Switzerland, at the Latvian Cultural Academy (LKA) in Riga, at the Tel Aviv University, at the Film and TV Academy Berlin (dffb), at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Lyon etc. Retrospectives of his work had been presented in Lisbon/Portugal, Belgrade/Yugoslavia, Cambride/U.S.A, Athens/Greece, Brussels/Belgium, Oslo/Norway, Hannover/Germany, New York City/U.S.A., Buenos Aires/Argentina, Berlin/Germany, Barcelona/Spain, Bern/Switzerland, Ankara/Turkey, London/England, Potsdam/Germany, Bankok/ThailandHamburg/Germany. Fred Kelemen is member of the European Film Academy, the German Film Academy and the European Culture Parliament.Cinematographers: Fred Kelemen – "The Turin Horse," "The Man from London"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Ping Bin Lee was born in 1954 in Taiwan. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for In the Mood for Love (2000), The Assassin (2015) and Crosscurrent (2016).Cinematographers: Mark Lee Ping Bing – "Norwegian Wood," "In the Mood for Love"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Reed Morano was born on April 15, 1977 in Omaha, Nebraska, USA. She is known for directing and executive producing the pilot as well as episodes 2 & 3 of 'The Handmaid's Tale' (2017) and directing the feature film, 'Meadowland' (2015), which she also served as her own DP on. She also did double duty as director/DP on her second feature, 'I Think We're Alone Now' (2018). As a cinematographer, Reed is known for her work on Lemonade (2016), the Oscar nominated feature 'Frozen River' (2008) and 'The Skeleton Twins' (2014).Cinematographers: Reed Morano – "Little Birds," "Frozen River"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Oleg Mutu was born on 22 July 1972 in Kishinyov, Moldavian SSR, USSR [now Chisinau, Moldova]. He is a cinematographer and producer, known for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007), Miracle (2021) and In Bloom (2013).Cinematographers: Oleg Mutu – "Beyond the Hills," "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Actor
Alex Nepomniaschy was born in 1955 in Moscow, Russian SFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is a cinematographer and actor, known for Narc (2002), Never Been Kissed (1999) and The Americans (2013).Cinematographers: Alex Nepomniaschy – "Narc," "Safe"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Director of Photography Christian Sebaldt is a member of the American Society of Cinematographers, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and the Visual Effects Society. He has compiled 40 feature film credits, with seven theatrical releases: "Resident Evil: Apocalypse", "Starship Troopers 2", & "Crossover" (all Columbia TriStar), "Feardotcom" (Warner Brothers), "Race to Space" & "Bratz" (both Lionsgate) & "The Dark" (Miramax). His latest feature films are "REAGAN" and "On A Wing And A Prayer" (MGM/Amazon), to be released in 2023. He has photographed over 175 television episodes (over 100 for Jerry Bruckheimer TV, 26 for Shondaland) and also commercials, music videos, network promos, TV movies and documentaries. In 2010 he received a Primetime EMMY Award and an ASC nomination for his work on "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". Other awards include a Silver Clio, Art Director's Club Gold and a Kodak Vision Award for Outstanding Achievements in Cinematography.Cinematographers: Christian Sebaldt – "Resident Evil: Apocalypse," "Race to Space"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Seresin B.S.C., A.S.C., has lensed a number of notable features with big-name directors. He collaborated with Michael Bay on Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and on Pain and Gain. He shot Marc Forster's World War Z starring Brad Pitt (sharing credit with Robert Richardson, A.S.C.), and Tony Scott's Unstoppable for which he was nominated for the Satellite Award for Best Cinematography. The movie starred Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. More recently, Seresin worked with Doug Liman on 2021's Chaos Walking starring Daisy Ridley and Tom Holland, 2021's Godzilla vs. Kong featuring Alexander Skarsgard and Millie Bobby Brown, and Niki Caro's upcoming feature, The Mother, starring Jennifer Lopez and Ralph Fiennes, set to debut in May 2023. He's currently filming the sequel to Godzilla vs. Kong.
Seresin grew up in New Zealand and moved to the UK to pursue his dream in film. He built a stellar reputation in the commercial and television world before making his feature film debut on Mike Barker's The James Gang. He was able to strengthen his action prowess as 2nd unit director of photography on such films as Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. His major break came when he took over for Dariusz Wolski, A.S.C. on first unit for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End, after Wolski had to leave early to start work on another project.
In between films, Seresin uses commercials and music videos as a creative testing ground for new equipment and techniques. Seresin's PUMA commercial with director Ringan Ledwidge After Hours Athlete, was awarded the Film Grand Prix at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in 2011. And the NIKE commercial he lensed, Winner Stays On, was used as NIKE's main commercial during the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup.Cinematographers: Ben Seresin – "World War Z," "Unstoppable"- Cinematographer
- Additional Crew
- Camera and Electrical Department
Cinematographers: Adam Stone – "Mud," "Take Shelter"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Producer
Director of Photography Bio
Checco Varese, ASC recently wrapped It: Chapter Two for director Andy Muschietti, the sequel to last year's box office hit. He also shot the first season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan, Amazon's new take on Tom Clancy's beloved fictional CIA agent, with John Krasinski starring in the titular role.
Previously, he shot the pilot for Fox's upcoming legal drama Proven Innocent and director Jeffrey Nachmanoff's sci-fi thriller, Replicas, with Keanu Reeves and Thomas Middleditch starring, in theaters January 11, 2019. Working with his longtime collaborator director Patricia Riggen, Varese lensed Miracles From Heaven, as well as Riggen's The 33, based on the extraordinary real-life story of 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine. His other feature credits include Riggen's Girl in Progress, and second unit on Guillermo del Toro's Pacific Rim.
Thanks to his prolific body of work, Varese has established a reputation as the unofficial 'pilot guy.' He has lensed nearly two dozen season starters which, more often than not, go on to be picked up to series: FX's The Strain; A&E's The Returned; ABC Family's The Fosters; Melrose Place for the CW; and The Defenders for CBS. And who can forget the True Blood pilot? This iconic series went on for seven seasons.
In the mid-90s, Varese established himself as a leading director of photography, shooting hundreds of music videos, including Dave Matthew's Band's "Crash" and Prince's "Black Sweat," for which he was nominated for Best Cinematography at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards.
Born in Peru, Varese began his career in the mid-1980's, spending nearly a decade shooting news coverage and documentaries in major zones of conflict: Latin America (Chiapas Uprising, Salvador and Nicaragua Wars, Panama Invasion, Colombia Drug War, Shining Path, Chile's Military Junta); The Caribbean (Haiti Crisis); Europe (Bosnia Crisis, Chechnya Crisis); the Middle East (Gulf War, West Bank and Gaza Strip Crisis) and Africa (South African Riots and the Rwanda Crisis).
Varese speaks six languages, lives in Los Angeles and is represented by DDA.Cinematographers: Checco Varese – "Girl in Progress," "The Aura"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Cinematographers: Ken Zunder – "Bending the Rules," "That's What I Am"- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
- Production Designer
Paco Delgado was born in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain. He is known for Les Misérables (2012), The Danish Girl (2015) and The Skin I Live In (2011).Costume Designers: Paco Delgado – "Les Misérables," "Biutiful"- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Sophie De Rakoff was born in June 1969 in London, England, UK. She is a costume designer, known for Legally Blonde (2001), Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde (2003) and This Means War (2012).Costume Designers: Sophie de Rakoff – "This Means War," "Legally Blonde"- Costume Designer
- Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carlo Poggioli studied stage and costume design at the Istituto D'Arte and The Accademia di Belle Arti in Naples.
After completing his studies, Poggioli worked in Rome as assistant designer for some of the most important Italian costume designers such as Gabriella Pescucci, Piero Tosi, Maurizio Millenotti, for films directed by: J. J. Annaud "The Name of the Rose", Terry Gilliam "The Adventures of the Baron Munchausen", Federico Fellini "The Voice of the Moon", Martin Scorsese "The Age of Innocence", Franco Zeffirelli "Sparrow" and more.
He also worked alongside Ann Roth as assistant for "The English Patient" and as associate designer for "The Talented Mr. Ripley" directed by Anthony Minghella.
In Opera, Poggioli worked with Liliana Cavani, Mauro Bolognini, Franco Zeffirelli and designed the costumes for productions directed by Ruggero Cappuccio and orchestra directed by Riccardo Muti for Falstaff, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milano, Nina ossia La pazza per amore, at the Teatro alla Scala, Milano and Il ritorno di Don Calandrino, at the Salzburg Opera Theatre. The last Operas include L'Elisir d'Amore, Il Barbiere di Siviglia and Don Pasquale for the Opera House of Rome.
As a costume designer for Feature and TV Films, Poggioli has designed for "Marquise" directed by Vera Belmont, "Jason and the Argonauts" (TV Mini Series), "The Mists of Avalon" directed by Uli Edel (TV Mini Series- Emmy Award nomination for best costume), "Cold Mountain" directed by Anthony Minghella (BAFTA nomination for best costume), "Van Helsing" directed by Steven Sommers (Saturn Award nomination), "Doom" directed by Andrzej Bartkowiak, "The Fine Art Of Love: Mine-Haha" directed by John Irvin, "The Inquiry" directed by Giulio Base and "The Brothers Grimm" directed by Terry Gilliam.
Carlo Poggioli's works in the last decade include "Silk" directed by Francois Girard in which won the Canadian Academy Award, Prix Genie Award and the Jutra Award for best costume design. He was also nominated for the Silver Ribbon for "Lecture 21" directed by Alessandro Baricco. Poggioli's works also include "Miracle at St. Anna" directed by Spike Lee and "Ninja Assassins" directed by James McTeigue.
Among his latest movies are: "Season of the Witch" starring Nicolas Cage and Ron Perlman directed by Dominic Sena, "The Rite" directed by Mikael Hafstrom, starring Anthony Hopkins and Rutger Hauer, "The Raven" directed by James Mc Teigue, starring John Cusak, Brendan Gleeson and Alice Eve, "Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter" directed by Timur Bekmambetov, starring Benjamin Walker, Dominic Cooper and Rufus Sewell (20th Century Fox).
His most recent movies still in post-production are: "Romeo and Juliet" directed by Carlo Carlei, starring Hailee Steinfeld, Douglas Booth and Paul Giamatti, and "The Zero Theorem" directed by Terry Gilliam, starring Christoph Waltz, Matt Damon and Tilda Swinton.
Poggioli has designed the movie "Divergent" directed by Neil Burger, starring Shailene Woodley, Kate Winslet and Ashley Judd.
The TV serial "TUT" (2015) directed by David Von Ancken with Avan Jogia, Ben Kingsley and Sibylla Deen and still in 2015 "Youth" directed by Oscar winner director Paolo Sorrentino with Michael Caine, Rachel Weisz, Harvey Keitel, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.(COSTUME DESIGNER GUILD AWARDS nomination best Costume Design Contemporary Film 2016, DAVID DI DONATELLO nomination 2016, SILVER RIBBON nomination 2016) Among his latest works are: In 2016 the TV series (Sky-HBO production) "The Young Pope" directed by Paolo Sorrentino , starring Jude Law, Diane Keaton, Silvio Orlando. (COSTUME DESIGNER GUILD AWARDS nomination Best Costume Design Contemporary TV Series 2018, SPECIAL SILVER RIBBON BEST COSTUME 2017). "Loro" (2018) directed by Paolo Sorrentino , starring Toni Servillo, Elena Sofia Ricci (DAVID DI DONATELLO and SILVER RIBBON nomination).
"Waiting for the Barbarians" (2018) directed by Ciro Guerra .Starring Johnny Depp, Mark Rylance and Robert Pattinson (WINNER CAPRI-HOLLYWOOD AWARD FOR BEST COSTUMES) "The New Pope" (2019) Tv series directed by Paolo Sorrentino. (Sky-HBO production) Starring John Malkovich, Jude Law, Sharon Stone .
Still in post-production the film directed by Terrence Malick "The Way of the Wind" starring Ben Kingsley, Mark Rylance , Matthias Schoenaerts.
In 2020, the jury of the Italian Foreign Press Association awarded , for the first time to a costume designer , the "Italian Golden Globe" to Carlo Poggioli In post production the international TV series "The Swarm" and the film produced by Amblin "Last Voyage of the Demeter"directed by Andre Ovredal. Coming soon "Caravaggio's shadow" directed by Michele Placido, starring Isabelle Huppert, Louis Garrel and Riccardo Scamarcio.
Currently shooting "The Palace" a film directed by Roman Polanski .Costume Designers: Carlo Poggioli – "Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter," "Cold Mountain"- Location Management
- Additional Crew
- Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
As the first location pro invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Balton joined the Designers' Branch in 2013, and serves on the Designers' Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Television Academy. She has worked with some of the industry's best directors and production designers.
Grateful for a lengthy career that allows her to travel the world, exploring architecture and cultures that add a visual depth and authenticity to films, Balton is a believer in giving back. She was a jurist for the EUFCN Location Award and the Location Guide's Inaugural Makers & Shakers Awards. She has been featured on numerous podcasts, panels, and master classes including the Location Guide's London FOCUS, and the Shooting Locations Marketplace in Valladolid, Spain. Balton is the co-founder and former president of the LMGI. She co-founded and co-edited the Compass Magazine for 8 years. Accolades include numerous California on Location Awards and nominations, the LMGI Trailblazer Award, and an LMGI Award.
Balton is a firm believer in the critical contribution of locations to advance and enhance the director's narrative. When not chasing incentives, she lives in Venice, California with her husband, and rescue dogs.Designers: Lori Balton – "Argo," "The Dark Knight Rises"- Production Designer
- Art Department
- Set Decorator
Judy Becker is known for Carol (2015), American Hustle (2013) and Feud (2017). She is married to Michael Taylor.Designers: Judy Becker – "Silver Linings Playbook," "The Fighter"- Art Department
- Art Director
- Set Decorator
Simon Bright is known for King Kong (2005), Avatar (2009) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).Designers: Simon Bright – "The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey," "Avatar"- Art Department
- Art Director
- Actor
Designers: Martin T. Charles – "Marvel's The Avengers," "The Artist"- Art Director
- Production Designer
- Art Department
Designers: David M. Crank – "The Master," "Lincoln"- Art Department
- Art Director
- Production Designer
Stefan Dechant is known for The Tragedy of Macbeth (2021), Avatar (2009) and Alice in Wonderland (2010).Designers: Stefan Paul Dechant – "Oz The Great and Powerful," "True Grit"- Set Decorator
- Art Department
- Actress
Designers: Tracey A. Doyle – "The Muppets," "21"- Set Decorator
- Art Department
- Art Director
Anna Lynch-Robinson is known for Les Misérables (2012), Wonder Woman (2017) and Bohemian Rhapsody (2018).Designers: Anna Lynch-Robinson – "Les Misérables," "An Education"- Set Decorator
- Art Department
- Producer
Designers: Maria Nay – "Identity Thief," "Ray"- Set Decorator
- Art Department
- Costume Designer
Designers: David Smith – "Crazy, Stupid, Love.," "The Holiday"- Writer
- Director
- Script and Continuity Department
Nikolaj Arcel was born on 25 August 1972 in Copenhagen, Denmark. He is a writer and director, known for A Royal Affair (2012), Kongekabale (2004) and The Promised Land (2023).Directors: Nikolaj Arcel – "A Royal Affair," "Truth about Men"- Writer
- Producer
- Additional Crew
A director, producer, writer, marketer and film distributor, Ava DuVernay made her feature film debut with the documentary This is the Life (2008), a history on hip hop movement that flourished in Los Angeles in the 1990's. This was followed by series of television music documentaries which included My Mic Sounds Nice (2010) which aired on BET.
DuVernay's first narrative feature film, I Will Follow (2010), secured her the African-American Film Critics Association award for best screenplay. Her follow-up, Middle of Nowhere (2012) won the Best Director Prize at the 2012 Sundance film festival, making her the first African-American woman to receive the award.Directors: Ava DuVernay* – "Middle of Nowhere," "I Will Follow"- Producer
- Actor
- Director
Paul Feig is an American film director and writer who is known for creating Freaks and Geeks and directing Bridesmaids, The Heat, Spy and A Simple Favor. He is known for directing films starring frequent collaborator Melissa McCarthy. He also directed the highly controversial 2016 reboot of Ghostbusters. He also directed episodes of The Office.Directors: Paul Feig – "The Heat," "Bridesmaids"- Director
- Production Designer
- Producer
Hardwicke's first film as a director was the Sundance winner THIRTEEN which explored the transition into teenage years with an authenticity that still captures young audiences (1.3 billion Tik Tok engagements.) Hardwicke directed LORDS OF DOGTOWN before she became best known as the director of TWILIGHT, which launched the blockbuster franchise and has since earned over three billion dollars. Recently her indie film PRISONER'S DAUGHTER premiered at TIFF 2022 and DREAMS IN THE WITCHHOUSE dropped on Netflix October 2022 as part of Guillermo del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities. MAFIA MAMMA premieres in theaters on April 14 2023.Directors: Catherine Hardwicke – "Twilight," "Thirteen"- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Kirk Jones was born on 31 October 1964 in Bristol, England, UK. He is a director and writer, known for Waking Ned Devine (1998), Everybody's Fine (2009) and What to Expect When You're Expecting (2012).Directors: Kirk Jones – "What to Expect When You're Expecting," "Waking Ned Devine"- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Ken Kwapis is an award-winning director of motion pictures and television. He has directed eleven feature films, among them A Walk In The Woods, based on Bill Bryson's acclaimed comedic memoir; He's Just Not That Into You, inspired by the New York Times bestselling advice book; and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, adapted from the beloved young adult novel. Other films include the rescue adventure Big Miracle, and the romantic comedies License to Wed and He Said, She Said (co-directed with Marisa Silver). His feature debut was Sesame Street Presents: Follow That Bird, starring Jim Henson's Muppets.
For television, Kwapis helped launch nine series, including the groundbreaking HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show, Fox's Emmy Award-winning The Bernie Mac Show, and NBC's The Office. Kwapis directed the pilot of The Office and its series finale, along with many memorable episodes -"Casino Night," Booze Cruise," "Diversity Day," to name a few. He earned an Emmy nomination for directing the episode "Gay Witch Hunt."
Kwapis also earned an Emmy nomination for his work as a producer-director of Fox's Malcolm In The Middle. Other series Kwapis helped launch include NBC's Outsourced, Showtime's Happyish, and Netflix's #blackAF. He directed numerous episodes of shows such as Freaks and Geeks, One Mississippi, and Santa Clarita Diet.
Kwapis studied filmmaking at Northwestern University and the University of Southern California. He won the Student Academy Award in Dramatic Achievement for his USC thesis film "For Heaven's Sake," an adaptation of Mozart's one-act comic opera Der Schauspieldirektor ("The Impresario").Directors: Ken Kwapis – "Big Miracle," "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Pablo Larraín was born in Santiago, Chile. He is a director, writer and producer, known for Spencer (2021), Jackie (2016), El Club (2015), NO (2012), among others. Together with his brother Juan de Dios Larraín, they founded Fabula in 2004, one of the most prolific production companies in Latin America.Directors: Pablo Larraín – "No," "Tony Manero"- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Steve McQueen was born on 9 October 1969 in London, England, UK. He is a director and producer, known for 12 Years a Slave (2013), Shame (2011) and Hunger (2008). He is married to Bianca Stigter. They have two children.Directors: Steve McQueen – "Shame," "Hunger"- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Kim Nguyen was born in 1974 in Montréal, Québec, Canada. He is a director and writer, known for War Witch (2012).Directors: Kim Nguyen – "War Witch (Rebelle)," "City of Shadows"- Director
- Editor
- Writer
Jafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an assistant director for fellow Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi achieved international recognition with his feature film debut, The White Balloon (1995). The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, the first major award won by an Iranian film at Cannes. Panahi was quickly recognized as one of the most influential film-makers in Iran. Although his films were often banned in his own country, he continued to receive international acclaim from film theorists and critics and won numerous awards, including the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival for The Mirror (1997), the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Offside (2006). His films are known for their humanistic perspective on life in Iran, often focusing on the hardships of children, the impoverished, and women. Hamid Dabashi has written, "Panahi does not do as he is told - in fact he has made a successful career in not doing as he is told." After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested in March 2010 along with his wife, daughter, and 15 friends and later charged with propaganda against the Iranian government. Despite support from filmmakers, film organizations, and human rights organizations from around the world, in December 2010 Panahi was sentenced to a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media, or from leaving the country except for medical treatment or making the Hajj pilgrimage. While awaiting the result of an appeal he made This Is Not a Film (2011), a documentary feature in the form of a video diary in spite of the legal ramifications of his arrest. It was smuggled out of Iran in a flash drive hidden inside a cake and shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In February 2013 the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival showed Closed Curtain (2013) by Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi in competition; Panahi won the Silver Bear for Best Script. Panahi's new film Taxi (2015) premiered in competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015 and won Golden Bear, the prize awarded for the best film in the festival.Directors: Jafar Panahi* – "This Is Not a Film," "The Circle"- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Todd Phillips is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter.
Growing up on Long Island, New York, Todd Phillips fell in love with feature film teen comedies made in the 1980s, and claims they were his biggest influence in becoming a filmmaker. While studying film at New York University, he made a documentary called Hated (1994), using his credit cards to finance the filmâEUR(TM)s $13,000 budget. About an excessive punk rocker, GG Allen, the student film won an award at the New Orleans Film Festival and went on to be released both theatrically and on DVD. Phillips' next project was a documentary called Frat House (1998), which followed the trials of young men trying to get accepted into a fraternity. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, but soon became banned from public viewing when the young men involved objected, and lawyers for their families stepped in.
While working on a commercial for Pepsi, Phillips met comedian Tom Green. He was writing the screenplay for his new film, Road Trip, and asked Green if he would be in it. Green agreed on the spot, and Phillips went on to make his first fictional movie, an homage to the types of films he grew up with. Road Trip was made on a budget of $15.6 million, and nearly made the money back in its opening weekend despite mixed reviews, most of which agreed it was in bad taste, with some finding that funny while others found it offensive.
Phillips continued on in the same genre with Old School (2003), about three grown men who try to return to their frat boy days. Phillips says, "Things go in cycles and right now people use the term gross out of comedy a lot and I find it very dismissive. I think it's very easy to be gross and very hard to be funny. The ones that work are actually very funny at their root. I, as a director, want to stick with comedies for a little while. It's the movies I grew up on and the stuff I like to see."
Phillips' next project was action comedy Starsky & Hutch, based on the hit television series that ran from 1975 to 1979. The film, starring Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller, is also set in the '70s. He's hoping to turn another '70s TV show, The Six Million Dollar Man, into a feature film starring Jim Carrey, but in the meantime, filmed the comedy School for Scoundrels (2006), starring Jon Heder and Billy Bob Thornton. His next film, The Hangover 2009, was an enormous success, spawning a 2011 sequel that he also directed. In between those two movies he directed Robert Downey Jr. and Hangover star Zach Galifianakis in the comedy Due Date 2010.
More recent films include The Hangover Part II (2011), The Hangover Part III (2013), and War Dogs (2016).
Move away from his favorite genre, he next took on the film Joker (2019), starring Joaquin Phoenix in the title role. The film debuted to much acclaim, and both Joaquin and Phillips received numerous award nominations, including Best Director nods for Phillips from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and the BAFTAs.Directors: Todd Phillips – "The Hangover," "Old School"- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Joachim Rønning is a film director and writer from Sandefjord, Norway - a small coastal town south of Oslo. He spent his teenage years making short films and shooting commercials for local businesses. In 1995 Rønning began directing professionally with his childhood friend, Espen Sandberg. Working under the name of Roenberg, their extensive and award-winning commercial work in Scandinavia led to major international commissions.
Roenberg established themselves in the American commercial film market with spots for Capital One, Labatt's and especially with the USA Today Superbowl 2001 Viewer's Poll-winning spot "Rex" for Budweiser.
In 2006, Rønning and Sandberg directed their feature film debut, BANDIDAS, starring Penélope Cruz and Salma Hayek, and written and produced by legendary French filmmaker Luc Besson. When asked how it was to be debuting with such big stars and budget, Rønning explained: "It was my first movie and I remember feeling so lucky to be working with these amazing actors. Looking back now I realize I had no clue what I was doing. It was truly the best film school I could ever dream of. Probably the most expensive too."
In December 2008, Rønning's second feature, MAX MANUS, premiered. The critically acclaimed WWII drama tells the true story of infamous Norwegian saboteur and war hero; Max Manus, and his battle to overcome his inner demons. MAX MANUS soared to become the highest grossing Norwegian movie of all time.
KON-TIKI became the director's next epos. The true story about legendary explorer Thor Heyerdahl and his epic crossing of the Pacific on a balsa wood raft, KON-TIKI became historical when it in 2013, as the first Norwegian film ever, was nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award in the best foreign language category.
The success of KON-TIKI led to Rønning directing the latest installment in the PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN franchise starring Johnny Depp. Filmed on location in Australia, POTC: Dead Men Tell No Tales went on to earn 800 million dollars at the box office - making it one of the top 10 grossing movies of 2017.
Rønning's next movie MALEFICENT: Mistress of Evil starring Angelina Jolie and Michelle Pfeiffer for Disney, premiered in the fall of 2019 to become the third highest October release of all time, and eventually grossing half a billion dollars worldwide.
In 2022, Rønning began filming YOUNG WOMAN AND THE SEA, starring Daisy Ridley. The film tells the true story about New York native, Trudy Ederle, who in 1926 became the first woman to swim the English Channel - changing the world of women's sports forever.
Rønning is currently in pre-production on TRON: ARES for Disney starring Jared Leto, planning a fall 2023 start date.
Joachim Rønning lives in Los Angeles and London with his wife, Amanda Hearst. He has three children.Directors: Joachim Rønning – "Kon-Tiki," "Max Manus"- Director
- Producer
- Executive
Espen Sandberg was born on 17 June 1971 in Sandefjord, Norway. He is a director and producer, known for Kon-Tiki (2012), Max Manus: Man of War (2008) and Troll (2022).Directors: Espen Sandberg – "Kon-Tiki," "Max Manus"- Director
- Producer
- Actor
Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.Directors: Tim Story – "Think Like a Man," "Fantastic Four"- Director
- Composer
- Writer
Born in New York City and raised in Sunnyside, Queens and then Westchester County, Benh Zeitlin began his career as a film-maker at the tender age of 6 years when he and a friend made a Batman movie. He continued making films as a child before attending Wesleyan University, where he majored in film. After graduation, Benh spent a summer in Prague working with a prominent animation artist. Returning to the U.S., he worked in a private school in Manhattan helping elementary students create short films.Directors: Benh Zeitlin – "Beasts of the Southern Wild," "Glory at Sea"- Producer
- Director
- Camera and Electrical Department
Orlando Bagwell is known for American Experience (1987), Repo Man (1984) and Hymn: Remembering Alvin Ailey (1998).Documentary: Orlando Bagwell – "Citizen King," "Malcolm X: Make It Plain"- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Rebecca Cammisa is a two-time Oscar®-nominated and Emmy award-winning filmmaker.
Her first feature documentary film, "Sister Helen" aired on HBO, and won the 2002 Sundance Film Festival's Documentary Directing Award. "Sister Helen" also received an Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Cultural and Artistic Programming and an Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary Film Award nomination from the Directors Guild of America.
Rebecca founded Documentress Films, teamed up with Mr. Mudd Productions, and directed and produced the 2010 Oscar®-nominated documentary, "Which Way Home" for which she also received a Fulbright Fellowship for Filmmaking.
"Which Way Home" was nominated for a 2010 Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary and received four Emmy nominations. "Which Way Home" went on to win a News & Documentary EMMY Award for Outstanding Informational Programming and the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Awards Grand Prize.
Rebecca's next film, "God is the Bigger Elvis" received a 2012 Oscar® nomination for Best Documentary Short Subject, a 2013 Emmy award nomination for Outstanding Arts & Cultural Programming, and a 2012 IDA Documentary Award nomination in the Short Film category.
Rebecca was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Fellowship for Filmmaking and began her next film, "Atomic Homefront" which received a 2016 MacArthur Foundation Film Grant. "Atomic Homefront" premiered on HBO and won the 2019 Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Domestic Television and the 2019 Impact Docs Award for Best Documentary Film.
Recently, Rebecca shared in executive producing Richard Ladkani's "Sea of Shadows," a feature documentary that won the 2019 Sundance Film Festival's World Documentary Audience Award and premiered on the National Geographic Channel.Documentary: Rebecca Cammisa – "God Is the Bigger Elvis," "Which Way Home"- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Yung Chang is the director of Up the Yangtze (2007), China Heavyweight (2012), and The Fruit Hunters (2012). He is completing a screenplay for his first dramatic feature, Eggplant, which was selected in 2015 to participate in the prestigious Sundance Labs and is in post-production for a feature documentary about the controversial journalist, Robert Fisk. His latest, Gatekeeper, won Best Short Film at the Los Angeles Film Festival and is streaming for free on Field of Vision, Laura Poitras' curated online film unit.
Chang's films have screened at international film festivals including Sundance, Berlin, Toronto, and IDFA and have played theatrically in cinemas around the world. Up the Yangtze was one of the top-grossing documentary releases in 2008. In 2013, China Heavyweight became the most widely screened social-issue documentary in Chinese history with an official release in 200 Mainland Chinese cinemas.
His films have been critically-acclaimed, receiving awards in Paris, Milan, Vancouver, San Francisco, the Canadian Screen Award, Taiwan Golden Horse, Cinema Eye Honors, among others and have been nominated at Sundance, the Independent Spirit Awards, the Emmys and the Toronto Film Critics Awards.
Chang is the recipient of the Don Haig Award, the Yolande and Pierre Perrault Award, and the Guggenheim Emerging Artist Award. He is a member of the Directors Guild of Canada and the Writers Guild of Canada. In 2013, he was invited to become a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.Documentary: Yung Chang – "China Heavyweight," "Up the Yangtze"- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
- Director
Michael Chin is known for American Experience (1987), Milk (2008) and Becoming American: The Chinese Experience (2003).Documentary: Michael Chin – "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple," "In the Shadow of the Stars"- Director
- Producer
- Cinematographer
Christine Choy was born in New York City, New York, USA. She is known for The Shot Heard 'Round the World (1997), Who Killed Vincent Chin? (1987) and Long Story Short (2008).Documentary: Christine Choy – "In the Name of the Emperor," "Who Killed Vincent Chin?"- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Bonni Cohen is known for The Rape of Europa (2006), The Island President (2011) and Athlete A (2020).Documentary: Bonni Cohen – "The Island President," "Wonders Are Many: The Making of Doctor Atomic"- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Eduardo Coutinho was born on 11 May 1933 in São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil. He was a director and writer, known for Edifício Master (2002), Santo Forte (1999) and Babilônia 2000 (1999). He was married to Maria das Dores de Oliveira. He died on 2 February 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.Documentary: Eduardo Coutinho – "As Canções," "Cabra Marcado Para Morrer (Twenty Years Later)"- Composer
- Music Department
- Producer
Emmy nominated Composer, Miriam Cutler has an extensive background in scoring for independent film & TV projects, as well as two circuses. In June, 2013, Miriam was chosen by her peers to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as a member of the Documentary Branch. In 2014 she was also invited to represent Documentary Film abroad for the US State Department's Program, American Film Showcase.
She recently completed scores for 2014 Primetime Emmy winner One Last Hug, American Promise which received Special Documentary Jury Prize at Sundance 2013 and the Oscar-nominated Kings Point.
Miriam's passion for documentary film has led to a focus in non-fiction with credits including award-winning and festival favorites: Oscar-nominated Poster Girl (HBO); Ethel (Sundance/HBO), Rory Kennedy's five time Emmy nominated documentary about her parents, Bobby and Ethel Kennedy, which was also shortlisted for an Oscar in 2013), 2 time Emmy nominated Vito (HBO), two-time Emmy nominee Desert Of Forbidden Art (PBS/Independent Lens); Emmy Award-winner Ghosts Of Abu Ghriab (Sundance/HBO); Emmy-nominated THIN (Sundance/HBO); and many more.
Miriam Co-Produced as well as scored One Lucky Elephant (OWN). She has served as lab advisor for the Sundance Institute Documentary Composers Lab, as well as on documentary juries for the Sundance Film Festival, Independent Spirit Awards, International Documentary Association Awards, and American Film Institute's Film Festival Awards and is a long-time Society of Composers and Lyricists Board member. She has also co-produced two Grammy-nominated live jazz albums on PolyGram/Verve for Joe Williams, and albums for Nina Simone, Shirley Horn, and Marlena Shaw as well as independently released albums of her own songs and soundtracks.Documentary: Miriam Cutler – "Kings Point," "Ethel"- Producer
- Director
- Production Manager
Andrea Nix is an Oscar®, Emmy® and Peabody® award-winning director, producer, and writer. She is best known for her films Inocente (2012), which won the Academy Award for Best Documentary (Short Subject), War/Dance (2007), which was nominated for Best Documentary at the Academy Awards, and the Emmy and Peabody-winning film, Life According to Sam (2013). Andrea directs and produces with her husband, Sean Fine.
In 2021, the Fines launched their impact studio Change Content with an edict to develop true stories into unforgettable narratives and docs that upend the way viewers think and feel about critical issues. Change Content's first film LFG premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is streaming on HBO Max, and was instrumental in the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team achieving equal pay.Documentary: Andrea Nix Fine – "Inocente," "War/Dance"- Producer
- Cinematographer
- Director
Sean Fine is an Oscar®, Emmy® and Peabody® award-winning director, producer, and cinematographer. He is best known for his films Inocente (2012), which won Best Documentary (Short Subject), War/Dance (2007), which was nominated for Best Documentary, and the Emmy and Peabody-winning Life According to Sam (2013). Sean directs and produces with his wife, Andrea Nix Fine.
In 2021, the Fines launched their impact studio Change Content with an edict to develop true stories into unforgettable narratives and docs that upend the way viewers think and feel about critical issues. Change Content's first film LFG premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, is streaming on HBO Max, and was instrumental in the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team achieving equal pay.Documentary: Sean Fine – "Inocente," "War/Dance"- Director
- Cinematographer
- Writer
Robert Frank was born on 9 November 1924 in Zurich, Switzerland. He was a director and cinematographer, known for Me and My Brother (1968), Candy Mountain (1987) and The Present (1996). He was married to June Leaf and Mary Frank. He died on 9 September 2019 in Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada.Documentary: Robert Frank – *beep* Blues," "Pull My Daisy"- Editor
- Director
- Producer
William Greaves was born on 8 October 1926 in New York City, New York, USA. He was an editor and director, known for Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One (1968), Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey (2001) and Nationtime (1972). He was married to Louise Archambault. He died on 25 August 2014 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Documentary: William Greaves – "Ralph Bunche: An American Odyssey," "Symbiopsychotaxiplasm: Take One"- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Lauren Greenfield was born on 28 June 1966 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. She is a director and producer, known for The Queen of Versailles (2012), The Kingmaker (2019) and Thin (2006).Documentary: Lauren Greenfield – "The Queen of Versailles," "Thin"- Director
- Writer
- Editor
Patricio Guzmán was born on 11 August 1941 in Santiago, Chile. He is a director and writer, known for Nostalgia for the Light (2010), The Battle of Chile: Part I (1975) and The Southern Cross (1991).Documentary: Patricio Guzmán – "Nostalgia for the Light," "The Battle of Chile"- Editor
- Sound Department
- Editorial Department
Vivien Hillgrove, a member of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, has over fifty years of experience as an editor and a sound editor for both narrative and documentary films. In the 1980's and 90's, Hillgrove worked as a dialogue editor on many feature films, including Amadeus, Blue Velvet and The Right Stuff. As a narrative film editor, she worked with Dede Allen on Phil Kaufman's Henry and June and with Walter Murch on Kaufman's The Unbearable Lightness of Being. Her documentary editing work includes seven films by Lourdes Portillo (including Senorita Extraviada, The Devil Never Sleeps, Corpus: A Home Movie for Selena, La Ofrenda: The Days of the Dead...), and several for Deann Borshay Liem, including In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, for which Hillgrove won the Best Editing Award at the Asia Pacific Film Festival, and First Person Plural, on which she was also the co-writer. Hillgrove has also served as an advisor for multiple Sundance Documentary Composer/Edit Labs, the Latino Producers Academy (NALIP), and for Chicken & Egg Pictures. She is directing and producing an autobiographical documentary, Vivien's Wild Ride, with producers Janet Cole and Dawn Valadez.Documentary: Vivien Hillgrove – "Symphony of the Soil," "In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee"- Director
- Writer
- Additional Crew
Heddy Honigmann was born on 1 October 1951 in Lima, Peru. She was a director and writer, known for Forever (2006), Oblivion (2008) and Crazy (1999). She was married to Frans van de Staak, Henk Timmermans and Gustavo Riofrio . She died on 21 May 2022 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.Documentary: Heddy Honigmann – "El Olvido (Oblivion)," "Crazy"- Director
- Producer
- Writer
Vikram Jayanti was born on 5 May 1955 in New York, USA. He is a director and producer, known for Game Over (2003), Snowblind (2009) and Death and Life.Documentary: Vikram Jayanti – "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Phil Spector," "Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine"- Editor
- Writer
- Producer
Peter Kinoy is known for Poverty Outlaw (1997), Takeover (1991) and The Reckoning: The Battle for the International Criminal Court (2009).Documentary: Peter Kinoy – "Poverty Outlaw," "When the Mountains Tremble"- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Claude Lanzmann was born on 27 November 1925 in Bois-Colombes, Hauts-de-Seine, France. He was a director and writer, known for Shoah (1985), The Four Sisters (2018) and Israel, Why (1973). He was married to Dominique Lanzmann-Petithory, Angelika Schrobsdorff and Judith Magre. He died on 5 July 2018 in Paris, France.Documentary: Claude Lanzmann – "Le Rapport Karski (The Karski Report)," "Shoah"- Director
- Cinematographer
- Camera and Electrical Department
Kim Longinotto was born in 1952 in London, England, UK. She is a director and cinematographer, known for Sisters in Law (2005), Gaea Girls (2000) and The Day I Will Never Forget (2002).Documentary: Kim Longinotto – "Rough Aunties," "Sisters in Law"- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Stanley Nelson is among the premier documentary filmmakers working today. His feature-length films combine compelling narratives with rich and deeply researched historical detail, shining new light on both familiar and under-explored aspects of the American past.
In addition to honors for his individual films, Nelson and his body of work have garnered every major award in the industry. He is a MacArthur "Genius" Fellow, and was awarded an individual Peabody Award, the 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Television Arts Sciences, and received the National Medal in the Humanities from President Barack Obama.
Nelson's latest film, Miles Davis: Birth of the Cool, the definitive look at the life and career of the iconic Miles Davis, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2019. The screening marked Nelson's tenth premiere at the prestigious festival in twenty years, the most premieres of any documentary filmmaker.
In 2018, Nelson directed a short film which examined the history and impact of racial profiling in public spaces. The Story of Access was screened at a mandatory training for 175,000 Starbucks employees across 8,000 stores, and received over a million views on.Documentary: Stanley Nelson – "Freedom Riders," "Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple"- Producer
- Director
- Cinematographer
Jehane Noujaim was born on 17 May 1974 in Cairo, Egypt. She is a producer and director, known for Control Room (2004), Startup.com (2001) and The Square (2013).Documentary: Jehane Noujaim – "Control Room," "Startup.com"- Producer
- Director
- Writer
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy was born on 12 November 1978 in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. She is a producer and director, known for Saving Face (2012), A Journey of a Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers (2015) and A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness (2015). She is married to Fahd Kamal Chinoy. They have two children.Documentary: Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy – "Transgenders: Pakistan's Open Secret," "Saving Face"- Director
- Writer
- Actor
Marcel Ophuls (actually Marcel Oppenheimer) is the son of the famous German film maker Max Ophüls. He spent his formative years in Hollywood, briefly served with a U.S. Army theatrical unit in Japan in 1946 and then attended the University of California, Berkely. In 1950, already a naturalized French citizen since 1938, he moved to Paris to study philosophy at the Sorbonne. He dropped out, however, once the opportunity arose to work in the film industry as an assistant to Anatole Litvak and Julien Duvivier. After collaborating on his father's film Lola Montès (1955), Ophuls met the French actress Jeanne Moreau who agreed to put up the money for his own project, the detective comedy Banana Peel (1963), a Franco-Italian-German co-production, starring Moreau and Jean-Paul Belmondo. It was aptly described by a reviewer as "a cheerful and inventive film with some inspired dialogue". His next venture, the thriller Faites vos jeux, mesdames (1965), was rather less successful.
Ophuls then worked for three years on The Sorrow and the Pity (1969), a controversial documentary which criticised French collaboration with Nazi Germany during World War II. A further anti-war documentary, The Memory of Justice (1976), ran into legal problems and bankrupted Ophuls. After a four year hiatus, much of it spent on the lecture circuit, he resumed making documentaries and won an Academy Award for Hôtel Terminus (1988), the story of Gestapo chief Klaus Barbie, from innocent childhood to war criminal. Ophuls has served on the board of the French Filmmakers Society. His more recent documentaries have examined investigative journalism and the impact of Germany's reunification.Documentary: Marcel Ophuls – "Hotel Terminus: The Life and Times of Klaus Barbie," "The Sorrow and the Pity"- Producer
- Director
- Writer
He is best known for directing the Brazilian critical and financial successes Elite Squad and Elite Squad: The Enemy Within and the 2014 remake of RoboCop. He has won the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival for Elite Squad in 2008. He is also the producer and director of the Netflix original series Narcos, starring frequent collaborator Wagner Moura.Documentary: José Padilha – "Secrets of the Tribe," "Bus 174 (Ônibus 174)"- Director
- Editor
- Writer
Jafar Panahi (Born 11 July 1960) is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and film editor, commonly identified with the Iranian New Wave film movement. After several years of making short films and working as an assistant director for fellow Iranian film-maker Abbas Kiarostami, Panahi achieved international recognition with his feature film debut, The White Balloon (1995). The film won the Caméra d'Or at the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, the first major award won by an Iranian film at Cannes. Panahi was quickly recognized as one of the most influential film-makers in Iran. Although his films were often banned in his own country, he continued to receive international acclaim from film theorists and critics and won numerous awards, including the Golden Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival for The Mirror (1997), the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival for The Circle (2000), and the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival for Offside (2006). His films are known for their humanistic perspective on life in Iran, often focusing on the hardships of children, the impoverished, and women. Hamid Dabashi has written, "Panahi does not do as he is told - in fact he has made a successful career in not doing as he is told." After several years of conflict with the Iranian government over the content of his films (including several short-term arrests), Panahi was arrested in March 2010 along with his wife, daughter, and 15 friends and later charged with propaganda against the Iranian government. Despite support from filmmakers, film organizations, and human rights organizations from around the world, in December 2010 Panahi was sentenced to a six-year jail sentence and a 20-year ban on directing any movies, writing screenplays, giving any form of interview with Iranian or foreign media, or from leaving the country except for medical treatment or making the Hajj pilgrimage. While awaiting the result of an appeal he made This Is Not a Film (2011), a documentary feature in the form of a video diary in spite of the legal ramifications of his arrest. It was smuggled out of Iran in a flash drive hidden inside a cake and shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In February 2013 the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival showed Closed Curtain (2013) by Panahi and Kambuzia Partovi in competition; Panahi won the Silver Bear for Best Script. Panahi's new film Taxi (2015) premiered in competition at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2015 and won Golden Bear, the prize awarded for the best film in the festival.Documentary: Jafar Panahi* – "This Is Not a Film," "The Circle"- Producer
- Writer
- Director
Elise Pearlstein is known for Food, Inc. (2008), The Disappearance of Shere Hite (2023) and Pink's Famous Chili Dogs (1998).Documentary: Elise Pearlstein – "Last Call at the Oasis," "Food, Inc."- Director
- Writer
- Producer
Raoul Peck was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He is a director and writer, known for I Am Not Your Negro (2016), Lumumba (2000) and Lumumba: Death of a Prophet (1991).Documentary: Raoul Peck – "Fatal Assistance (Assistance Mortelle)," "Lumumba: La Mort du Prophète"- Producer
- Cinematographer
- Director
Kevin Rafferty was born on 25 May 1947 in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. He was a producer and cinematographer, known for The Atomic Cafe (1982), Blood in the Face (1991) and Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (2008). He was married to Paula Scott Longendyke and N. He died on 2 July 2020 in Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA.Documentary: Kevin Rafferty – "Harvard Beats Yale 29-29," "The Atomic Cafe"- Music Department
- Composer
- Sound Department
J. Ralph (American born; 1975) is an Academy Award® nominated composer, social activist, producer and singer/songwriter from New York City. He is the founder of the internationally award winning music production company The Rumor Mill, and has written and produced the music for numerous Grammy winning artists, Orchestras, The President of The United States, and the more Oscar winning/nominated documentaries then any other composer in history of the Academy Awards.
Considered by many to have had a profound impact on the documentary medium, J. Ralph has helped elevate the experience of what it feels like to watch a documentary through his scores. The Hollywood reporter called him the "go to producer of documentary scores" J. Ralph and over the last 7 years J. Ralph has written and produced the music for 6 Oscar winning/nominated documentaries including Finding Vivan Maier, Virunga, The Cove, Man On Wire, Hell And Back Again, and Chasing Ice. In the 85 year history of the Academy Awards, J. Ralph's song "Before My Time", performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell from Chasing Ice, is one of only four songs from a documentary ever to be nominated for an Oscar.
His professional career began at 22 with his signing to Atlantic Records by label president Jason Flom in what was one of the biggest record deals ever granted to a new artist. J. Ralph's debut album Music To Mauzner By took over a year to record virtually by himself and was released on February 23, 1999 under the nome de plume, SPY. A musical Rorschach test, it was sonic blender of rock, hip-hop, mariachi, electronic, blue eyed soul, funk, and classical. Notable music critic Charles M. Young proclaimed the album "truly an important debut."
Weeks after the release, amidst critical acclaim and MTV billing him the next big thing in pop music, J. Ralph disappeared into a self-imposed exile. He took refuge in an abandoned vaudeville theater in lower Manhattan, where he constructed a sonic laboratory and carried out a full-scale excavation of what he calls "the orchestra's universal language." Five years later he emerged with The Illusionary Movements of Geraldine & Nazu, an orchestral memoir recorded with a 75-piece orchestra, featuring players from the New York Philharmonic and Czech Philharmonic. Master film composer Carter Burwell arranged and conducted the first two chapters "Untitled 17" and "Where the Day Takes You". Released in an unprecedented artist direct deal with Barnes and Noble, the store sold every single copy of the limited edition.
J. Ralph believes the orchestra is the ultimate medium, boundless in philosophy and universal in scope. He continues to focus on documentaries where he can raise critical awareness, money and change through the films and the music.Other notable work is the music for Jean Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child which he did along with Adam Horovitz and Michael Diamond of The Beastie Boys, and the score for Marilyn Minter's installation Green Pink Caviar on exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York and featured in the Destricted film series along with Matthew Barney, Richard Prince, Gaspar Noe, Larry Clark, and Cecily Brown.
J. Ralph is the founder and creative director of scoring collective The Rumor Mill. The production company creates scores, songs, and musical identities for films, artists, and brands. Over their ten year history they have scored over 1000 television commercials and created an expansive catalog featuring thousands of songs and scores. Internationally recognized, they have won every major top honor and award including the Cannes Lion, Clio, AICP, LIAA, The One Show and a Grandy. Their music has been featured in the biggest television events of the world including the Olympics, the Academy Awards, the Super Bowl, the Grammys, the Emmys, the Golden Globes, The NBA playoffs, and the World Series.
In 2008, his fascination with acoustic instruments and live performers continued when J. Ralph was commissioned to write the opening fanfare for Columbus, Ohio's Pro-musica Orchestra. His resulting Fanfare for the Uncommon Eli & Mr. Greene had its world premiere at the State Theater on November 8 of that same year.
On September 21, 2011 J. Ralph was honored with the request to score United States President Barack Obama's Open Government Partnership Presentation which the president personally delivered to 50 heads of state from around the world.
His most recent works are the Sundance Film Festival's award-winning documentary "Chasing Ice" for which he wrote and produced the score and the Academy Award nominated song "Before My Time" performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell. In the entire history of the Oscars, "Before My Time" is one of only three songs ever nominated for an Academy Award from a documentary. Other recent projects include the score to the experimental film "Maladies" starring James Franco, Catherine Keener, David Straithern, and Alan Cumming as well as the score/soundtrack album for the autism documentary Wretches & Jabberers by Academy Award winning-director Gerradine Wurzburg. Recorded in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and London, J. Ralph wrote and produced 20 original songs featuring collaborations with Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons), Devendra Banhart, Paul Brady, Bonnie Bramlett, Vashti Bunyan, Martin Carthy, Judy Collins, Lila Downs, Vincent Gallo, David Garza, Ben Harper, Scarlett Johansson, Nic Jones, Norah Jones, Leah Siegel, Carly Simon, Steven Stills, Ben Taylor, and Bob Weir.
In 2012 the reggae singer Matisyahu covered J. Ralph's song "One Million Miles Away" which was produced in collaboration with Oscar winning actor Adrian Brody.
J. Ralph is a fellow of Yale University and the only composer ever to win two consecutive AICP awards. His scores are included in the Museum of Modern Art's Permanent Collection of Film and Media in New York City.Documentary: J. Ralph* – "Chasing Ice," "Man on Wire"