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Shengze Zhu is known for Another Year (2016), Present.Perfect. (2019) and A River Runs, Turns, Erases, Replaces (2021).- Director
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Joanna Hogg was born on 20 March 1960 in London, England, UK. She is a director and writer, known for The Souvenir (2019), The Souvenir: Part II (2021) and Unrelated (2007).- Director
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Mark Jenkin is a filmmaker based in West Cornwall.
His breakout film, Bait, hailed by Empire Magazine as "A rare find that is a truly original feature by a British director" won the Outstanding Debut BAFTA in 2020 and went on to collect 7 major international awards. Mark Kermode, writing in The Observer, described it as "One of the defining British films of the decade".
His follow-up, Bosena produced and Film4 backed, Enys Men premiered at Cannes Director's Fortnight 2022 and was picked up by NEON. Sight and Sound described the film as "A revelatory experience", Tim Robey writing in the Daily Telegraph called it "Lo-fi folk horror heaven" while Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian found it, "Supremely Disquieting".
His prolific, critically acclaimed short film output includes A Dog Called Discord (2023) commissioned by the BFI to open the Film on Film Festival, Vertical Shapes in a Horizontal Landscape (2018), and mid-length Bronco's House (2014).
"No one is making films like Mark Jenkin" - Awards Watch- Director
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Kira Kovalenko was born on 12 December 1989 in Nalchik, Kabardino-Balkar Republic, Russia. She is a director and writer, known for Unclenching the Fists (2021), Children of Hope and Dust of Life.- Director
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Nadav Lapid was born on 8 April 1975 in Tel Aviv, Israel. He is a director and writer, known for The Kindergarten Teacher (2014), Synonyms (2019) and Policeman (2011).- Director
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Radu Jude is a Romanian film director and screenwriter. In 2003, he graduated from the Media University of Bucharest (Film Directing Department). Jude worked as an assistant director on Amen. (2002), directed by Costa-Gavras, and The Death of Mr. Lazarescu (2005), directed by Cristi Puiu. He directed several award-winning short films, among them Lampa cu caciula (2006) - the most successful Romanian short film ever, winner of Grand prizes at Sundance, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Grimstad, Hamburg, Bilbao, Huesca, Trieste, Montpellier, Cottbus, Aspen, IndieLisboa, Brussels, Mediawave, Kraków, Almería, Valencia, Uppsala and many more. Other shorts were selected by top festivals, including Clermont-Ferrand, San Francisco, Cottbus and Oberhausen, where Radu Jude won the Grand Prix. Jude directed over 100 advertising commercials. The Happiest Girl in the World (2009), his feature film debut, won the CICAE Prize at the Berlin International Film Festival, the FIRESCI Prize at the Sofia International Film Festival, the Prize for Best Screenplay at the Bucharest International Film Festival and the FIPRESCI Prize at IndieLisboa. The film was selected in the ACID Programme at 2009 Cannes Film Festival. Everybody in Our Family (2012) received the 'Heart of Sarajevo' Award and the Bayard d'Or in Namur, among other awards. Radu Jude's acclaimed historical drama Aferim! (2015) premiered at the 65th Berlin International Film Festival where he won the Silver Bear award as 'Best Director'.- Producer
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David Lowery is an American writer and director. He is best known for The Green Knight (2021), Pete's Dragon (2016), A Ghost Story (2017) and Pioneer (2011). He has been making movies since he was seven years old, but his first work to be widely seen was the short film A Catalog Of Anticipations (2008), which lead to his first feature film, St. Nick (2009).- Writer
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David Robert Mitchell is an American director mainly known for the breakout horror film ''It Follows'' which had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2014. in 2002, Mitchell wrote and directed ''Virgin'' a short film featuring Carolina Castro and Cameron Diskin about a local legend sees a vision of Virgin Mary which leads him to the pursuit of true love, in 2010, he wrote and directed ''The Myth of The American Sleepover'' which starred Claire Sloma and Marlon Morton, the film had its world premiere at the South by Southwest festival on March 10, 2010. It was released on July 22, 2010 in a limited release. in 2014, Mitchell directed ''It Follows'' featuring Maika Monroe and Keir Gilchrist, the horror film was breakout hit and grossed over $14 million at the box office and was labeled one of the best indie films of 2015. The film was released on March 13, 2015, in a limited release, but because it was so successful it finally got a wide release on March 27, by Radius-TWC, a division of The Weinstein Company.- Writer
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Nawapol Thamrongrattanarit is known for 36 (2012), Happy Old Year (2019) and Mary Is Happy, Mary Is Happy (2013).- Director
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Thomas Balmès is known for Happiness (2013), The Gospel According to the Papuans (1999) and Sing Me a Song (2019).- Writer
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Asghar Farhadi is an Iranian film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is considered one of the most prominent filmmakers of Iranian cinema as well as world cinema in the 21st century. His films have gained recognition for their focus on the human condition, and portrayals of intimate and challenging stories of internal family conflicts. In 2012, he was included on the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world. That same year, he also received the Legion of Honour from France.
Farhadi was born in Isfahan, Iran. At the age of 15, in 1987, he joined the Isfahan branch office of the Iranian Youth Cinema Society, which had been established for 4 years earlier and he made several short films. He is also a graduate of theatre, with a BA in dramatic arts and MA in stage direction from University of Tehran and Tarbiat Modares University, respectively.
While completing his studies, he wrote a number of radio plays for Iran's national broadcasting service and directed several television programs. In 2001 Farhadi co-wrote the screenplay for the political satire Ertefa-e past (Low Heights, 2002), with famed war film director, Ebrahim Hatamikia.
Farhadi's first feature film, Dancing in the Dust (2003), tells the story of a young man who is forced to divorce his wife and go hunting snakes in the desert in order to repay his debts to his in-laws. His next film, The Beautiful City (2004), is about a young man who is sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit.
Farhadi's breakthrough came with his third film, About Elly (2009), which won the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. The film tells the story of a group of friends who go on a weekend trip to the Caspian Sea, and the secrets that are revealed over the course of the weekend.
Farhadi's next film, A Separation (2011), won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. The film tells the story of a middle-class Iranian couple who are going through a divorce, and the moral dilemmas they face as they try to decide what is best for their young daughter.
Farhadi's subsequent films, The Past (2013) and The Salesman (2016), were also critically acclaimed. The Salesman won a second Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Farhadi's latest film, A Hero (2021), was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2021 Cannes Film Festival. The film tells the story of a man who is released from prison and tries to win back his wife's trust.
Farhadi's films are known for their their complex and suspenseful plots, their realistic characters, and their exploration of moral dilemmas. His films often deal with themes of family, relationships, and social class.
Farhadi is a master of creating suspense, and his films are often compared to those of Alfred Hitchcock. He is also a skilled director of actors, and his films have featured some of the most celebrated Iranian actors, including Shahab Hosseini, Leila Hatami, and Taraneh Alidoosti.
In 2022, Farhadi was accused of plagiarism by a former student, who claimed that he had stolen the idea for his film A Hero from a documentary she had made. Farhadi denied the allegations, and a court in Iran eventually ruled in his favor. However, the allegations have tarnished Farhadi's reputation and raised questions about his creative process.
Asghar Farhadi is one of the most important filmmakers of our time. His films are both entertaining and thought-provoking, and they offer a unique insight into Iranian society and culture. He is a true auteur, and his work is sure to be studied and admired for many years to come.- Writer
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Dominik Moll was born on 7 May 1962 in Bühl, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. He is a writer and director, known for With a Friend Like Harry... (2000), Only the Animals (2019) and The Night of the 12th (2022).- Director
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Jeremy Saulnier has slyly defined a unique cinematic aesthetic that complements his idiosyncratic narrative premises. His sophomore feature, Blue Ruin (2013) a quirky, crime drama set in a pretty, but grimier part of suburban America was a festival darling and supplanted his name within the independent movie scene. His upcoming project Green Room looks like more of the same strangely engaging stuff from the incredibly promising writer/director.- Director
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Neill Blomkamp is a South African-Canadian film director and screenwriter who is known for the science fiction films District 9, Elysium and Chappie. He also directed the supernatural horror film Demonic and the 2007 short film Halo: Landfall, based on the Microsoft science fiction video game franchise. He had a child from his wife Terri Tatchell.- Writer
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Na Hong-jin born in 1974 is a South Korean film director and screenwriter. His debut film The Chaser (2008) won Best Director at the 45th Grand Bell Awards in 2008. The film also won the award for Best Film. His follow up film, The Yellow Sea, was released in South Korea on December 15, 2010. It is scheduled to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.- Director
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Julia Ducournau is a French film director and screenwriter. She attended film school at La Fémis in Paris, where she studied screenwriting. In 2011, her short film JUNIOR won the Petit Rail d'Or at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Her first feature, the horror movie Raw (2016), won the coveted FIPRESCI prize at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.- Director
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Welsh born writer/director, in 2003 directed a short film "Samurai Monogatari" telling the tale of a Samurai waiting to be executed. The short was in Japanese language and starred students from Tokyo who were studying at Cardiff University at the time.
In 2003 he also graduated with an MA in Scriptwriting for Film and Television at the University of Glamorgan but it was not until 2006 that he would see his first major production with the self-penned feature "Footsteps". In 2006 the film premiered at the Swansea Bay Film Festival where it was awarded the prize for "Best Film", it has since gone on to receive critical acclaim and is due to be released in the US through extreme cinema label, Unearthed Films in summer 2007.
Currently he is directing a documentary for Christine Hakim Films in Indonesia entitled "The Mystic Arts of Indonesia: Pencak Silat". The documentary is one of a five episode series covering the cultural heritage of Indonesia and is expected to broadcast once the series is complete in 2008.
Following this he is expected to begin work on a second feature in summer 2007.- Director
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Jordan Downey is a writer and director from Ohio, and no stranger to the horror community. While in college, he was an intern under Wes Craven and broke onto the scene with his first feature, the cult horror film ThanksKilling. The success of ThanksKilling spawned a fan-funded sequel, ThanksKilling 3, and ThanksKilling: The Musical which toured to sold-out crowds. In the years since, his shorts Techno Western and Critters: Bounty Hunter earned praise amongst fans and genre outlets alike, but it was his third feature The Head Hunter which elevated the filmmaker to new heights. The medieval horror film won multiple awards on the festival circuit before landing a worldwide release from Vertical Entertainment. The film opened atop rental charts and holds a 94% on Rotten Tomatoes where critics praised its minimalist storytelling. "I can only imagine the staggering vision Jordan Downey and his team will concoct next" says Rue Morgue Magazine.- Director
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Gabriel Abrantes studied at The Cooper Union in New York, ENSBA in Paris and at Le Fresnoy in Tourcoing. His films confront historical, social and political themes through an investigation of post-colonial, gender and identity questions. They layer improbable readings, twisting traditional narratives that flirt with absurdity, folklore, humor, and politics. He lives and works in Lisbon.- Director
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Alessandro Comodin was born on 5 June 1982 in San Vito al Tagliamento, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy. He is an editor and director, known for Summer of Giacomo (2011), Happy Times Will Come Soon (2016) and Gigi la legge (2022).- Writer
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Born 1985 in Germany, Levin Peter studied at the Filmakademie Ludwigsburg where he realized several documentaries that were shown worldwide. His diploma film BEYOND THE SNOWSTORM won the German Upcoming Film Award and was presented as a Guest at the Berlinale. He was a jury member at Visions du Réel and received the Nipkow and the Gerd Ruge Grant. In 2016 he founded the Vienna-based production company RAUMZEITFILM with Elsa Kremser. As a directing duo, they are currently working on their first fiction feature, THE GREEN PARROT, which received the Berlinale Kompagnon Script Award. Their recent documentary SPACE DOGS premiered at Locarno IFF where it received two special jury mentions. It was presented at over 60 festivals worldwide and awarded as the "Best Austrian Film 2019" at the Viennale.- Director
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Omer Fast was born in Jerusalem in 1972, and grew up in Israel and Jericho, New York, USA. He is a contemporary video artist and filmmaker. His multichannel video installations blur the boundaries between documentary, dramatization, and fantasy. His feature film debut Remainder (2015) was presented in the 'Panorama' section of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in 2016. Fast received a BA/BFA from Tufts University/School of the Museum of Fine Arts (1995), and an MFA from Hunter College (2000). Among the honors he has received are the Preis der Nationalgalerie für junge Kunst (2009); Bucksbaum Award (2008); and the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Prize (2003). Major exhibitions of his work have appeared at the Rose Art Museum (2013); Imperial War Museum, London (2013); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (2013); Musée d'Art Contemporain, Montréal (2013); the Power Plant (2012); Dallas Museum of Art (2012); Wexner Center for the Arts (2012); Documenta (2012); Taipei Biennial (2012); Venice Biennale (2011); Singapore Biennial (2011); Cleveland Museum of Art (2010); Berkeley Art Museum (2009); Whitney Museum of American Art (2009); Indianapolis Museum of Art (2009); Performa (2009); Liverpool Biennial (2008); Whitney Biennial (2008, 2002); Museum of Modern Art, Vienna (2007); Carnegie Museum (2005); Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich (2004), and Frankfurter Kunstverein, Frankfurt (2003). Omer Fast lives and works in Berlin, Germany.- Writer
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Bertrand Mandico is known for The Wild Boys (2017), After Blue (2021) and Our Lady of Hormones (2015).- Director
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Pablo Sigg is known for Lamaland (Part I) (2018).- Director
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Angela Schanelec was born on 14 February 1962 in Aalen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. She is a director and actress, known for I Was at Home, But... (2019), The Dreamed Path (2016) and Music (2023). She was previously married to Juergen Gosch.- Director
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Rugile Barzdziukaite is known for Acid Forest (2018).- Actor
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Jonah Hill was born and raised in Los Angeles, the son of Sharon Feldstein (née Chalkin), a fashion designer and costume stylist, and Richard Feldstein, a tour accountant for Guns N' Roses. He is the brother of music manager Jordan Feldstein and actress Beanie Feldstein. He graduated from Crossroads School in Santa Monica and went on to The New School in New York to study drama.
He began writing and performing in plays while at college in New York, and managed to get himself introduced to Dustin Hoffman, through whom he got an audition for his first film role in I Heart Huckabees (2004). A succession of increasingly high-profile film and TV parts followed until he eventually landed one of the starring roles in the teen hit, Superbad (2007). Continuing to write and act, more roles followed as well as popular appearances on US TV talk shows.- Producer
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Sean Durkin was born on 9 December 1981 in Canada. He is a producer and director, known for Martha Marcy May Marlene (2011), The Nest (2020) and The Iron Claw (2023).- Actor
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An actor for all seasons and all kinds of roles (from dark, difficult characters to more loving ones) Paul Dano has an extensive body work that includes working with directors such as Paul Thomas Anderson, Steve McQueen, Dayton & Ferris, Ang Lee, Denis Villenueve and Paolo Sorrentino; acting with heavyweights such as Harrison Ford, Daniel Day-Lewis, Alan Arkin, Jake Gyllenhaal, Toni Collette, Michael Caine, Kevin Kline - just to mention a few names; and easily making a fine transition in between independent cinema, art-house films and mainstream Hollywood blockbusters.
Paul Franklin Dano was born on 19 June, 1984 in New York City, the son of Gladys (Pipp) and Paul Dano. He is of Rusyn, Slovenian/Czech, and Swedish descent. At an early age he was already appearing in community plays and by his early teens he got his first TV appearance on an episode of Smart Guy (1998). His first major role was as Howie Blitzer, a trouble teenager who gets involved with an older man, played by Brian Cox, in the controversial and acclaimed L.I.E. (2001). For the role, Dano was awarded an Independent Spirit Award in the Best Debut Performance category, along with some other awards from Indie cinema. From the on, he moved on to supporting roles in The Girl Next Door (2004), Taking Lives (2004), The King (2005), Fast Food Nation (2006) and The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005).
Dano's rise to stardom came in consecutive films that showcased his talents and made him an important name in the business: as Dwayne, a rebel teen who copes with his teen angst by refusing to speak to everyone in his family, only using of his cold expressions and a notepad in Little Miss Sunshine (2006), he was praised by critics and audiences, a role that earned him among other awards the Screen Actors Guild as Best Ensemble Cast. The following year, he appeared on a dual role as twin brothers Paul and Eli Sunday - the latter character, a devoted preacher, is more extensive and challenging than the mysterious Paul, in Paul Thomas Anderson critically acclaimed There Will Be Blood (2007). The role was given to Dano after a recommendation from Daniel Day-Lewis who had worked with the young actor in The Ballad of Jack and Rose (2005) and found him a very talented and interesting role. Anderson followed Day-Lewis suggestion, and the result was another hit for Dano, who received several awards nominations, including the Bafta as Best Supporting Actor.
After that, he went on with his career with Taking Woodstock (2009), Cowboys & Aliens (2011), Ruby Sparks (2012) - in which he appears alongside his girlfriend Zoe Kazan, Looper (2012), as the tortured suspect in Prisoners (2013); the Oscar winning 12 Years a Slave (2013); as a young Method actor in Youth (2015); the freak comedy Swiss Army Man (2016); Okja (2017); and the miniseries War & Peace (2016) and Escape at Dannemora (2018), the latter being a role completely the opposite he ever played in previous years, as an inmate who escapes jail, a very physical work for him. In between those films and projects, he gained notoriety by playing the young Brian Wilson in Love & Mercy (2014), the Beach Boys leader who suffers a nervous breakdown while trying to compose an epic album. That role gave Paul Dano plenty of buzz during awards season, some deserved recognition and his first Golden Globe nomination in the Best Supporting Actor category.
His career seems to always be going further each year goes by, always promising. He made his directorial debut in Wildlife (2018), which was co-written with Zoe Kazan. They're living together for a decade and have one daughter.
In the 2020's, he provided the voice from a character in the thriller The Guilty (2021) and played the Riddler in the box-office hit The Batman (2022), in one of his most challenging roles. During 2022/2023 awards season he received a lot of praise and attention for his role in the acclaimed The Fabelmans (2022) where he plays a version of Steven Spielberg's father.- Writer
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Emerald Lilly Fennell is an English actress, filmmaker, and writer. She has received many awards and nominations, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, one Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globe Awards. Fennell first gained attention for her roles in period drama films, such as Albert Nobbs (2011), Anna Karenina (2012), The Danish Girl (2015), and Vita and Virginia (2018). She went on to receive wider recognition for her starring roles in the BBC One period drama series Call the Midwife (2013-17) and for her portrayal of Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall in the Netflix period drama series The Crown (2019-20).- Writer
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Elijah Bynum is known for Magazine Dreams (2023), Hot Summer Nights (2017) and Red White and Beautiful.- Writer
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Shana Feste was born on 28 August 1976 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a writer and director, known for Dirty Diana (2020), Endless Love (2014) and The Greatest (2009).- Writer
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Jeff Baena was born on 29 June 1977 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for The Little Hours (2017), Life After Beth (2014) and Joshy (2016). He has been married to Aubrey Plaza since 7 May 2021.- Producer
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Luis López Carrasco is known for The Year of the Discovery (2020), El futuro (2013) and Aliens (2017).- Director
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Óliver Laxe was born on 11 April 1982 in Paris, France. He is a director and actor, known for Mimosas (2016), Fire Will Come (2019) and You All Are Captains (2010).- Director
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Eliza Hittman was born on 1 January 1979 in Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA. She is a director and producer, known for Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), Beach Rats (2017) and It Felt Like Love (2013).- Director
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Roberto Minervini was born in 1970 in Fermo, Marche, Italy. Roberto is a director and producer, known for Stop The Pounding Heart (2013), The Other Side (2015) and What You Gonna Do When the World's on Fire? (2018).- Director
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Charles Poekel was born on 17 April 1984 in Summit, New Jersey, USA. Charles is a director and cinematographer, known for Christmas, Again (2014), Tomnoddy (2018) and Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead (2015).- Director
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Milagros Mumenthaler was born in 1977 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Milagros is a director and writer, known for Back to Stay (2011), El patio (2004) and La idea de un lago (2016).- Director
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Juho Kuosmanen was born in 1979 in Kokkola, Finland. He is a director and writer, known for Compartment Number 6 (2021), The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki (2016) and The Painting Sellers (2010).- Director
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Gia Coppola was born on 1 January 1987 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is a director and writer, known for Palo Alto (2013), Mainstream (2020) and Somewhere (2010).- Writer
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Michelangelo Frammartino was born in 1968 in Milan, Lombardy, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for The Hole (2021), Il dono (2003) and Le Quattro Volte (2010).- Producer
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Barry Jenkins was born on 19 November 1979 in Miami, Florida, USA. He is a producer and director, known for If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Moonlight (2016) and Aftersun (2022).- Writer
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Makoto Shinkai is a Japanese director, writer, producer, animator, editor, cinematographer, voice actor, manga artist and former graphic designer. Shinkai studied Japanese literature at Chuo University where he was a member of juvenile literature club where he drew picture books. In 1999, Shinkai released She and Her Cat, a five-minute short piece done in monochrome. His best knows films are The Place Promised in Our Early Days (2004), 5 Centimeters Per Second (2007), Children Who Chase Lost Voices (2011), The Garden of Words (2013), and Your Name (2016). His favorite anime is Castle in the Sky (1986) by Hayao Miyazaki.- Producer
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Anurag Singh Kashyap (born 10 September 1972) is an Indian film director, producer and screenwriter. Kashyap made his directorial debut with as yet unreleased Paanch, with Kay Kay Menon as the lead. As a filmmaker, he is known for Black Friday (2004), a controversial and award-winning Hindi film about the 1993 Mumbai bombings, followed by No Smoking (2007), Dev D (2009), Gulaal (2009), That Girl in Yellow Boots (2011) and Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). As a screenwriter, he wrote the scripts for the Filmfare Award-winning Satya (1998) and the Academy Award-nominated Canadian film Water (2005). He founded his film production company, Anurag Kashyap Films Pvt. Ltd. in 2009.- Writer
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Five feature films, three short films, one web series, six Filmfare awards, an Emmy nomination and India's official entry to the Oscars outlines Zoya Akhtar's unique ability to tell stories that break the conventional norms and create waves globally.
Zoya's directorial journey began with Luck By Chance (2009), followed by Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara (2011), Dil Dhadakne Do (2015), and the internationally acclaimed Gully Boy (2019), which have since acquired cult status, and won numerous global awards and accolades. The globally celebrated series Made in Heaven (2019) for Amazon Prime and the international Emmy nominated Lust Stories (2018) for Netflix have further extended Zoya's reach as a universal storyteller. Zoya's most recent directorial, The Archies (2023) is the official adaptation and the first ever feature film of the globally revered Archie comics.
Through Tiger Baby, Zoya has also turned producer - with Made in Heaven (2019), Eternally Confused and Eager for Love (2022), Dahaad (2023), The Archies (2023) and Kho Gaye Hum Kahan (2023) already under her belt, and many more exciting projects to come!- Writer
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Patryk Vega was born on 2 January 1977 in Warsaw, Mazowieckie, Poland. He is a writer and director, known for Small World (2021), Pitbull: Tough Women (2016) and Pitbull (2005). He has been married to Katarzyna Slominska since 26 June 2010.- Director
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Rustam Mosafir was born on 7 January 1985 in Moscow, Russia. He is a director and writer, known for Begletsy (2014), Shaman (2022) and The Scythian (2018).- Director
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The talents of versatile Russian writer/director Kirill Sokolov were brought to the attention of Western audiences via the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia in 2018. A riotous, action-filled black comedy, Sokolov's debut film, "Why don't you just die!," draws upon the cinematic styles of his favorite directors, Sergio Leone, Martin McDonagh, Park Chan-wook, Martin Scorsese, and, of course, Quentin Tarantino. Although his first full-length feature film is distinctly Russian, uniquely characterized as a Western-style action film playing out within the confines of a Moscow apartment, Sokolov endeavors to tell a universal story that international audiences will still be able to relate to.
Sokolov was born in 1989 in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 2012, he received a master's degree in the Physics and Technology of Nanostructures. However, even as he worked to complete his degree in Physics, he began making short films with his friends, initially using just ketchup as blood. Inspired by films such as "The Good, The Bad and The Ugly," "Evil Dead 2," "Oldboy," and "Kill Bill" Volumes 1 and 2, Sokolov discovered that he had both a love and a talent for dark comedy, a genre which has yet to gain popularity in Russia. In 2013, when Sokolov's filmmaking hobby started to consume all of his time, he enrolled in a program for Advanced Courses for Film Directors and Scriptwriters (VKSR) at the workshop of V. Khotinenko, P. Finn, and V. Fenchenko. In 2015 he successfully defended his diploma with the short film "The Flame." In addition to his debut film, "Why don't you just die?" Sokolov has edited several Russian full-length feature films, written several full-length screenplays, and directed music videos and commercials.- Director
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Joachim Trier is a Norwegian writer and director. He is known for Reprise (2006), Oslo, August 31st (2011), Louder Than Bombs (2015) and Thelma (2017).
Trier also directed three short films, Pietà (2000), Still (2001) and Procter (2002).
His father, Jacob Trier, was the sound technician of The Pinchcliffe Grand Prix, a notable film produced in Norway in 1975.
Louder Than Bombs was his first English-language film.
Thelma was selected as the Norwegian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.- Director
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Gust Van den Berghe was born on 25 April 1985 in Borgerhout, Flanders, Belgium. He is a director and producer, known for En waar de sterre bleef stille staan (2010), Blue Bird (2011) and Lucifer (2014).- Director
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Andrea Bussmann is known for Fausto (2018), Tales of Two Who Dreamt (2016) and Aquel cuyo rostro no irradie luz (2011).- Producer
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Damien Sayre Chazelle is an American director and screenwriter. He was born in Providence, Rhode Island. His mother, Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, is an American-Canadian writer and professor of history at The College of New Jersey. His father, Bernard Chazelle, is a French-American Eugene Higgins Professor of computer science at Princeton University, originally from Clamart, France. Chazelle has a sister, Anna, who is an actress and circus performer.- Actor
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Joe Swanberg was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1981. He moved around quite a bit growing up, even spending two years on an island in the Pacific Ocean named Kwajalein. He studied film production at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he developed an interest in emerging video technology and the creative possibilities of the Internet. He became an avid web designer in school, and did this to make money while he financed his first film, Kissing on the Mouth (2005). He also worked for the Chicago International Film Festival as "Travel Coordinator," though he had no formal experience with this prior to accepting the job.- Actress
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Amy Seimetz first came to prominence producing and directing shorts and independent films. Most notably associate producing Barry Jenkins' Medicine For Melancholy which was nominated for Gotham and Independent Spirit Awards, after playing at South By Southwest and the Toronto International Film Festival.
She became notable as an actress after her performance in Joe Swanberg's Alexander The Last, a Noah Baumbach produced film which premiered at SXSW. This was the first of three films she worked on under the direction of Mumblecore king Joe Swanberg, including Silver Bullets (Berlin, SXSW) and Autoerotic. She continued her streak of solid indie performances in Lawrence Levine's "Gabi On The Roof In July", Lena Dunham's Tiny Furniture (SXSW), Kentucker Audley's "Open Five", and David Robert Mitchell's Myth of the American Sleepover (Cannes).
Her performance in Adam Wingard's horror thriller A Horrible Way To Die won her the Best Actress award at Fantastic Fest, the biggest genre film festival in the US. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews.
Seimetz is probably most known for her performance in the Megan Griffiths drama "The Off-Hours", which premiered at the Sundance film festival in 2011.
The Hollywood Reporter singled her out as one of the breakouts of Sundance that year, alongside Brit Marling, Elizabeth Olsen, and Felicity Jones.
Seimetz rounded out an all-star cast in the Tribeca Film Festival premiere Revenge For Jolly directed by Chadd Harbold. The ensemble cast included Kristen Wiig, Elijah Wood, Oscar Isaac, Garrett Dillahunt, Ryan Phillippe, Gillian Jacobs, Adam Brody and Brian Petsos. The film marked a reunion for Seimetz with her co-stars Wiig, Dilahunt, and Petsos from the Chadd Harbold short film "One Night Only".
In 2012 Seimetz made her narrative feature directorial debut with her Floridian thriller Sun Don't Shine, which she also wrote, produced, and co-edited. The film premiered at the South By Southwest film festival in the Emerging Visions section to rave reviews.- Producer
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New Yorker Lena Dunham is the daughter of a painter, Carroll Dunham and Laurie Simmons, a designer and photographer. Dunham was educated at Oberlin College, Ohio, graduating with a creative writing degree. It was while at Oberlin that she began writing shorts and feature films. In 2009, Dunham created the web series Delusional Downtown Divas (2009), which gained a cult following.
Also in 2009, Dunham released Creative Nonfiction (2009), her first feature film. She went on to write, direct and star in Tiny Furniture (2010), which scored two Independent Spirit Award nominations. In 2012, Dunham came to the attention of a wider audience with the HBO series Girls (2012) created by and starring Dunham and executive produced by Judd Apatow.- Director
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American writer/director Joel Potrykus resides in Grand Rapids, MI. He works with a filmmaking band, Sob Noisse, including long-time collaborator Joshua Burge. His films have premiered at the SXSW Film Festival, Locarno Film Festival, and have screened at the Lincoln Center and the MoMa. He teaches filmmaking at Grand Valley State University.- Director
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Aleksandre Koberidze was born on 19 October 1984 in Tbilisi, Georgia. He is a director and writer, known for What Do We See When We Look at the Sky? (2021), Let the Summer Never Come Again (2017) and Looking Back Is Grace (2013).- Director
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Kristoffer Borgli was born in 1985 in Oslo, Norway. He is a director and writer, known for Sick of Myself (2022), Dream Scenario (2023) and Former Cult Member Hears Music for the First Time (2020).- Director
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Anna Biller is a writer and director who creates unique, female-focused, highly visual films. She has a BA from UCLA in art and an MFA from CalArts in art and film. Her first feature Viva played in film festivals all over the world and gained minor cult status, and her second feature The Love Witch won acclaim for its elaborate visual style and feminist themes, and has screened at numerous film festivals worldwide.
The New York Times called The Love Witch "a hothouse filled with deadly and seductive blooms;" The New Yorker called it "a metaphysical astonishment;" Film Comment said, "Biller's sharp film stands in stark contrast to the complacency and crushing safeness of the vast majority of independent films made in the US. Shot in 35mm, her film displays a technical mastery that is glorious to behold;" and The Austin Chronicle said, "Anna Biller has quickly established herself as one of the most exciting filmmakers of the past decade."
In 2017 she won the Trailblazer Award and Best Costume Design at the Chicago Independent Film Critics Circle Awards for The Love Witch, and in 2019 she was invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. She is listed in a Rotten Tomatoes article as one of "The 21 Masters Of Horror Shaping The Genre Right Now." The Love Witch appeared on many 2016 best-of-year lists, and on Rotten Tomatoes it's ranked as the #40 horror film of all time.- Producer
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Ning Hao (Born in Shanxi, China) is a commercial filmmaker from China who has a great track record of quality films with success at the box-office. Ning studied at the Taiyuan Film School, where he majored in scenic design. He later transferred to the Art Department of Peking University. Ning eventually graduated from the Beijing Film Academy in 2003 with a degree from the Photography Department.
In the past decade, he has completed 8 films, achieving a total of over 620 million USD at the box-office. In terms of investment-to-return ratio, he tops all directors in China. From international acclaim to local commercial hits, he has become a legendary figure in the China film industry. All of his movies have garnered high profits, while retaining a resolutely personal style of expression. Ning Hao has become the hottest director in China.
He made his debut during his student days with "Incense" and his second full-length feature was "Mongolian Ping Pong." Both films were selected for the Berlin, Locarno and Hong Kong film festivals, eventually making it to fifty international film festivals while winning numerous grand prizes, such as the most popular award of Shanghai Film Festival in Asia. Ning Hao's talent has been affirmed by juries worldwide with accolades in the global film industry.
In 2006 at 29, Ning Hao wrote and directed a small budget movie "Crazy Stone." The shoot took 46 days and cost only 400k USD). It rocked Chinese audiences across the world, and smashed box-office records for the first half of 2006, clocking 4.5 million USD. It went on to be the most profitable film for that year.
Along the way, it took home the Taiwan Golden Horse Award for Best Original Screenplay and many other awards. "Crazy Stone" has been greatly praised by the media and the general audience, becoming a milestone event for China film history. The main actors in the the movie, eventually nicknamed Stone Clan, went on to become influential forces in the Chinese movie scene for the next decade.
In 2009, Ning Hao wrote and directed "Crazy Racer." The shoot took 56 days and cost 1.5 million USD. The movie made 20 million USD at the box-office and launched Ning Hao into the same bracket of box-office success as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Feng Xiaogang, making him the fourth distinguished member of the Hundred-Million-Club-Auteur (In Chinese currency) and surpassing the veterans mentioned above. He is the youngest director in China to achieve this grand honor.
In 2013, Ning Hao directed and wrote China's first western road movie "No Man's Land." It was allowed to be released after four years of censorship delays. "No Man's Land" was shot in the harsh western region of China in 77 days, costing 2.5 million USD. It eventually made 45 million USD at the box-office. Its film-critics' score has stayed at the top of Chinese movie charts, and it received the "Annual Hundred Film Media Prize."It was also nominated at the 64th Berlin Film Festival main competition.
In 2014, Ning Hao wrote and directed "Breakup Buddies." It premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, and won acclaim internationally. Variety and The Hollywood Reporter gave great coverage to the movie. This movie took 90 days to shot, cost 13 million USD and made 200 million USD at the box-office. It was the most profitable domestic film of China in 2014 and recorded the greatest audience attendance numbers.
In 2018, Ning Hao directed his the last film of his "Crazy" Trilogy, "Crazy Alien". It made over 320 million USD at the box office during the 2019 Chinese New Year holiday season.- Producer
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Vivian Qu was born in Beijing, China. She is a director, writer and producer, known for Trap Street (2013), Black Coal, Thin Ice (2014) and Angels Wear White (2017). She is the first woman director to ever win Best Director at both the Golden Horse Awards and the China Film Director's Guild Awards.- Director
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Hélène Cattet was born in 1976 in Paris, France. She is a director and writer, known for Amer (2009), The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2013) and Let the Corpses Tan (2017).- Director
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Bruno Forzani is known for Amer (2009), The Strange Color of Your Body's Tears (2013) and Let the Corpses Tan (2017).- Writer
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Damiano D'Innocenzo was born on 14 July 1988 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for Bad Tales (2020), Boys Cry (2018) and America Latina (2021).- Writer
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Fabio D'Innocenzo was born on 14 July 1988 in Rome, Lazio, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for Bad Tales (2020), Boys Cry (2018) and America Latina (2021).- Director
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Alexander Zolotukhin was born on 7 September 1988 in Zaporozhye, Ukrainian SSR, USSR [now Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine]. Alexander is a director and writer, known for A Russian Youth (2019), Brat vo vsyom (2022) and Spotknutsya (2019).- Writer
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Father is Estonian, mother is Russian. In childhood, she dreamed of becoming an actress, but under the influence of her father she chose the profession of engineer and entered LIAP, which she graduated in 1993. In the future, the specialty did not work. I tried myself at Lenfilm and at Art Pictures Petersburg as an assistant director, two years later I went to Modern radio. From 1995 to 2004, in collaboration with her first husband, Andrei Balashov, he launched popular TV projects with the participation of Dmitry Nagiyev and Sergei Rost: "Careful, modern!", "Careful, modern! 2 "and talk show" Once in the evening ". The broadcasts came out on the Sixth Channel of St. Petersburg Television, as well as on STS, TNT and RTR. In 2004, the team "Modern" broke up. From 2004 to 2007, as a director and screenwriter, Parmas worked on various TV channels, including Belarusfilm studio, where she shot the mini-series "Gentle Winter", and on "Fifth Channel", for which she shot the TV game "Against the Mafia" . In 2007, film director and screenwriter Avdotya Smirnova offered to write a joint script for a new comedy film. In recognition of Dunya, "since then we have become closest friends." In collaboration, they created the films "Two Days" and "Kokoko", which were awarded prizes at film festivals and nominations for the "Nika" and "Golden Eagle" awards. In the film "Kokoko" Parmas made her debut as an actress (she played a small part as a housekeeper). Creative collaboration with Avdotya Smirnova continues. In 2015, she directed the video for the song "Vip" of the "Leningrad" group. Also became the director of the next clips of the group: "Healthy Life", "Exhibit", "Ecstasy", "In St. Petersburg - drink" and "Tits." In July 2017 - the director and creative producer of the TV program "Motive of Crime" on the "Fifth Channel". Married, three children.- Producer
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Vladlena Sandu is known for Holy God (2017), Identifikatsiya (2019) and Eight Images from the Life of Nastya Sokolova (2018).- Director
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Sergei Dvortsevoy was born on 18 August 1962 in Chimkent, Chimkent Oblast, Kazakh SSR, USSR [now Shymkent, South Kazakhstan Region, Kazakhstan]. He is a director and writer, known for Ayka (2018), Bread Day (1998) and Tulpan (2008).- Writer
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Igor Poplauhin is known for Na tebe soshyolsya klinom belyy svet (2022), Calendar (2018) and Vyzhivshie (2021).- Cinematographer
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J.P. Sniadecki is known for El Mar La Mar (2017), Foreign Parts (2010) and The Iron Ministry (2014).- Director
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Joshua Bonnetta is known for El Mar La Mar (2017), The Two Sights (2020) and Remanence I - (Lost, Lost, Lost, Lost) (2013).- Director
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Alain Guiraudie was born on 15 July 1964 in Villefranche-de-Rouergue, Aveyron, France. He is a director and writer, known for Stranger by the Lake (2013), That Old Dream That Moves (2001) and The King of Escape (2009).- Pavel Pepperstein is known for Sound of the Sun (2016).
- Evgeny Granilshchikov is known for This Is the Last Song of the Evening (2018).
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After graduating from Moscow State University with a diploma in journalism, Maria Ignatenko went on to study film directing at Moscow School of New Cinema. Her graduation film 'Yuha' was selected for the "Weekend of the Short Film" of the International Festival of Contemporary Cinema "2Morrow" in 2015.
She is the editor for the documentary 'Never-Ending Conversation.Mamleev' by Valentina Antonova and Dmitry Mamuliya, selected for the international competition at Fidmarseille 2017. She also co-wrote Dmitry Mamuliya's latest feature, 'The Criminal Man'.- Producer
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Maxim Dashkin graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts with an M.F.A in film, where he focused on directing. Preceding his post-graduate degree Maxim worked for 12 years in the advertising business in Moscow, New York and San Francisco, in agencies such as Publicis, Goodby, BBH and Ogilvy & Mather. Maxim's credits include feature-length documentary, TV-series and TV films for main Russian TV channels. Furthermore his short films "Moving in Circles" and "Broken Maiden" have played in over 30 festivals worldwide and won 15 awards.- Actor
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Anton Lapenko was born on 1 September 1986 in Zelenograd, Moscow district, RSFSR, USSR. He is an actor and writer, known for Igor Katamaranov (2019), Vnutri Lapenko (2019) and Like a Man (2022).- Writer
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Lee Chang-Dong was born in 1954 in Daegu, which some consider the most right-wing city in South Korea. Lee is a former high-school teacher and an acclaimed novelist. He turned to cinema when he was over 40 years old. His debut film "Green Fish" (1997) brought immediate success and critical acclaim. "Peppermint Candy" (2000), seemingly having the same 'lost innocence' theme as his former work, shoots fiery criticisms against the still-powerful remnants of the Korean military dictatorship regime. With "Oasis" (2002) Lee received countless awards, including the Special Director's Award at the Venice Film Festival. Since 2003, Lee worked as the Minister of Culture in the newly elected liberal national government.- Producer
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Zhangke Jia was born on 24 May 1970 in Fenyang, Shanxi, China. He is a producer and director, known for Ash Is Purest White (2018), A Touch of Sin (2013) and Mountains May Depart (2015). He has been married to Tao Zhao since 7 January 2012.- Director
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Leonid Shmelkov was born on 15 July 1982 in Moscow, RSFSR, USSR [now Russia]. He is a director and writer, known for Cucumbers (2021), My Own Personal Moose (2014) and Lola the Living Potato (2018).- Producer
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Graham Swon is known for The World Is Full of Secrets (2018), The Cathedral (2021) and An Evening Song (for three voices) (2023).- Director
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Mika Taanila was born on 22 May 1965 in Helsinki, Finland. He is a director and editor, known for Return of the Atom (2015), Optical Sound (2005) and Monica in the South Seas (2023).- Producer
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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.- Writer
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Jeff Nichols was born on 7 December 1978 in Little Rock, Arkansas, USA. He is a writer and director, known for Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012) and Midnight Special (2016).- Director
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Leos Carax made several short films and also wrote film criticism, then at the age of 24 years made a very strong first feature Boy Meets Girl (1984). The film played at the 1984 Cannes film festival and was a critical triumph. It paved the way for Carax's second feature Bad Blood (1986) (Bad Blood). That film was a giant step forward in the same direction that he was going in with his first film. Both films were visually stunning and focused on young love and also alienation. With his reputation and talent at its peak, he set out to make what seemed it seemed like would be another triumph. The Lovers on the Bridge (1991) (The Lovers on the Bridge) was the result of three long years of very difficult production; Carax spent a fortune building some of the sets and filming some mind-blowing sequences. Unfortunately, neither critics nor audiences favored what was a truly grand vision of the themes he dealt with in his first two films. Carax went into an a 8 year long exile, but finally returned with Pola X (1999). It was a departure from his other films and another critical flop.- Writer
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Fellipe Barbosa was born in 1980 in Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He is a director and editor, known for Gabriel and the Mountain (2017), Casa Grande (2014) and Domingo (2018).- Director
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Philip Gröning was born on 7 April 1959 in Düsseldorf, West Germany. He is a director and writer, known for Into Great Silence (2005), Love, Money, Love (2000) and The Police Officer's Wife (2013).- Producer
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Maren Ade was born in Karlsruhe on 12 December 1976 to a couple of teachers.She studied cinema at Munich's Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film. As of 2001 she co-founded, together with Janine Jackowski, a fellow graduate from HFF, the "Komplizen" film company. It is through Komplizen that Maren would later co-produce, among others, "Arabian Nights", Miguel Gomes' masterpiece. After two shorts in 2000 and 2001 made under the auspices of her film school, she co-produced, wrote and and directed Der Wald vor lauter Bäumen (2003), her first feature. A grueling drama about the difficult beginnings of a new teacher, the movie impressed both audiences and critics. Incidentally, it is of interest to specify that its school scenes were entirely shot within the walls of the educational institution where her mother was teaching at the time. This promising effort was followed six years later by Everyone Else (2009), which although taking place in a totally different setting (the Sardinian seaside in the glory of Summer) also concerns characters unsure of themselves. A taut drama as well, it revolves around two holiday making newly married couples and describes in a Roman Polanski-like manner the wicked relationships they share. But her greatest success came in 2015 and 2016 with Toni Erdmann (2016), an offbeat comedy with a philosophical approach, which enthused the festival-goers at Cannes, allegedly making them "roar with laughter", and later making unexpected profit in art houses throughout the world. And it is true that a father playing dirty tricks on his daughter (meant to make her realize she is wasting her life) is no ordinary entertainment. As a matter of fact, after only three full-length movies to her credit, Maren Ade has become a name that counts in today's German cinema.- Producer
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J.C. Chandor is known for A Most Violent Year (2014), Margin Call (2011) and All Is Lost (2013). He has been married to Mary Cameron Goodyear since 2004. They have two children.- Actor
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Leigh Whannell grew up in Melbourne, Australia, where, at the age of four, he developed an obsession with telling stories. Whether it be through acting, writing or filmmaking, his primary love was getting a reaction from an audience. In 1995, at the age of 18, he was accepted into the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology's prestigious Media Arts course, where he met fellow filmmaker James Wan. In his second year of college, he landed the role of "film guy" on a Saturday morning TV show aimed at teens called Recovery (1996). Filmed totally live in the studio and hosted by actual teenagers, the ground-breaking show was hugely popular down under and was the first to bring "alternative culture" to Australia's TV screens, featuring live performances from bands like Sonic Youth, Weezer, Public Enemy, Ben Harper, Pulp and hundreds more. Hosting the film component of the show, Leigh was lucky enough to interview people like Tim Burton, Peter Jackson, Russell Crowe, George Clooney, and eventually went on the host the show in 1999. After graduating from college, Leigh found himself working more and more as a "host" or "presenter" on Australian TV - all the while hatching a plan with James Wan to finally fulfill his dream of making a film. Small acting roles cropped up from time to time (including one in The Matrix Reloaded (2003), which Leigh has said was "the most fun I've ever had in my life") and, along with those, some frustrating near-misses (and not so near-misses: like his cringe-inducing audition for "Lord Of The Rings", in which he paid $90 to have "hobbit ears" grafted onto his head, turning up at the casting office dressed as a hobbit - needless to say he didn't get the role). However, it was missing out on a role in Alex Proyas Australian film Garage Days (2002) that finally broke the camel's back. He called Wan and told him that if they wanted to get a film made, they would have to pay for it themselves. Saw (2004) was born. After nine months of writing, Leigh had written the screenplay for what he thought would be a self-financed, "Blair Witch"-style feature, with him starring and James directing. The script gained so much attention that soon enough, they were shopping it around Hollywood....and the rest is history.