Andrew Bujalski (born April 29, 1977) is an American

film director A film director controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfilment of that vision. The director has a key role in choosing the cast members, p ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

and

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

, who has been called the "godfather of mumblecore."

Life and career

Bujalski, born in Boston in 1977, is the son of artist-turned-businesswoman Sheila Dubman and businessman Edmund Bujalski. His father is Catholic and his mother is Jewish. Bujalski studied film at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

's Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, where the Belgian filmmaker

Chantal Akerman Chantal Anne Akerman (; 6 June 19505 October 2015) was a Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist, and Film studies, film professor at the City College of New York. She is best known for films such as ''Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 108 ...

was his

thesis advisor A doctoral advisor (also dissertation director, dissertation advisor; or doctoral supervisor) is a member of a university faculty whose role is to guide graduate students who are candidates for a doctorate, helping them select coursework, as well ...

. He shot his first feature, '' Funny Ha Ha'', in 2002 and followed it with ''

Mutual Appreciation ''Mutual Appreciation'' is a 2005 independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed ''Funny Ha Ha'' (2002). The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is consi ...

'' in 2003. They received theatrical distribution in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Bujalski wrote both screenplays and appears as an actor, playing a major role in both films. In 2006 he appeared as an actor and contributed to the screenplay of the Joe Swanberg film ''

Hannah Takes the Stairs ''Hannah Takes the Stairs'' is a 2007 American independent mumblecore film by Joe Swanberg. It has been described "as the defining movie of the low-budget, dialogue-driven 'mumblecore' movement." Plot Hannah is a recent college graduate living in ...

''. ''

Beeswax Beeswax (''cera alba'') is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in or at the hive. The hive workers ...

'' and ''

Computer Chess Computer chess includes both hardware (dedicated computers) and software capable of playing chess. Computer chess provides opportunities for players to practice even in the absence of human opponents, and also provides opportunities for analysi ...

'', Bujalski's third and fourth films, were filmed in Austin, where the director lives. ''Beeswax'' was released in summer 2009. While making it Bujalski wrote a

screenplay ''ScreenPlay'' is a television drama anthology series broadcast on BBC2 between 9 July 1986 and 27 October 1993. Background After single-play anthology series went off the air, the BBC introduced several showcases for made-for-television, fe ...

adaptation of

Benjamin Kunkel Benjamin Kunkel (born December 14, 1972 in Colorado) is an American novelist and political economist. He co-founded and is a co-editor of the journal '' n+1.'' His novel, ''Indecision'', was published in 2005. Background and education Kunkel gre ...

's 2005 novel ''Indecision'' for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...

. His fourth feature, ''Computer Chess'',Longworth, Karina
10 Movies We're Excited About in 2012.
''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin, who served as president and editor until 1991. Voice Media Group sold the paper in late 2017 to Semanal Media LLC, whose paren ...

''.Andrew Bujalski's Next Project: Computer Chess
/ref> is a period film set at a

computer programming Computer programming is the process of performing a particular computation (or more generally, accomplishing a specific computing result), usually by designing and building an executable computer program. Programming involves tasks such as ana ...

tournament in 1980. It premiered at the 2013

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

and won the Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize.2013 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
/ref> It is his first feature edited digitally and the only feature film shot almost exclusively with original

Sony , commonly stylized as SONY, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. As a major technology company, it operates as one of the world's largest manufacturers of consumer and professional ...

1968 AVC-3260 B&W video cameras. Grunsky, Matthias
"Computer Chess": a more detailed look at the tube camera
Bujalski married Karen Olsson in 2009. They have two children. Bujalski also has worked as a writer on several studio projects, including, most recently, the live-action remake of Disney’s ''Lady and the Tramp''.

Style and content

Bujalski's rough-edged, realistic films are often compared to the works of directors John Cassavetes, Maurice Pialat and

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English film and theatre director, screenwriter and playwright. He studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) and further at the Camberwell School of Art, the Central School of Art and Design ...

. All of his feature films were photographed by Austrian cinematographer

Matthias Grunsky Matthias Grunsky (born in Vienna, Austria) is an Austrian cinematographer. His career started as camera assistant on movies in Austria and Germany, where he has learnt from cinematographers as Lee Daniel on Richard Linklaters ''Before Sunrise'' ...

. The first three are shot on hand-held

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, educ ...

, have a sometimes decidedly "lo-fi" feel (reinforced by ''Funny Ha Has distorted

mono sound Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduc ...

), and are often classified as mumblecore. The actors are non-professionals, many drawn from other media, including animator Kate Dollenmayer as the lead in ''Funny Ha Ha'', musician

Justin Rice Justin Rice is an American musician and actor. Music career Since 2001, he has played guitar for indie (music), indie rock band Bishop Allen. He also co-wrote the music for the documentary ''The Bully Project'' with band-mate Christian Rudder., ...

as the lead in ''Mutual Appreciation'' and experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison in a supporting role in the same film. ''Funny Ha Ha'' featured a cast and crew of Harvard alumni. Though his films often appear

improvised Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

, they are for the most part scripted; the dialogue is often noted for its drawn-out, awkward nature, and characters frequently evade key topics. Many of the films seem to start and end ''

in medias res A narrative work beginning ''in medias res'' (, "into the middle of things") opens in the midst of the plot (cf. ''ab ovo'', ''ab initio''). Often, exposition is bypassed and filled in gradually, through dialogue, flashbacks or description of pa ...

'', giving the films a "slice of life" feeling that suggests a larger narrative or world that the audience is looking in on. The characters in Bujalski's films are mostly

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Comm ...

. The desire for stability is a recurring theme, and many characters rush headlong into attempts at a more controlled existence; one of the main characters in ''Funny Ha Ha'' elopes with his ex-girlfriend.

Filmography

As director, writer, and editor

As actor

Awards

* Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize, 2013 –

* Best Director, 2005 –

Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...

* Best Screenplay, 2005 – Newport International Film Festival *

Someone to Watch Award The Someone to Watch Award, sponsored by Kiehl's, recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. History The award includes a $25,000 unrestricted grant. The award was first given at the 1994 a ...

, 2004 – IFP

References

External links

*
Funny Ha Ha Official Site

Mutual Appreciation Official Site

Beeswax Official Site

Computer Chess Official Site

"Young Intellectuals Making Movies"
essay on Andrew Bujalski and Noah Baumbach in '' Dissent,'' Summer 2006.
Video Interview Berlinale 2009
Cargo Film Magazine
Don't Say "Mumblecore" to Bujalski, article and video, Sept 17, 2009

Andrew Bujalski performs and is interviewed on Radio Happy Hour

A conversation with Andrew Bujalski
on '' The Marketplace of Ideas''
In Conversation: Straight Talk: Andrew Bujalski, In Conversation with Paul Felten, ''The Brooklyn Rail''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bujalski, Andrew Living people 1977 births American male writers American male screenwriters Film directors from Massachusetts Film directors from Texas Harvard University alumni Male actors from Austin, Texas Writers from Boston Writers from Austin, Texas Alfred P. Sloan Prize winners