Brett Haley (born ) is an American filmmaker and actor best known for his work on ''
The Hero'' and ''
Hearts Beat Loud
''Hearts Beat Loud'' is a 2018 American comedy-drama music film directed by Brett Haley, from a screenplay by Haley and Marc Basch. It stars Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner and Toni Collette, and follows a Broo ...
''.
Early life
Haley was born in Illinois and raised in
Key West, Florida and
Pensacola, Florida. Haley developed an interest in filmmaking from childhood, making films with a VHS camera from age 9, recalling, "From a young age, I was a storyteller. I just knew it was what I wanted to do".
[Uncsa.edu]
/ref> Haley credits his older brother, Joshua Ferris
Joshua Ferris (born 1974) is an American author best known for his debut 2007 novel ''Then We Came to the End''. The book is a comedy about the American workplace, told in the first-person plural. It takes place in a fictitious Chicago ad agency ...
, for introducing him to movies like ''True Romance
''True Romance'' is a 1993 American romantic crime film directed by Tony Scott and written by Quentin Tarantino. It features an ensemble cast led by Christian Slater and Patricia Arquette, with Dennis Hopper, Val Kilmer, Gary Oldman, Brad Pitt ...
'' and ''Angel Heart
''Angel Heart'' is a 1987 American neo-noir psychological horror film, an adaptation of William Hjortsberg's 1978 novel ''Falling Angel''. The film was written and directed by Alan Parker, and stars Mickey Rourke, Robert De Niro, Lisa Bonet, an ...
''.[ He was also influenced by 80s and 90s action movies, such as '' Alien'', '']Terminator
Terminator may refer to:
Science and technology
Genetics
* Terminator (genetics), the end of a gene for transcription
* Terminator technology, proposed methods for restricting the use of genetically modified plants by causing second generation s ...
'' and ''Die Hard
''Die Hard'' is a 1988 American action film directed by John McTiernan, with a screenplay by Jeb Stuart and Steven E. de Souza. Based on the 1979 novel '' Nothing Lasts Forever'', by Roderick Thorp, it stars Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Al ...
'' through his childhood.
Education
Haley began his formal filmmaking education at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA) is an arts school in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It grants high school, undergraduate, and graduate degrees. Founded in 1963 as the North Carolina School of the Arts by then-Governo ...
School of Filmmaking in 2001, with a concentration in directing. He worked toward making a feature every summer, working with fellow UNCSA students to make up his crew. Of his time as a student, he says, "I learned a lot about what it means to be a collaborator at UNCSA. You learn quickly that film is very collaborative."[ Upon graduating in 2005, he moved to Los Angeles to work as a production assistant, but quickly relocated to ]Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
when he realized that approach wasn't for him.
Career
Haley's first feature film, ''The New Year'', was co-written with his sister-in-law, novelist Elizabeth Kennedy, and made for $5,000. Although he considers himself a director first and foremost, Haley says, "I learned very young that if I wanted to make independent films and get those films off the ground, then I needed to be a writer. For me, it was important to start writing and discover: what am I going to write about? How am I going to write it?...That’s when I learned that I needed a writing partner. I write better with a partner and highly recommend that to those who are struggling".[Creativescreenwriting.com]
/ref> '' The New Year'' premiered at the Sarasota Film Festival
The Sarasota Film Festival is a film festival located in Sarasota, Florida and is held in April. Its mission is "to celebrate the art of filmmaking and the contribution of filmmakers by hosting an international film festival and developing year-lo ...
in 2010 and won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Film.
In 2015, he co-wrote, edited, and directed ''I'll See You in My Dreams''. Marc Basch was his co-writer.[ It premiered at the ]2015 Sundance Film Festival
The 2015 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 22 to February 1, 2015. '' What Happened, Miss Simone?'', a biographical documentary film about American singer Nina Simone, opened the festival. Comedy-drama film '' Grandma'', directed by ...
, and went on to win awards for Best Actress and Best Director at the Louisiana Film Festival. Additionally, Blythe Danner was nominated for the Best Actress Award at the Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards () are American film awards, presented annually to the makers of independent films at a ceremony in New York City, the city first nicknamed "Gotham" by native son Washington Irving, in an issue of ''Salmagundi'', published o ...
for her role. In an interview, Sam Elliott says he "jumped at the chance to play a romantic lead"; "it's always been what's on the page for me," says Elliott. "I don't know how this kid came up with such a gem about 70-year-olds at 29, or whatever he was when he wrote it."
Haley and his co-writer, Marc Basch, wrote ''The Hero'' specifically for Sam Elliott
Samuel Pack Elliott (born August 9, 1944) is an American actor. He is the recipient of several accolades, including a National Board of Review Award, and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Aw ...
, who starred alongside Blythe Danner in ''I'll See You in My Dreams''. Haley describes ''The Hero'' as his love letter to Elliott, saying that "Sam is the best. He is a true collaborator and an incredible actor and human being. He is so passionate about his work and, in my mind, he is an icon." ''The Hero'' also stars Laura Prepon
Laura Helene Prepon (born March 7, 1980) is an American actress. She rose to fame with her role as Donna Pinciotti in the Fox sitcom ''That '70s Show'' (1998–2006). She is also known for portraying Alex Vause in the Netflix comedy-drama ser ...
, Nick Offerman, Katharine Ross
Katharine Juliet Ross (born January 29, 1940) is an American film, stage, and television actress. Her accolades include one Academy Award nomination, one BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards. A native of Los Angeles, Ross spent most of her ...
and Krysten Ritter
Krysten Alyce Ritter (born December 16, 1981) is an American actress and model. She came to prominence when she appeared as Jane Margolis in the AMC drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2010) and its spinoff film '' El Camino'' (2019). She th ...
, and premiered in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 19 to January 29, 2017. The first lineup of competition films was announced November 30, 2016.
Awards
The following awards were presented:
* Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic – ''I Don't Feel at ...
. It was released in the U.S. by The Orchard in June 2017.
He co-wrote and directed the 2018 film ''Hearts Beat Loud
''Hearts Beat Loud'' is a 2018 American comedy-drama music film directed by Brett Haley, from a screenplay by Haley and Marc Basch. It stars Nick Offerman, Kiersey Clemons, Ted Danson, Sasha Lane, Blythe Danner and Toni Collette, and follows a Broo ...
''. It premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival
The 2018 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 18 to January 28, 2018. The first lineup of competition films was announced on November 29, 2017.
Awards
The following awards were presented:
* U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize Award: '' Th ...
, and also played at the 2018 South By Southwest Film Festival. It was released in the US on June 8, 2018.
On July 20, 2020 it was announced that Haley would direct the Grease prequel ''Summer Lovin.
Filmography
Film
Television
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haley, Brett
1980s births
Living people
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American male actors
American film editors
People from Key West, Florida
People from Pensacola, Florida
Actors from Illinois
Film directors from Florida
Film directors from Illinois
Film producers from Illinois
Filmmakers from Illinois
Screenwriters from Florida
Screenwriters from Illinois
University of North Carolina alumni
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American screenwriters