David Lowery (born December 26, 1980) is an American filmmaker. His original work ''

Ain't Them Bodies Saints ''Ain't Them Bodies Saints'' is a 2013 American romantic crime drama film written and directed by David Lowery. The film stars Casey Affleck as Bob Muldoon, Rooney Mara as Ruth Guthrie and Ben Foster as Patrick Wheeler. Bob (Affleck) and Ruth ...

'' (2013), starring

Rooney Mara Patricia Rooney Mara ( ; born April 17, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, ...

and

Casey Affleck Caleb Casey McGuire Affleck-Boldt (born August 12, 1975) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award. He beg ...

, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize 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 ...

. In 2016, he directed the Disney film ''Pete's Dragon'' (2016), a live-action film which he had co-written. It was a new work loosely based on the same original story as the Disney 1977 musical of the same name. In 2017, he directed the drama film ''

A Ghost Story ''A Ghost Story'' is a 2017 American supernatural drama film written and directed by David Lowery and starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara, with Will Oldham, Liz Cardenas Franke, Sonia Acevedo, and Rob Zabrecky in supporting roles; Kesha appear ...

'' and in 2018, he directed '' The Old Man & the Gun''. In 2021, he directed the fantasy epic '' The Green Knight''.

Early life

Born in

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee is ...

, Wisconsin, on December 26, 1980,Mead, Rebecca (January 2012). "Into the Deep". '' Allure''. pp. 103–106. David Lowery is the eldest of nine children born to Madeleine and Mark Lowery. When he was seven, his family moved to

Irving, Texas Irving is a city in the U.S. state of Texas. Located in Dallas County, it is also an inner ring suburb of Dallas. The city of Irving is part of the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. According to a 2019 estimate from the United States Census Bureau, ...

for his father's work. Lowery attended

Irving High School Irving High School is a public high school in Irving, Texas. It was the first high school established in the Irving Independent School District. Irving High School includes, like all the other Irving ISD high schools, wireless internet in the c ...

. At the age of 19, Lowery wrote and directed his first film, a short entitled ''Lullaby''.

Career

Lowery's first feature film, ''St. Nick'', which follows two runaway children abandoned by their guardians, premiered at the 2009

South by Southwest South by Southwest, abbreviated as SXSW and colloquially referred to as South By, is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in m ...

festival. It won the Texas Filmmaker Award at the 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival. In 2011, Lowery started his own production company, Sailor Bear. That same year, he wrote and directed the short film entitled ''Pioneer'', which played at the

that year. In 2013, Lowery wrote, directed and edited his second feature film, ''

'', starring

and

. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It was selected to compete at the

International Critics' Week The International Critics' Week (french: Semaine de la Critique) was founded in 1962 and is organized by the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics. It was created following the showing of '' The Connection'' directed by Shirley Clarke which had been ...

section of the

2013 Cannes Film Festival The 66th Cannes Film Festival took place in Cannes, France, from 15 to 26 May 2013. Steven Spielberg was the head of the jury for the main competition. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the Cinéfondation and S ...

. Lowery has said that he drew from great directors and their works for this film, citing

Claire Denis Claire Denis (; born 21 April 1946) is a French film director and screenwriter. Her feature film ''Beau Travail'' (1999) has been called one of the greatest films of the 1990s, as well as of all time. Other acclaimed works include '' Trouble Ev ...

's '' 35 Shots of Rum'',

Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...

's '' McCabe & Mrs. Miller'', and

Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with ''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' ( ...

and

David Fincher David Andrew Leo Fincher (born August 28, 1962) is an American film director. His films, mostly psychological thrillers and biographical dramas, have received 40 nominations at the Academy Awards, including three for him as Best Director. Fin ...

as influences. In addition to having edited films such as

Amy Seimetz Amy Lynne Seimetz is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's '' The Killing'', HBO's ''Family Tree'', and films like ''Upstream Color'', '' Alien: Covenant'', ''Pet Sematary'', and ''No Sudden ...

's ''

Sun Don't Shine ''Sun Don't Shine'' is a 2012 independent thriller film written and directed by Amy Seimetz and starring Kate Lyn Sheil and Kentucker Audley. It first premiered on March 10, 2012 at the South by Southwest Film Festival, where it won a special jury ...

'' and

Shane Carruth Shane Carruth (born 1972) is an American filmmaker, screenwriter, composer, and film actor, actor. He is the writer, director, and co-star of the prize-winning science-fiction film Primer (film), ''Primer'' (2004), which was his debut feature. Hi ...

's ''

Upstream Color ''Upstream Color'' is a 2013 American experimental science fiction film written, directed, produced by, and starring Shane Carruth. The film is the second feature directed by Carruth, following his 2004 debut '' Primer''. It stars Amy Seimetz, C ...

'', Lowery co-wrote ''

Pit Stop In motorsports, a pit stop is a pause for refuelling, new tyres, repairs, mechanical adjustments, a driver change, as a penalty, or any combination of the above. These stops occur in an area called the pits, most commonly accessed via a pit la ...

'' with director

Yen Tan Yen Tan (born 1975) is a Malaysian-born American independent film producer and director. Early life Tan emigrated from Malaysia at the age of 19 and is based in Dallas, Texas. Career He is known for award-winning films ''Happy Birthday (2002 fi ...

. At the

2014 Cannes Film Festival The 67th Cannes Film Festival was held from 14 to 25 May 2014. New Zealand film director Jane Campion was the head of the jury for the main competition section. The Palme d'Or was awarded to the Turkish film '' Winter Sleep'' directed by Nuri Bi ...

, it was announced that Lowery would write and direct the film adaptation of the novel ''

The Yellow Birds ''The Yellow Birds'' is the debut novel from American writer, poet, and Iraq War veteran Kevin Powers. It was one of ''The New York Timess 100 Most Notable Books of 2012 and a finalist for the 2012 National Book Award. It was awarded the 2012 The ...

'', written by

Iraq War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق (Kurdish languages, Kurdish) , partof = the Iraq conflict (2003–present), I ...

veteran

Kevin Powers Kevin Powers (born July 11, 1980) is an American fiction writer, poet, and Iraq War veteran. Biography Powers was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a factory worker and a postman, and enlisted in the U.S. Army at the age of seve ...

; it was a 2012 National Book Award finalist. The film was eventually directed by

Alexandre Moors Alexandre Moors (born 1972) is a French director, writer and editor. Early life Alexandre Moors is a French filmmaker born in Suresnes in 1972. As a teenager, he was an active member of the Parisian "graffiti" scene before attending Penninghen ...

and stars

Jack Huston Jack Alexander Huston (born 7 December 1982) 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 eponym ...

Tye Sheridan Tye Kayle Sheridan (born November 11, 1996) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for playing the young Scott Summers / Cyclops in the reboot ''X-Men'' film series (2016–2019), as well as Wade Watts in ''Ready Player One'' (2 ...

Alden Ehrenreich Alden Caleb Ehrenreich (; born November 22, 1989) is an American actor. He began his career by appearing in '' Supernatural'' (2005), and Francis Ford Coppola's films ''Tetro'' (2009) and ''Twixt'' (2011). Following supporting roles in the 2013 ...

and

Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...

. In April 2016, Lowery directed a

remake A remake is a film, television series, video game, song or similar form of entertainment that is based upon and retells the story of an earlier production in the same medium—e.g., a "new version of an existing film". A remake tells the same ...

of Disney's '' Pete's Dragon'', which was met with positive reviews. Lowery also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Toby Halbrooks. In July 2016, it was announced Lowery would direct an episode of '' Breakthrough'' for

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television television network, network and flagship (broadcasting), flagship channel owned by the National Geograp ...

. In November 2016, it was announced Lowery had shot a new film, ''

'', over the summer with

and

as a secret project. Lowery next directed the 2018 drama film '' The Old Man & the Gun'', starring

Robert Redford Charles Robert Redford Jr. (born August 18, 1936) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the List of awards and nominations received by Robert Redford, recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Awards, Academy Award from four nomi ...

as bank robber,

Forrest Tucker Forrest Meredith Tucker (February 12, 1919 – October 25, 1986) was an American actor in both movies and television who appeared in nearly a hundred films. Tucker worked as a vaudeville straight man at the age of fifteen. A mentor provided fund ...

, and Casey Affleck. Lowery next directed the medieval fantasy '' The Green Knight'' which stars

Dev Patel Dev Patel (; born 23 April 1990) is a British actor. His breakthrough came in 2008 with the leading role of Jamal Malik in Danny Boyle's drama ''Slumdog Millionaire'', for which Patel was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leadin ...

Alicia Vikander Alicia Amanda Vikander (, ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, as well as receiving nominations for ...

Joel Edgerton Joel Edgerton (born 23 June 1974) is an Australian actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his appearance in the ''Star Wars'' films ''Attack of the Clones'' (2002) and ''Revenge of the Sith'' (2005) as a young Owen Lars, a role he reprised i ...

Barry Keoghan Barry Keoghan ( ; born 18 October 1992) is an Irish actor. He is known for his roles on screen, appearing in independent films and blockbuster films. In 2020, he was listed at number 27 on ''The Irish Times'' list of Ireland's greatest film act ...

Ralph Ineson Ralph Michael Ineson (; born 15 December 1969) is an English actor and narrator. Known for his deep, rumbling, Yorkshire-accented voice, his most notable roles include William in ''The Witch'', Dagmer Cleftjaw in '' Game of Thrones'', Amycus Ca ...

and

Sean Harris Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor and writer. He played Ian Curtis in '' 24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Micheletto Corella in '' The Borgias'' (2011–2013), Fifield in ''Prometheus'' (2012), Solomon Lane in '' Mission: Impossib ...

. The film was scheduled to world premiere at

in March 2020, and release on May 29, 2020, but the premiere and release were cancelled due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

. It was released on July 30, 2021. Lowery directed a segment of the anthology film '' The Year of the Everlasting Storm'' which is set to premiere at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...

in July 2021.

Personal life

Lowery married filmmaker

Augustine Frizzell Augustine Frizzell (born July 27, 1979) is an American actress, film director, and screenwriter. She made her feature film directorial debut with '' Never Goin' Back'' (2018). Early life Growing up in Garland, Texas, Frizzell attended South Garl ...

in 2010. , they live in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

. Lowery identifies as an atheist, and has been a vegan since approximately 1996.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer * ''Minor Setback'' (2013) * ''

Person to Person ''Person to Person'' is a popular television program in the United States that originally ran from 1953 to 1961, with two episodes of an attempted revival airing in 2012. Edward R. Murrow hosted the original series from its inception in 1953 unti ...

'' (2017) * ''

Never Goin' Back ''Never Goin' Back'' is a 2018 American Stoner film, stoner comedy written, directed, and edited by Augustine Frizzell. It stars Maia Mitchell and Camila Morrone as two broke teenage waitresses who stumble through a series of misadventures as the ...

'' (2018) * '' Light from Light'' (2019) * ''

Miss Juneteenth ''Miss Juneteenth'' is a 2020 American drama film written and directed by Channing Godfrey Peoples and starring Nicole Beharie, Kendrick Sampson, and Alexis Chikaeze. The plot follows a single mom and former teen beauty queen who enters her da ...

'' (2020) * ''

We're All Going to the World's Fair ''We're All Going to the World's Fair'' is a 2021 American Coming of age film, coming-of-age horror film written, directed, and edited by Jane Schoenbrun. The film stars Anna Cobb in her debut role and Michael Rogers (actor), Michael J. Rogers. ...

'' (2022)

Short films

Additional credits

Acting roles

Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lowery, David 1980 births Living people American atheists American cinematographers American film editors American male screenwriters American film producers Film directors from Texas 21st-century American male actors Writers from Dallas