Jason Kliot
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Jason Kliot (born 1963) is an American independent film producer based in New York. Kliot emerged with the American indie wave of the 1990s, producing alongside his wife and business partner
Joana Vicente Joana Vicente is a Portuguese independent movie producer and executive. A prominent figure in the New York film industry, Vicente has produced over forty films with her producing partner and husband Jason Kliot. In 1999 Vicente and Kliot produced ...
. In 1995 Kliot and Vicente associate produced
Todd Solondz Todd Solondz (; born October 15, 1959) is an American filmmaker and playwright known for his style of dark, socially conscious satire. Solondz's work has received critical acclaim for its commentary on the "dark underbelly of middle class America ...
's feature debut, ''
Welcome to the Dollhouse ''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' is a 1995 American Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age black comedy film written and directed by Todd Solondz. An independent film, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival and launched the career ...
'', which won the Sundance Grand Jury Prize. Kliot and Vicente have since worked with directors such as
Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direc ...
,
Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...
,
Hal Hartley Hal Hartley (born November 3, 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and composer who became a key figure in the American independent film movement of the 1980s and '90s. He is best known for his films '' The Unbelievable T ...
,
Nicole Holofcener Nicole Holofcener (; born March 22, 1960) is an American film and television director and screenwriter. She has directed six feature films, including ''Walking and Talking'', ''Friends with Money'' and ''Enough Said'', as well as various televisio ...
,
Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...
, and
Alex Gibney Philip Alexander Gibney (; born October 23, 1953) is an American documentary film director and producer. In 2010, ''Esquire'' magazine said Gibney "is becoming the most important documentarian of our time". Gibney's works as director include '' ...
. Kliot was also one of the founders of City Harvest, the first food redistribution organization in the United States. He now serves on the Board of City Harvest. In 2010 Kliot was a jury member at the
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 ...
.


Open City Films

Kliot and Vicente are co-founders and presidents of Open City Films, a production company of feature films and documentaries with an acclaimed catalogue of films including ''
Three Seasons ''Three Seasons'' (Vietnamese title: ''Ba Mùa'') is a 1999 American film shot in Vietnam about the past, present, and future of Ho Chi Minh City in the early days of Doi Moi. It is a poetic film that tries to paint a picture of the urban cult ...
'', '' Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room'', ''
Coffee and Cigarettes ''Coffee and Cigarettes'' is the title of three short films and a 2003 feature-length anthology film by independent film director Jim Jarmusch. The feature film consists of 11 short stories which share coffee and cigarettes as a common thread ...
'', '' Redacted'', ''
The Assassination of Richard Nixon ''The Assassination of Richard Nixon'' is a 2004 American drama film directed by Niels Mueller and starring Sean Penn, Don Cheadle, Jack Thompson and Naomi Watts. It is based on the story of would-be assassin Samuel Byck, who plotted to kill Ric ...
'', ''
Welcome to the Dollhouse ''Welcome to the Dollhouse'' is a 1995 American Coming-of-age story, coming-of-age black comedy film written and directed by Todd Solondz. An independent film, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival and launched the career ...
'' and ''Awake''. Throughout the years, their films have been nominated for 23
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
- four have won. '' Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room,'' also garnered a nomination for Best Documentary Picture at the
78th Academy Awards The 78th Academy Awards presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), took place on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:00 p.m. PST / 8:00 p.m. EST. The ceremony was ...
in 2008. Their films have also been selected numerous times for the
Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...
,
Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400  ...
, and
Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...
film festivals and have garnered four winning trophies at
The 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 46,660 ...
.


Blow Up Pictures

In 1998, Kliot and Vicente founded Blow Up Pictures, the first digital production company in the United States.indieWIRE: Open City Blows Up with New DV Division
/ref> Their first film, ''
Chuck & Buck ''Chuck & Buck'' is a 2000 American black comedy drama film directed by Miguel Arteta. It was written by and starred Mike White in the leading role. Plot Buck O'Brien is a 27-year-old amateur playwright with the maturity level of an adolescent. ...
'', was the first digital film produced and distributed in the US. It premiered at the
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 was nominated for five
Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with Poly(methyl m ...
in 2001. Under the Blow Up banner, Jason and Joana also produced such films as ''Lovely and Amazing'', '' Series 7: The Contenders'' and ''
Love In the Time of Money ''Love in the Time of Money'' is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Peter Mattei, and starring Steve Buscemi, Vera Farmiga, Rosario Dawson, Malcolm Gets, Jill Hennessy, and Adrian Grenier. The film, executive produ ...
''.


HDNet Films

In 2003, Kliot and Vicente co-founded HDNet Films with
Mark Cuban Mark Cuban (born July 31, 1958) is an American billionaire entrepreneur, television personality, and media proprietor whose net worth is an estimated $4.8 billion, according to ''Forbes'', and ranked No. 177 on the 2020 ''Forbes'' 400 list ...
and
Todd Wagner Todd R. Wagner (born August 2, 1960) is an American entrepreneur, co-founder of Broadcast.com and founder and CEO of a company called Charity Network which organizes regular fund raisings. He also co-owns 2929 Entertainment with Mark Cuban, alo ...
. The company produced 18 films in five years, all shot on digital video. The HDNet Films production of
Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh (; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer and editor. A pioneer of modern independent cinema, Soderbergh is an acclaimed and prolific filmmaker. Soderbergh's direc ...
's ''Bubble'' was the first film ever to be released " day-and-date," in the United States, simultaneously opening across theatrical, cable and satellite television, and home video platforms. This innovative distribution strategy allowed consumers to choose how, when and where they wished to see a film. Films produced under HDNet include
Academy-Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nominated '' Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room'', and ''Redacted'', which took the
Silver Lion The Silver Lion ( it, Leone d'argento, also known as Silver Lion for Best Direction) is an annual award presented for best directing achievements in a feature film at official competition section of the Venice Film Festival since 1998. The pri ...
at the 2007
Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...
.


Awards and nominations

* 2007 "
Made in NY Made in NY is an incentive program and marketing campaign of the City of New York Mayor's Office of Film, Theatre & Broadcasting. Under the program, television and film productions which complete at least 75% of their shooting and rehearsal work in ...
" Award, conferred by Mayor
Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
and th
New York Office of Film, Television, and Broadcasting
* 2006
Academy-Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination, Best Feature Length Documentary for '' Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room'' * 2000
Independent Spirit Award The Independent Spirit Awards (abbreviated Spirit Awards and originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards), founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glas ...
nomination, Best First Feature for ''
Three Seasons ''Three Seasons'' (Vietnamese title: ''Ba Mùa'') is a 1999 American film shot in Vietnam about the past, present, and future of Ho Chi Minh City in the early days of Doi Moi. It is a poetic film that tries to paint a picture of the urban cult ...
''


Filmography as producer

* (2009) * (2008) * (2008) * (2008) * (2007) * (2007) * (2007) * (2007) * (2007) * (2006) * (2006) * (2006) * (2006) * (2006) * (2005) * (2005) * (2005) * (2005) * (2004) * (2004) * (2004) * (2003) * (2002) * (2002) * (2002) * (2001) * (2001) * (2001) * (2001) * (2000) * (2000) * (1999) * (1999) * (1999) * (1998) * (1997) * ''
Chocolate Babies ''Chocolate Babies'' is a 1996 American Cinema of France, film directed by Stephen Winter. The film follows a group of queer activists of color in New York City that implemented actions against conservative politicians in response to the Epidemiol ...
'' (1997) * (1997) * (1997) * (1997) * (1996) * (1996) * (1996) * (1996) * (1995) * (1994) * (1991)


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kliot, Jason 1963 births American film producers Living people Amherst College alumni People from New York (state)