Joel Potrykus is an American film director and screenwriter. His feature film debut ''

Ape Apes (collectively Hominoidea ) are a clade of Old World simians native to sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia (though they were more widespread in Africa, most of Asia, and as well as Europe in prehistory), which together with its sister g ...

'' won the Best New Director prize at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival, while his follow-up feature ''

Buzzard Buzzard is the common name of several species of birds of prey. ''Buteo'' species * Archer's buzzard (''Buteo archeri'') * Augur buzzard (''Buteo augur'') * Broad-winged hawk (''Buteo platypterus'') * Common buzzard (''Buteo buteo'') * Eastern ...

'' won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2014 Ljubljana International Film Festival.

Early life

Potrykus was born and raised in Ossineke, Michigan, then moved to

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

to study film at Grand Valley State University. Later, he earned his MFA in screenwriting from Emerson College.

Career

A stint as a stand-up comedian in New York City led to the inspiration for his first feature film, ''

''. While spending a year as a temp at a Michigan mortgage company led to the inspiration of his second feature film, ''

''. The book ''

Walden ''Walden'' (; first published in 1854 as ''Walden; or, Life in the Woods'') is a book by American transcendentalist writer Henry David Thoreau. The text is a reflection upon the author's simple living in natural surroundings. The work is part ...

'' by Henry David Thoreau was the influence for Potrykus' 2016 feature ''

The Alchemist Cookbook The Alchemist Cookbook is a horror film directed by Joel Potrykus. The film was released on the 7th of October 2016 in New York City. The film stars Ty Hickson as "Sean" and Amari Cheatom as "Cortez". The film was produced by Oscilloscope Labo ...

'', which builds on his themes of slackers and loneliness. His fourth feature film ''

Relaxer A relaxer is a type of lotion or cream generally used by people with tight curls or very curly hair which makes hair easier to hair straightening, straighten by chemically "relaxing" the natural curls. The active agent is usually a strong alkali, a ...

'', is a modern interpretation of Luis Buñuel's The Exterminating Angel. He's been the subject of retrospectives at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2015 and at the 2016 Valdivia Film Festival. He currently teaches filmmaking at Grand Valley State University.

Style and influences

In 2016, Vimooz called Potrykus "The New King of Underground Cinema". Vague Visages credits him as the originator of the new genre, "metal slackerism". Potrykus has cited the following directors and films as having an influence on his work; Alan Clarke's ''

Made in Britain ''Made in Britain'' is a 1983 British television play written by David Leland and directed by Alan Clarke. It follows a 16-year-old racist skinhead and his constant confrontations with authority figures. It was broadcast on ITV on 10 July 198 ...

'', Lindsay Anderson's ''O Lucky Man''!, Martin Scorsese's ''

Taxi Driver ''Taxi Driver'' is a 1976 American film directed by Martin Scorsese, written by Paul Schrader, and starring Robert De Niro, Jodie Foster, Cybill Shepherd, Harvey Keitel, Peter Boyle, Leonard Harris, and Albert Brooks. Set in a decaying ...

'', Vincent Gallo's ''Buffalo ’66'', Rick Alverson's '' The Comedy'', Luis Buñuel's ''

The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'' (french: Le Charme discret de la bourgeoisie) is a 1972 surrealist film directed by Luis Buñuel from a screenplay co-written with Jean-Claude Carrière. The narrative concerns a group of bourgeois people ...

'', Jim Jarmusch's ''Down by Law'', Sam Raimi's '' Evil Dead'', F. W. Murnau's ''

Faust Faust is the protagonist of a classic German legend based on the historical Johann Georg Faust ( 1480–1540). The erudite Faust is highly successful yet dissatisfied with his life, which leads him to make a pact with the Devil at a crossroa ...

'' and James Nguyen's ''Birdemic''; as well as the films of

Michael Haneke Michael Haneke (; born 23 March 1942) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. His work often examines social issues and depicts the feelings of estrangement experienced by individuals in modern society. Haneke has made films in French, G ...

, Kelly Reichardt, Jean-Luc Godard and

Quentin Tarantino Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American film director, writer, producer, and actor. His films are characterized by stylized violence, extended dialogue, profanity, dark humor, non-linear storylines, cameos, ensembl ...

Filmography

Feature films

* ''

'' (2012) * ''

'' (2014) * ''

'' (2016) * ''

'' (2018)

Short films

* ''Birthday Boy'' (1999) * ''Peter Knows Kelly's the Cool One'' (1999) * ''The Ludovico Treatment'' (1999) * ''Mice & Milk'' (2001) * ''Gordon'' (2007) * ''Coyote'' (2010) * ''Thing from the Factory by the Field'' (2022) * ''Unemployees'' (2023)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Potrykus, Joel American male screenwriters People from Alpena County, Michigan Living people Film directors from Michigan Screenwriters from Michigan Year of birth missing (living people)