Christine Vachon

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Christine Vachon
Born 1962
New York City
Occupation Producer
Years active 1985 — present

Christine Vachon (born 1962 in Manhattan, New York City) is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector and daughter of noted photographer John Vachon.

Christine Vachon produced Todd Haynes' controversial first feature, Poison, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she has gone on to produce many acclaimed American independent films including Far From Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don't Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, Velvet Goldmine, SAFE, I Shot Andy Warhol, Go Fish, Swoon, I'm Not There, Gigantic, Cracks. and Cairo Time. Her latest and upcoming projects include a short film collaboration with ACE Hotel and online film content producers Massify entitled "Lulu at the Ace Hotel" as well as a five-part HBO mini-series adaptation of James M. Cain's 1941 novel, Mildred Pierce.

Vachon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a paramount New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.[1]

Contents

[edit] Early life

Vachon graduated from Brown University in 1983, where she met fellow alums director Todd Haynes and Barry Ellsworth. Together, they created Apparatus Productions in 1987, a non-profit company deeply inspired by the anti-Hollywood New York film scene and oversaw the production of seven films in five years. Most notoriously, Apparatus produced Haynes' controversial Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a film depicting the dramatic rise and fall of the anorexic pop star. To make financial ends meet, Vachon became a proofreader by night. She also took on odd jobs in the film industry to learn the trade.

[edit] Killer Films

Vachon and fellow New York producer Pamela Koffler currently run Killer Films, which was established in 1996. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005 and was honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

Her first feature "Poison" (written and directed by Academy Award nominee Todd Haynes) won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1991. Since that initial success Christine has worked on a number of noteworthy films including "I Shot Andy Warhol," "Happiness," "Kids," "One Hour Photo" and "Boys Don't Cry." Through her enduring relationship with Todd, she has worked on every feature film of his to date including "Safe," "Velvet Goldmine," "Far From Heaven," and "I'm Not There," which starred Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, and Michelle Williams. Cate Blanchett received both Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was also nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards, notching a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett.

In 2008, Christine won an Emmy for her role as executive producer for the TV adaptation of Ira Glass's This American Life

Killer’s releases for 2008 include Savage Grace, directed by Tom Kalin (Swoon) and starring Julianne Moore; An American Crime, starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page, directed by Tommy O'Haver: Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of Helen Hunt, starring herself, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.

[edit] Personal life

Vachon and her partner, artist Marlene McCarty, live in the East Village of New York with their daughter Guthrie. In the fall of 2009, Vachon went into remission after a battle with breast cancer.[2]

[edit] Awards and Juries

[edit] Books

In 1998, Christine released her first book, "Shooting to Kill." In it, she details and dissects the intricate process of creating films while injecting personal anecdotes and stories. Her second book, "A KILLER LIFE: HOW AN INDEPENDENT FILM PRODUCER SURVIVES DEAL AND DISASTERS IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND" was published in September 2006 by Simon and Schuster.

[edit] Filmography as producer

Director's name in brackets after film title.

[edit] References

  1. ^ NYICFF Jury
  2. ^ Dietrich, Joy (July 6, 2010). "Asked & Answered". T (The New York Times). http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/asked-answered-christine-vachon/. Retrieved July 6, 2010. 
  3. ^ a b c Awards page for Christine Vachon at the Internet Movie Database

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Christine_Vachon&oldid=477970643"
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