Lisa Cholodenko
| Lisa Cholodenko | |
|---|---|
| Born | June 5, 1964 Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Occupation | Writer/director |
| Years active | 1994–present |
Lisa Cholodenko (born June 5, 1964) is an American film and television writer/director. She is best known for her highly acclaimed 2010 comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right which was nominated for a number of awards including four Academy Awards, Best Picture among them.
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[edit] Career
Having grown up in a Jewish family (immigrants from Ukraine), in the San Fernando Valley, Cholodenko got her start in the film industry in New York in the early 1990s.[1] She landed positions as assistant editor on Boyz n the Hood and Used People. She then enrolled at Columbia University School of the Arts, earning an MFA in screenwriting and directing. After writing and directing several acclaimed short films including Dinner Party, she made her feature film debut with High Art which won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the National Society of Film Critics award for Ally Sheedy's performance. Both High Art and Laurel Canyon premiered at Cannes Director's Fortnight.
Cholodenko has also worked in television, with her adaptation of the novel Cavedweller for Showtime earning Independent Spirit Award nominations for Kyra Sedgwick and Aidan Quinn. She also directed episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street, Six Feet Under and The L Word.
In 2009, Cholodenko directed the film The Kids Are All Right, which she co-wrote with Stuart Blumberg, garnering an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination, a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination, and a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay nomination. The film won the Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy.
In 2010, she was awarded the Women in Film Dorothy Arzner Directors Award. [2]
[edit] Personal life
Cholodenko is from a "liberal Jewish" family and came out as a lesbian in the 11th grade.[3] Her grandparents emigrated from Ukraine.[4] She is in a relationship with musician Wendy Melvoin.[5][6] Cholodenko gave birth to their son, Calder, by way of an anonymous sperm donor.[1] She also has two dogs, Rocket and Magnus.[7]
[edit] Directorial style
Mark Ruffalo describes how working with Cholodenko was quite rewarding.
It takes a special kind of director to trust an actor, and to open themselves up to having an actor bring something that maybe wasn't what they saw or thought. Lisa is a rare director that knows actors, by the time you've finished your first week of shooting, probably know the characters better than the writer or the director. She creates a safe environment, and she casts well. She knows what to bring out of people. Because of that, you feel free to move and live between the lines. She lingers on a scene. She loves behavior. She's not afraid to explore. You're not getting, "Well, the line is actually... I really just want you to say the line like it is." It's not that formal. You get a chance to stretch yourself out. That's a fun way of working.[8]
[edit] Filmography
[edit] As Director
- Souvenir (1994)
- Dinner Party (1997)
- High Art (1998)
- Homicide: Life on the Street (episode: "The Same Coin") (1999)
- Six Feet Under (episode: "Familia") (2001)
- Push, Nevada (episode: "The Letter of the Law") (2002)
- Laurel Canyon (2002)
- Cavedweller (2004)
- The L Word (episode: "Lynch Pin") (2005)
- The Kids Are All Right (2010)
[edit] As Writer
- Souvenir (1994/II)
- Dinner Party (1997)
- High Art (1998)
- Laurel Canyon (2002)
- The Kids Are All Right (2010)
[edit] As Miscellaneous Crew
- Boyz n the Hood (1991) (post-production assistant)
- Used People (1992)
- The Incredibly True Adventure of Two Girls in Love (1995)
- Some of These Days (1996) (first assistant director)
[edit] As Editor
- Dinner Party (1997)
[edit] As Producer
- Souvenir (1994/II)
- Crawl (1994)
[edit] As Herself
- Intimate Portrait (episode: "Ally Sheedy") (1999) (TV)
- In the Company of Women (2004) (TV)
- Notes on the Death of Kodachrome (2006)
[edit] References
- ^ a b Toumarkine, Doris (June 28, 2010). "Family dynamic: Lisa Cholodenko explores modern parenthood in 'The Kids Are All Right'". Film Journal International. http://www.filmjournal.com/filmjournal/content_display/news-and-features/features/movies/e3iee6a0d1f3ba0fce7e981ab1df6fc91f1. Retrieved June 29, 2010.
- ^ http://wif.org/past-recipients
- ^ "Director Lisa Cholodenko On Conceiving 'The Kids'". NPR. 2010-07-08. http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128106766. Retrieved 2010-09-17.
- ^ "Dateline New York: New Yorkers bring culture to Catskills by Helen Smindak" (Press release). The Ukrainian Weekly. 13 September 19987. http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/1998/379820.shtml.
- ^ Puente, Maria (August 24, 2010). "Hollywood now opening arms to gay characters, families". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2010-08-24-gayshollywood23_CV_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip.
- ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (2010-01-29). "Sundance: Guy-sex and the modern lesbian". Salon. http://www.salon.com/entertainment/movies/film_salon/2010/01/29/cholodenko. Retrieved 2010-04-27.
- ^ Horn, John (June 17, 2010). "'The Kids Are All Right' is an appropriate opener for the Los Angeles Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/la-et-kids-20100617,0,6594994.story. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
- ^ http://www.ifc.com/news/2010/07/mark-ruffalo-is-doing-all-righ.php
[edit] External links
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