Lisa Cholodenko

Lisa Cholodenko
Born	(1964-06-05) June 5, 1964 Los Angeles, California, USA
Years active	1994–present

Lisa Cholodenko (born June 5, 1964) is an American film and television writer and director. She is best known for her 2010 critically acclaimed comedy-drama The Kids Are All Right which has been nominated for many awards such as 4 Academy Awards including Best Picture. She was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay

Career

Having grown up in a Jewish family (inmigrants from Ukraine),in the San Fernando Valley, Cholodenko got her start in the film industry in New York in the early 1990s. 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.

Personal life

Cholodenko is from a "liberal Jewish" family and came out as a lesbian in the 11th grade. Her grandparents emigrated from Ukraine. She is in a relationship with musician Wendy Melvoin. Cholodenko gave birth to their son, Calder, by way of an anonymous sperm donor. She also has two dogs, Rocket and Magnus.

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.

Filmography

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)

As Writer

• Souvenir (1994/II)
• Dinner Party (1997)
• High Art (1998)
• Laurel Canyon (2002)
• The Kids Are All Right (2010)

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)

As Editor

• Dinner Party (1997)

As Producer

• Souvenir (1994/II)
• Crawl (1994)

As Herself

• Intimate Portrait (episode: "Ally Sheedy") (1999) (TV)
• In the Company of Women (2004) (TV)
• Notes on the Death of Kodachrome (2006)

External links

• Antidote Films
• Interview with Lisa Cholodenko
• Lisa Cholodenko at IMDb