Andrew Bujalski
Encyclopedia
Andrew Bujalski, born April 29, 1977 in Boston, Massachusetts, is an American
film director
, screenwriter
and actor
, who has been called the "Godfather of Mumblecore
."
filmmaker Chantal Akerman
was his thesis advisor.
He shot his first feature, Funny Ha Ha
, in 2002, and followed it with Mutual Appreciation
in 2003 – though neither film received theatrical distribution until 2005 and 2006, respectively. Bujalski wrote both screenplays, and appears as an actor, playing a major role in both films. In 2006, he appeared as an actor and contributed to the screenplay of the Joe Swanberg
film Hannah Takes the Stairs
.
Beeswax, Bujalski's third independent film, was filmed in Austin, where the director lived while writing Funny Ha Ha, and released in the summer of 2009. While making Beeswax Bujalski wrote a screenplay
adaptation of Benjamin Kunkel
's 2005 novel Indecision for Paramount Pictures
.
, Maurice Pialat
and Mike Leigh
. All of his feature films were photographed on hand-held 16mm by Austrian cinematographer Matthias Grunsky
and have a decidedly "lo-fi" feel (reinforced by Funny Ha Has distorted mono sound) and are often included in the mumblecore
movement. The actors who appear in the films are non-professionals, many drawn from other media, including animator Kate Dollenmayer
as the lead in Funny Ha Ha, musician Justin Rice
as the lead in Mutual Appreciation and experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison
in a supporting role in the same film. Funny Ha Ha featured a cast and crew of Harvard grads.
Though his films often appear "improvised
", they are for the most part scripted
; the dialogue is often noted for its drawn-out, awkward nature, with characters frequently evading key topics. Many of the films seem to start and end in medias res
, giving the films a "slice of life" feeling that suggests a larger narrative or world that the audience is looking in on.
The characters in Bujalski's films are mostly post-collegiate and middle-class, with many working white collar
jobs. The desire for stability is a recurring theme, with many characters rushing headlong into attempts at a more controlled existence – this is exemplified by one of the main characters in Funny Ha Ha eloping with his ex-girlfriend.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
, screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
, who has been called the "Godfather of Mumblecore
Mumblecore
Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose at the turn of the 21st century. Filmmakers associated with the movement include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Barry Jenkins....
."
Bio
Bujalski, born in Boston in 1977, is the son of an artist-turned-businesswoman, Sheila Dubman, and a businessman, Edmund Bujalski. Andrew studied film at Harvard's Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, where the BelgianCinema of Belgium
Belgium is essentially a bi-lingual country divided into the Flemish north and the French-speaking south. There is also a small community of German speakers in the border region with Germany...
filmmaker Chantal Akerman
Chantal Akerman
Chantal Anne Akerman is a Belgian film director, artist, and professor of film at the European Graduate School. Akerman's best-known film, Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles , exemplifies a dedication to the ellipses of conventional narrative cinema.-Early life:Akerman was born to...
was his thesis advisor.
He shot his first feature, Funny Ha Ha
Funny Ha Ha
Funny ha ha, considered the first mumblecore film, follows the exploits of recently graduated protagonist Marnie as she tries to find a temporary job and win the attention of a college friend named Alex , while trying to cut down on her beer consumption...
, in 2002, and followed it with Mutual Appreciation
Mutual Appreciation
Mutual Appreciation is an independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed Funny Ha Ha . The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is considered part of the mumblecore movement.-Plot:The principal characters...
in 2003 – though neither film received theatrical distribution until 2005 and 2006, respectively. Bujalski wrote both screenplays, and appears as an actor, playing a major role in both films. In 2006, he appeared as an actor and contributed to the screenplay of the Joe Swanberg
Joe Swanberg
Joe Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. He is a member of the "Mumblecore" movement. His films include Kissing on the Mouth , LOL , Hannah Takes the Stairs , Nights and Weekends and Alexander the Last...
film Hannah Takes the Stairs
Hannah Takes the Stairs
Hannah Takes the Stairs is a 2007 independent mumblecore film by Joe Swanberg.-Synopsis:The movie tells the story of Hannah, a recent college graduate living in Chicago who works as an intern at a production office, as she begins to develop crushes on Matt and Paul, two scriptwriters she works with...
.
Beeswax, Bujalski's third independent film, was filmed in Austin, where the director lived while writing Funny Ha Ha, and released in the summer of 2009. While making Beeswax Bujalski wrote a screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
adaptation of Benjamin Kunkel
Benjamin Kunkel
Benjamin Kunkel is an American novelist. He co-founded and is a co-editor of the journal n+1. His first novel, Indecision, was published in 2005.-Background and education:...
's 2005 novel Indecision for Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film production and distribution company, located at 5555 Melrose Avenue in Hollywood. Founded in 1912 and currently owned by media conglomerate Viacom, it is America's oldest existing film studio; it is also the last major film studio still...
.
Style and Content
Bujalski's rough-edged, realistic films are often compared to the works of directors John CassavetesJohn Cassavetes
John Nicholas Cassavetes was an American actor, screenwriter and filmmaker. He acted in many Hollywood films, notably Rosemary's Baby and The Dirty Dozen...
, Maurice Pialat
Maurice Pialat
Maurice Pialat was a French film director, screenwriter and actor noted for the rigorous and unsentimental style of his films...
and Mike Leigh
Mike Leigh
Michael "Mike" Leigh, OBE is a British writer and director of film and theatre. He studied theatre at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and studied further at the Camberwell School of Art and the Central School of Art and Design. He began as a theatre director and playwright in the mid 1960s...
. All of his feature films were photographed on hand-held 16mm by Austrian cinematographer Matthias Grunsky
Matthias Grunsky
Matthias Grunsky is a cinematographer whose name is most often associated with film director Andrew Bujalski.Grunsky's first feature film was Funny Ha Ha for Andrew Bujalski, with whom he subsequently collaborated on Mutual Appreciation and on Beeswax...
and have a decidedly "lo-fi" feel (reinforced by Funny Ha Has distorted mono sound) and are often included in the mumblecore
Mumblecore
Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose at the turn of the 21st century. Filmmakers associated with the movement include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Barry Jenkins....
movement. The actors who appear in the films are non-professionals, many drawn from other media, including animator Kate Dollenmayer
Kate Dollenmayer
Debuting as lead actor in the 2002 film Funny Ha Ha by Andrew Bujalski, Kate Dollenmayer also made a brief appearance in Bujalski's 2005 film "Mutual Appreciation".-External links:...
as the lead in Funny Ha Ha, musician Justin Rice
Justin Rice
-Music career:Since 2001, he has played guitar for indie rock band Bishop Allen. He also co-wrote the music for the documentary The Bully Project with band-mate Christian Rudder.-Movie career:...
as the lead in Mutual Appreciation and experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison
Bill Morrison
Bill Morrison is an American comic book artist and writer, and co-founder of Bongo Comics . He currently serves as creative director of Bongo Comics....
in a supporting role in the same film. Funny Ha Ha featured a cast and crew of Harvard grads.
Though his films often appear "improvised
Improvisation
Improvisation is the practice of acting, singing, talking and reacting, of making and creating, in the moment and in response to the stimulus of one's immediate environment and inner feelings. This can result in the invention of new thought patterns, new practices, new structures or symbols, and/or...
", they are for the most part scripted
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
; the dialogue is often noted for its drawn-out, awkward nature, with characters frequently evading key topics. Many of the films seem to start and end in medias res
In medias res
In medias res or medias in res is a Latin phrase denoting the literary and artistic narrative technique wherein the relation of a story begins either at the mid-point or at the conclusion, rather than at the beginning In medias res or medias in res (into the middle of things) is a Latin phrase...
, giving the films a "slice of life" feeling that suggests a larger narrative or world that the audience is looking in on.
The characters in Bujalski's films are mostly post-collegiate and middle-class, with many working white collar
White-collar worker
The term white-collar worker refers to a person who performs professional, managerial, or administrative work, in contrast with a blue-collar worker, whose job requires manual labor...
jobs. The desire for stability is a recurring theme, with many characters rushing headlong into attempts at a more controlled existence – this is exemplified by one of the main characters in Funny Ha Ha eloping with his ex-girlfriend.
As Director, Writer, and Editor
| Year | Film | Type | Credited as | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Editor | |||
| 2008 | Beeswax Beeswax (film) Beeswax is a 2009 American mumblecore film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. The film examines a few days in the life of a pair of twins, played by real-life sisters, Tilly and Maggie Hatcher.... |
Feature Film | |||
| 2007 | Peoples House | Short Film | |||
| 2005 | Mutual Appreciation Mutual Appreciation Mutual Appreciation is an independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed Funny Ha Ha . The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is considered part of the mumblecore movement.-Plot:The principal characters... |
Feature Film | |||
| 2002 | Funny Ha Ha Funny Ha Ha Funny ha ha, considered the first mumblecore film, follows the exploits of recently graduated protagonist Marnie as she tries to find a temporary job and win the attention of a college friend named Alex , while trying to cut down on her beer consumption... |
Feature Film | |||
As Actor
| Year | Film | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Sorry, Thanks Sorry, Thanks Sorry, Thanks is an independent feature film by filmmaker Dia Sokol, who previously produced Mutual Appreciation and the MTV reality series 16 and Pregnant.... |
Mason |
| 2008 | RSO (Registered Sex Offender) | Reggie |
| 2008 | Goliath | Terry |
| 2008 | Cubby Knowles | DJ Whoops |
| 2007 | Hannah Takes the Stairs Hannah Takes the Stairs Hannah Takes the Stairs is a 2007 independent mumblecore film by Joe Swanberg.-Synopsis:The movie tells the story of Hannah, a recent college graduate living in Chicago who works as an intern at a production office, as she begins to develop crushes on Matt and Paul, two scriptwriters she works with... |
Paul |
| 2005 | Mutual Appreciation Mutual Appreciation Mutual Appreciation is an independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed Funny Ha Ha . The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is considered part of the mumblecore movement.-Plot:The principal characters... |
Lawrence |
| 2002 | Funny Ha Ha Funny Ha Ha Funny ha ha, considered the first mumblecore film, follows the exploits of recently graduated protagonist Marnie as she tries to find a temporary job and win the attention of a college friend named Alex , while trying to cut down on her beer consumption... |
Mitchell |
Awards
- Best Director, 2005 - Sidewalk Moving Picture FestivalSidewalk Moving Picture FestivalThe Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival is an annual film festival scheduled over one weekend in late September in Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999...
- Best Screenplay, 2005 - Newport International Film FestivalNewport International Film FestivalNewport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998 .The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas...
- Someone to Watch Spirit Award, 2004 - IFPIFPIFP can stand for:* International Federation of Poker* Interwise Food Portal* Independent Feature Project* "The Illinois Functional Programming Interpreter", A.D. Robison, Proc 1987 SIGPLAN Conf on Interpreters and Interpretive Techniques , pp...
External links
- Funny Ha Ha Official Site
- Mutual Appreciation Official Site
- Beeswax Official Site
- "Young Intellectuals Making Movies", essay on Andrew Bujalski and Noah BaumbachNoah BaumbachNoah Baumbach is an American writer, director and independent filmmaker.-Background and education:Baumbach was born in Brooklyn, New York City, the son of novelist/film critic Jonathan Baumbach and Village Voice critic Georgia Brown. He graduated from Brooklyn's Midwood High School in 1987 and ...
in DissentDissent (magazine)Dissent is a quarterly magazine focusing on politics and culture edited by Michael Walzer and Michael Kazin. The magazine is published for the Foundation for the Study of Independent Social Ideas, Inc by the University of Pennsylvania Press....
, Summer 2006. - Video Interview Berlinale 2009 Cargo Film Magazine
- Don't Say "Mumblecore" to Bujalski, article and video, Sept 17, 2009
- Andrew Bujalski performs and is interviewed on Radio Happy Hour
- A conversation with Andrew Bujalski on The Marketplace of Ideas