John Sayles
Encyclopedia
John Thomas Sayles is an American
independent film
director
, screenwriter
and author
.
, the son of Mary (née
Rausch), a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator. He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist". Both of Sayles's parents were of half-Irish descent.
He attended Williams College
, where a small incident provided an inkling as to his future career. In 1972, while participating in the school's semiannual trivia
contest, Sayles's team was tied with another after eight hours, forcing the game's first sudden death overtime. Sayles was able to cite a particular line of dialogue from the 1960 film The Time Machine
to clinch the championship.
and James Cameron
, among others, Sayles began his film career working with Roger Corman
. Sayles went on to fund his first film, Return of the Secaucus 7
, with $30,000 he had in the bank from writing scripts for Corman. He set the film in a large house so that he did not have to travel to or get permits for different locations, set it over a three-day weekend to limit costume changes, and wrote about people his age so that he could have his friends act in it. In November 1997, the National Film Preservation Board
announced that Return of the Secaucus 7 would be one of the 25 films selected that year for preservation in the National Film Registry
at the Library of Congress
.
In 1983, after the films Baby It's You
(starring Rosanna Arquette
) and Lianna
(a sympathetic story in which a married woman becomes discontented with her marriage and falls in love with another woman), Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship. He used the money to partially fund the fantasy The Brother from Another Planet
, a film about a black, three-toed slave who escapes from another planet and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem
.
In 1989, he created and wrote the pilot episode for the short-lived television
show Shannon's Deal
about a down-and-out Philadelphia lawyer played by Jamey Sheridan
. Sayles received a 1990 Edgar Award
for his teleplay
for the pilot. The show ran for only 16 episodes before being canceled in 1991.
Sayles has funded most of his films by writing genre scripts such as Piranha, Alligator
, The Howling
and The Challenge
. Having collaborated with Joe Dante
on Piranha and The Howling, Sayles acted in Dante's movie Matinee
. In deciding whether to take a job, Sayles reports that he mostly is interested in whether there is the germ of an idea for a movie which he would want to watch. Sayles gets the rest of his funding by working as a script doctor; he did rewrites for Apollo 13
, and Mimic
.
One such genre script, called Night Skies
, inspired what would eventually become the highly successful film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
. That film's director, Steven Spielberg
, later commissioned Sayles to write the script for Jurassic Park IV.
He has written and directed his own films, including Lone Star
, Passion Fish
, Eight Men Out
, The Secret of Roan Inish
, and Matewan
. He serves on the advisory board for the Austin Film Society
.
Sayles works with a regular repertory of actors, most notably Chris Cooper
, David Strathairn
, and Gordon Clapp
, each of whom has appeared in at least four of his films.
In early 2003, Sayles signed the Not In Our Name "Statement of Conscience" (along with individuals such as Noam Chomsky
, Steve Earle
, Brian Eno
, Jesse Jackson
, Viggo Mortensen
, Bonnie Raitt
, Oliver Stone
, Marisa Tomei
and Susan Sarandon
) which opposed the invasion of Iraq
.
In February 2009, Sayles was reported to be writing an upcoming HBO series based on the early life of Anthony Kiedis
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
. The drama, tentatively titled Scar Tissue
, centers on Kiedis's early years living in West Hollywood with his father. At that time, Kiedis's father, known as Spider, sold drugs (according to legend, his clients included The Who
and Led Zeppelin
) and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into showbiz.
In February 2010, Sayles began shooting his 17th feature film, the historical war drama Amigo
, in the Philippines. The film is a fictional account of events during the Philippine–American War, with a cast that includes Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, and Garret Dillahunt.
His novel A Moment in the Sun, set during the same period as Amigo, in the Philippines, Cuba, and the US, was released in 2011 by McSweeney’s.
Award for SILVER CITY:
Awards for SUNSHINE STATE:
Awards for LIMBO:
Awards for MEN WITH GUNS/HOMBRES ARMADOS:
Awards for LONE STAR:
Awards for THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH:
Awards for PASSION FISH:
Awards for CITY OF HOPE:
Awards for MATEWAN:
Awards for THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET:
Awards for RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN:
; his novel, Union Dues, was nominated for a National Book Award
as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award
.
In 1985, Sayles received the John D. MacArthur Award, given to 20 Americans in diverse fields each year for their innovative work. He has also been the recipient of the Eugene V. Debs Award, the John Steinbeck Award
and the John Cassavetes
Award. He was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer's Guild of America (1999).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
independent film
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
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 author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
.
Early life
Sayles was born in Schenectady, New YorkSchenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, the son of Mary (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Rausch), a teacher, and Donald John Sayles, a school administrator. He was raised Catholic and took to labeling himself "a Catholic atheist". Both of Sayles's parents were of half-Irish descent.
He attended Williams College
Williams College
Williams College is a private liberal arts college located in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim Williams. Originally a men's college, Williams became co-educational in 1970. Fraternities were also phased out during this...
, where a small incident provided an inkling as to his future career. In 1972, while participating in the school's semiannual trivia
Trivia
The trivia are the three lower Artes Liberales, i.e. grammar, rhetoric and logic. These were the topics of basic education, foundational to the quadrivia of higher education, and hence the material of basic education, of interest only to undergraduates...
contest, Sayles's team was tied with another after eight hours, forcing the game's first sudden death overtime. Sayles was able to cite a particular line of dialogue from the 1960 film The Time Machine
The Time Machine (1960 film)
The Time Machine is a 1960 American science fiction film based on the 1895 novel of the same name by H. G. Wells in which a man in Victorian England constructs a time-travelling machine which he uses to travel to the future...
to clinch the championship.
Career
Like Martin ScorseseMartin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
and James Cameron
James Cameron
James Francis Cameron is a Canadian-American film director, film producer, screenwriter, editor, environmentalist and inventor...
, among others, Sayles began his film career working with Roger Corman
Roger Corman
Roger William Corman is an American film producer, director and actor. He has mostly worked on low-budget B movies. Some of Corman's work has an established critical reputation, such as his cycle of films adapted from the tales of Edgar Allan Poe, and in 2009 he won an Honorary Academy Award for...
. Sayles went on to fund his first film, Return of the Secaucus 7
Return of the Secaucus 7
Return of the Secaucus 7 is a drama film written and directed by John Sayles. It features Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, Jean Passanante, and others....
, with $30,000 he had in the bank from writing scripts for Corman. He set the film in a large house so that he did not have to travel to or get permits for different locations, set it over a three-day weekend to limit costume changes, and wrote about people his age so that he could have his friends act in it. In November 1997, the National Film Preservation Board
National Film Preservation Board
The United States National Film Preservation Board is the board selecting films for preservation in the Library of Congress' National Film Registry. It was established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988...
announced that Return of the Secaucus 7 would be one of the 25 films selected that year for preservation in the National Film Registry
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry is the United States National Film Preservation Board's selection of films for preservation in the Library of Congress. The Board, established by the National Film Preservation Act of 1988, was reauthorized by acts of Congress in 1992, 1996, 2005, and again in October 2008...
at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
In 1983, after the films Baby It's You
Baby It's You (film)
Baby It's You is an American film released in 1983 written and directed by John Sayles. It stars Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano.This was Sayles' first film for a major Hollywood studio...
(starring Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Arquette
Rosanna Lauren Arquette is an American actress, film director, and producer.-Early life:Arquette was born in New York City, the daughter of Brenda Olivia "Mardi" , an actress, poet, theater operator, activist, acting teacher, and therapist, and Lewis Arquette, an actor and director. Her paternal...
) and Lianna
Lianna
Lianna is a drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The movie features Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, Jon DeVries, among others.-Plot:...
(a sympathetic story in which a married woman becomes discontented with her marriage and falls in love with another woman), Sayles received a MacArthur Fellowship. He used the money to partially fund the fantasy The Brother from Another Planet
The Brother from Another Planet
The Brother from Another Planet is a science fiction film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. It stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial who has escaped to Earth and who hides in New York City.-Plot:...
, a film about a black, three-toed slave who escapes from another planet and finds himself at home among the people of Harlem
Harlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
.
In 1989, he created and wrote the pilot episode for the short-lived television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
show Shannon's Deal
Shannon's Deal
Shannon's Deal is an American legal drama about a successful Philadelphia corporate lawyer named Jack Shannon who lost his family and his job to a compulsive gambling habit. It aired on NBC, originating as a high-rated two-hour television pilot on June 4, 1989, later becoming a regular series for...
about a down-and-out Philadelphia lawyer played by Jamey Sheridan
Jamey Sheridan
James Patrick "Jamey" Sheridan is an American actor. He was born in Pasadena, California.He has had a prolific acting career in theater, television, and feature film productions. Born to a family of actors, he made it to Broadway and earned a Tony nomination in 1987 for his performance in the...
. Sayles received a 1990 Edgar Award
Edgar Award
The Edgar Allan Poe Awards , named after Edgar Allan Poe, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America...
for his teleplay
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...
for the pilot. The show ran for only 16 episodes before being canceled in 1991.
Sayles has funded most of his films by writing genre scripts such as Piranha, Alligator
Alligator (film)
Alligator is a 1980 monster movie, directed by Lewis Teague with a screenplay by John Sayles. It stars Robert Forster, Robin Riker, and Michael V. Gazzo...
, The Howling
The Howling (film)
The Howling is a 1981 werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the screenplay is written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless...
and The Challenge
The Challenge (1982 film)
The Challenge is a 1982 American action film directed by John Frankenheimer and co-written by John Sayles. The film stars Scott Glenn and Toshirō Mifune.-Plot:...
. Having collaborated with Joe Dante
Joe Dante
Joseph "Joe" Dante, Jr. is an American film director and producer of films generally with humorous and science fiction content....
on Piranha and The Howling, Sayles acted in Dante's movie Matinee
Matinee (film)
Matinee is a 1993 period comedy film directed by Joe Dante. It is an ensemble piece about the home front in the Cuban Missile Crisis combined with a tribute to independent filmmaker William Castle. The film stars John Goodman, Cathy Moriarty, Simon Fenton, Omri Katz, Lisa Jakub, and Kellie Martin...
. In deciding whether to take a job, Sayles reports that he mostly is interested in whether there is the germ of an idea for a movie which he would want to watch. Sayles gets the rest of his funding by working as a script doctor; he did rewrites for Apollo 13
Apollo 13 (film)
Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
, and Mimic
Mimic (film)
Mimic is an American science fiction horror film, with elements of a slasher film, released in 1997. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, the script was inspired by a short story of the same name by Donald A. Wollheim. Mimic, whose U.S...
.
One such genre script, called Night Skies
Night Skies
Night Skies was a sci-fi horror film that was in development in the late 1970s, but never actually made. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea after Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Instead, material developed at the time was used in Poltergeist and E.T...
, inspired what would eventually become the highly successful film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
. That film's director, Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
, later commissioned Sayles to write the script for Jurassic Park IV.
He has written and directed his own films, including Lone Star
Lone Star (1996 film)
Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.-Plot:In this ensemble...
, Passion Fish
Passion Fish
Passion Fish is a 1992 American film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett....
, Eight Men Out
Eight Men Out
Eight Men Out is an American dramatic sports film, released in 1988 and based on Eliot Asinof 1963 book 8 Men Out. It was written and directed by John Sayles....
, The Secret of Roan Inish
The Secret of Roan Inish
The Secret of Roan Inish is an American independent film written and directed by John Sayles, and released in 1994. It's based on the novel The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry....
, and Matewan
Matewan
Matewan is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers' strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
. He serves on the advisory board for the Austin Film Society
Austin Film Society
The Austin Film Society is a non-profit film society based in Austin, Texas. Founded in 1985 to exhibit independent, experimental, foreign and various other non-mainstream art films, the film society has grown from just film exhibition to fostering independent filmmaking in Texas and has served as...
.
Sayles works with a regular repertory of actors, most notably Chris Cooper
Chris Cooper (actor)
Christopher W. "Chris" Cooper is an American film actor. He became well known in the late 1990s. He has appeared in supporting performances in several major Hollywood films, including The Bourne Identity, American Beauty, Capote, The Town, The Kingdom, Syriana, October Sky, Seabiscuit, and...
, David Strathairn
David Strathairn
David Russell Strathairn is an American actor. He was nominated for an Academy Award for portraying journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck...
, and Gordon Clapp
Gordon Clapp
Gordon Clapp is an American actor, best known for portraying the role of Det. Greg Medavoy for all 12 seasons on the television series NYPD Blue, winning an Emmy Award in 1998.-Early and personal life:...
, each of whom has appeared in at least four of his films.
In early 2003, Sayles signed the Not In Our Name "Statement of Conscience" (along with individuals such as Noam Chomsky
Noam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
, Steve Earle
Steve Earle
Stephen Fain "Steve" Earle is an American singer-songwriter known for his rock and Texas Country as well as his political views. He is also a producer, author, a political activist, and an actor, and has written and directed a play....
, Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
, Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Mortensen
Viggo Peter Mortensen, Jr. is a Danish-American actor, poet, musician, photographer and painter. He made his film debut in Peter Weir's 1985 thriller Witness, and subsequently appeared in many notable films of the 1990s, including The Indian Runner , Carlito's Way , Crimson Tide , Daylight , The...
, Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Raitt
Bonnie Lynn Raitt is an American blues singer-songwriter and a renowned slide guitar player. During the 1970s, Raitt released a series of acclaimed roots-influenced albums which incorporated elements of blues, rock, folk and country, but she is perhaps best known for her more commercially...
, Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone
William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on...
, Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei
Marisa Tomei is an American stage, film and television actress. Following her work on As The World Turns, Tomei came to prominence as a supporting cast member on The Cosby Show spinoff A Different World in 1987...
and Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon
Susan Sarandon is an American actress. She has worked in films and television since 1969, and won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the 1995 film Dead Man Walking. She had also been nominated for the award for four films before that and has received other recognition for her...
) which opposed the invasion of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
.
In February 2009, Sayles was reported to be writing an upcoming HBO series based on the early life of Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis
Anthony Kiedis is an American vocalist/lyricist, and occasional actor best known as the lead vocalist of the Grammy-winning American rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers. Kiedis spent his youth in Grand Rapids, Michigan with his mother before moving, shortly before his 12th birthday, to Hollywood,...
of the Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
. The drama, tentatively titled Scar Tissue
Scar Tissue
"Scar Tissue" is the first single from the American alternative rock band Red Hot Chili Peppers' seventh studio album Californication, released in 1999...
, centers on Kiedis's early years living in West Hollywood with his father. At that time, Kiedis's father, known as Spider, sold drugs (according to legend, his clients included The Who
The Who
The Who are an English rock band formed in 1964 by Roger Daltrey , Pete Townshend , John Entwistle and Keith Moon . They became known for energetic live performances which often included instrument destruction...
and Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
) and mingled with rock stars on the Sunset Strip, all while aspiring to get into showbiz.
In February 2010, Sayles began shooting his 17th feature film, the historical war drama Amigo
Amigo (film)
Amigo is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film takes place in the Philippines in 1900 during the Philippine–American War...
, in the Philippines. The film is a fictional account of events during the Philippine–American War, with a cast that includes Joel Torre, Chris Cooper, and Garret Dillahunt.
His novel A Moment in the Sun, set during the same period as Amigo, in the Philippines, Cuba, and the US, was released in 2011 by McSweeney’s.
Filmography
- Piranha (1978)
- Return of the Secaucus 7Return of the Secaucus 7Return of the Secaucus 7 is a drama film written and directed by John Sayles. It features Bruce MacDonald, Maggie Renzi, Adam LeFevre, Maggie Cousineau, Gordon Clapp, Jean Passanante, and others....
(1979) (Director/Writer) - The Lady in RedThe Lady in Red"The Lady in Red" is a love song from Chris de Burgh's 1986 album Into the Light. The song was a big hit and reached the number one position in the UK, Ireland and Norway, and number three in the United States.- Creation :...
(1979) - AlligatorAlligator (film)Alligator is a 1980 monster movie, directed by Lewis Teague with a screenplay by John Sayles. It stars Robert Forster, Robin Riker, and Michael V. Gazzo...
(1980) - Battle Beyond the StarsBattle Beyond the StarsBattle Beyond the Stars is a Roger Corman-produced science fiction film, directed by Jimmy T. Murakami and released in 1980. The film, intended as a "Magnificent Seven in outer space," is a pastiche of The Magnificent Seven, the Western remake of Akira Kurosawa's film Seven Samurai...
(1980) - A Perfect MatchA Perfect MatchA Perfect Match is a 1979 live album by the American jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald, accompanied by the Count Basie Orchestra, and featuring Count Basie himself on the last track....
(with Mel DamskiMel DamskiMelvin "Mel" Damski is an American director and producer of film and television.-Life and career:Damski was born in Manhattan, New York having Russian Jewish heritage. He has two brothers and one sister. Damski grew up in New York and attended Colgate University on a football scholarship...
) (1980) (TV) - The HowlingThe Howling (film)The Howling is a 1981 werewolf-themed horror film directed by Joe Dante. Based on the novel of the same name by Gary Brandner, the screenplay is written by John Sayles and Terence H. Winkless...
(1981) - The ChallengeThe Challenge (1982 film)The Challenge is a 1982 American action film directed by John Frankenheimer and co-written by John Sayles. The film stars Scott Glenn and Toshirō Mifune.-Plot:...
(with Richard Maxwell) (1982) - LiannaLiannaLianna is a drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The movie features Linda Griffiths, Jane Hallaren, Jon DeVries, among others.-Plot:...
(1983) (Director/Writer) - Enormous Changes at the Last Minute (with Susan Rice) (1983)
- Baby It's YouBaby It's You (film)Baby It's You is an American film released in 1983 written and directed by John Sayles. It stars Rosanna Arquette and Vincent Spano.This was Sayles' first film for a major Hollywood studio...
(1983) (Director/Writer) - The Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another PlanetThe Brother from Another Planet is a science fiction film written, directed and edited by John Sayles. It stars Joe Morton as an extraterrestrial who has escaped to Earth and who hides in New York City.-Plot:...
(1984) (Director/Writer) - The Clan of the Cave BearThe Clan of the Cave Bear (film)The Clan of the Cave Bear is a 1986 film based on the book of the same name by Jean M. Auel and was directed by Michael Chapman.-Plot:The film stars Daryl Hannah as Ayla, a young Cro-Magnon woman who was separated from her family during an earthquake and found by a group of Neanderthals...
(1986) - Unnatural CausesUnnatural CausesYou may be looking for UNNATURAL CAUSES: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?, a documentary series broadcast on PBS in 2008.Unnatural Causes is a detective novel by English crime writer P. D. James.-Synopsis:...
(1986) (TV) - Wild ThingWild Thing (film)Wild Thing is a 1987 film directed by Max Reid, screenplay by John Sayles, and story by Larry Stamper.-Cast:*Robert Knepper as Wild Thing*Kathleen Quinlan as Jane*Robert Davi as Chopper*Maury Chaykin as Jonathan Trask*Betty Buckley as Leah...
(1987) - MatewanMatewanMatewan is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles, illustrating the events of a coal mine-workers' strike and attempt to unionize in 1920 in Matewan, a small town in the hills of West Virginia....
(1987) (Director/Writer) - Eight Men OutEight Men OutEight Men Out is an American dramatic sports film, released in 1988 and based on Eliot Asinof 1963 book 8 Men Out. It was written and directed by John Sayles....
(1988) (Director/Writer) - Shannon's DealShannon's DealShannon's Deal is an American legal drama about a successful Philadelphia corporate lawyer named Jack Shannon who lost his family and his job to a compulsive gambling habit. It aired on NBC, originating as a high-rated two-hour television pilot on June 4, 1989, later becoming a regular series for...
(1989) (TV) (Creator) - Breaking InBreaking InBreaking In is a 1989 American crime comedy film directed by Bill Forsyth, and written by John Sayles. It stars Burt Reynolds, Casey Siemaszko and Lorraine Toussaint. It is a movie about how professional small-time criminals live and practice their trades....
(1989) - City of HopeCity of Hope (film)City of Hope is an American drama film written and directed by John Sayles.The film features Vincent Spano, Stephen Mendillo and Chris Cooper....
(1991) (Director/Writer) - Passion FishPassion FishPassion Fish is a 1992 American film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett....
(1992) (Director/Writer) - The Secret of Roan InishThe Secret of Roan InishThe Secret of Roan Inish is an American independent film written and directed by John Sayles, and released in 1994. It's based on the novel The Secret of Ron Mor Skerry, by Rosalie K. Fry....
(1994) (Director/Writer) - Men of WarMen of War (film)Men of War is a 1994 American action drama directed by Perry Lang and starring Dolph Lundgren as a former Special Ops soldier who leads a group of mercenaries to a treasure island in the South China Sea.-Plot:...
(with Ethan Reiff and Cyrus Voris) (1994) - Apollo 13Apollo 13 (film)Apollo 13 is a 1995 American drama film directed by Ron Howard. The film stars Tom Hanks, Kevin Bacon, Bill Paxton, Gary Sinise, Kathleen Quinlan and Ed Harris. The screenplay by William Broyles, Jr...
(1995) (uncredited) - Lone StarLone Star (1996 film)Lone Star is an American mystery film written and directed by John Sayles and set in a small town in Texas. It features Chris Cooper, Elizabeth Peña, Kris Kristofferson and Matthew McConaughey and deals with a sheriff's investigation into who murdered one of his predecessors.-Plot:In this ensemble...
(1996) (Director/Writer) - Men with Guns (1997) (Director/Writer)
- LimboLimbo (film)Limbo is a 1999 drama film written, produced, edited, and directed by American independent filmmaker John Sayles. The drama features Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, David Strathairn, Vanessa Martinez and Kris Kristofferson....
(1999) (Director/Writer) - Sunshine StateSunshine State (film)Sunshine State is a 2002 American comedy–drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The picture stars an ensemble cast that features Angela Bassett, Edie Falco, Jane Alexander, Alan King, Timothy Hutton, Mary Steenburgen, Bill Cobbs, and others. The movie was filmed on Amelia Island,...
(2002) (Director/Writer) - Casa de los BabysCasa de los BabysCasa de los Babys is a 2003 drama film written, directed, and edited by filmmaker John Sayles. It features an ensemble cast, including Marcia Gay Harden, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Daryl Hannah.-Plot:...
(2003) (Director/Writer) - Silver City (2004) (Director/Writer)
- HoneydripperHoneydripper (film)Honeydripper is a 2007 American musical drama film written and directed by John Sayles.-Plot:Filmed and set in Alabama, the film stars Danny Glover as the owner of a blues club that is failing until he hires a young electric guitarist . The film also stars musician Keb' Mo', actor/comedian Kel...
(2007) (Director/Writer) - The Spiderwick ChroniclesThe Spiderwick Chronicles (film)The Spiderwick Chronicles is a 2008 fantasy film adaptation of Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi's bestselling series of the same name. Set in the Spiderwick Estate in New England, United States, it follows the adventures of Jared Grace and his family as they discover a field guide to faeries, battle...
(with David Berenbaum and Karey KirkpatrickKarey KirkpatrickKarey Kirkpatrick is an American screenwriter and director. His films include James and the Giant Peach, Space Jam, The Iron Giant, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Charlotte's Web and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy adaptation. He has also directed the films, Imagine That starring Eddie Murphy as...
) (2008) - AmigoAmigo (film)Amigo is a 2010 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film takes place in the Philippines in 1900 during the Philippine–American War...
(2010) (Director/Writer)
Novels
- Pride of the BimbosPride of the BimbosPride of the Bimbos is a novel by John Sayles about a midget who is atraveling baseball player who dresses in drag and plays local teams. The baseball is always played withoutcomedy and the traveling team almost always wins....
(1975) (novel) - Union Dues (1977) (novel)
- Los Gusanos (1991) (novel)
- A Moment in the Sun (2011) (novel)
Collections and Non-Fiction
- The Anarchists Convention (1979) (short story collection)
- Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie "Matewan" (1987) (non-fiction)
- Dillinger in Hollywood (2004) (short story collection)
Music videos
- Bruce SpringsteenBruce SpringsteenBruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen , nicknamed "The Boss," is an American singer-songwriter who records and tours with the E Street Band...
- Born in the U.S.A.Born in the U.S.A. (song)"Born in the U.S.A." is a 1984 song written and performed by Bruce Springsteen. Taken from the album of the same name, it is one of his best-known singles. Rolling Stone ranked the song 275th on their list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". In 2001, the RIAA's Songs of the Century placed... - Bruce Springsteen - I'm on FireI'm on Fire"I'm on Fire" is a song written and performed by American rock singer Bruce Springsteen. In 1985, it became the fourth single released from his massively successful album Born in the U.S.A..-History:...
- Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
Films
Awards for Honeydripper:- Outstanding Independent or Foreign Film (Win) – 2008 NAACP Image Awards
- Outstanding Writing in a Motion Picture (Theatrical or Television) (Nominated) – John Sayles – 2008 NAACP Image Awards
- Top 10 Independent Films of 2007 - National Board of Review
- Best Screenplay (Win) – John Sayles - 2007 San Sebastián International Film Festival (Tied with Gracia Querejeta and David Planell for Siete mesas de billar francés (2007)
Award for SILVER CITY:
- Golden Seashell Award for Best Film (Nominated) - John Sayles - 2004 San Sebastián International Film Festival
Awards for SUNSHINE STATE:
- Golden Orange Award (Win) - John Sayles - 2003 Florida Film Critics Circle Awards
- Special Mention For Excellence In Filmmaking (Win) - 2002 National Board of Review
Awards for LIMBO:
- Best Director Golden Space Needle Award (Win) - John Sayles -1999 Seattle International Film Festival
- Outstanding Indies (Win) - 1999 National Board of Review
Awards for MEN WITH GUNS/HOMBRES ARMADOS:
- Best Foreign Independent Film (Nominated) - 1998 British Independent Film Awards
- Best Foreign Film (Nominated) - 1999 Golden Globes
- Peace Award (Nominated) - 1999 Political Film Society
- FIPRESCI Prize (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
- OCIC Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
- Solidarity Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
- Golden Seashell Award for Best Film (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 San Sebastián International Film Festival
Awards for LONE STAR:
- Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Academy Awards
- Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 BAFTA Awards
- Best Screenplay, Motion Picture (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Golden Globes
- Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Writers Guild of America
- Best Picture (Nominated) - 1997 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards
- Best Motion Picture Original Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 Golden Satellite Awards
- Best Motion Picture - Drama (Nominated) - Maggie Renzi & R. Paul Miller - 1997 Golden Satellite Awards
- Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1997 Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Film (Win) - Lone Star - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
- Best Director (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
- Best Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Lone Star Film & Television Awards
- Special Achievement Award for Outstanding Feature Film (Win) - 1996 NCLR Bravo Awards
- Best Director (Win) - John Sayles - 1997 Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
Awards for THE SECRET OF ROAN INISH:
- Best Genre Video Release (Nominated) - 1996 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films
- International Critics Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1996 Gérardmer Film Festival
- Best Director (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1996 Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1996 Independent Spirit Awards
Awards for PASSION FISH:
- Best Original Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1993 Academy Awards
- Golden Spur Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1993 Flanders International Film Festival
- Best Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1993 Writers Guild of America
Awards for CITY OF HOPE:
- Critics Award (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1991 Deauville Film Festival
- Special Award, Democracy Award (Win) - 1992 Political Film Society
- Tokyo Grand Prix Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1991 Tokyo International Film Festival
Awards for MATEWAN:
- Critics Award (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1987 Deauville Film Festival
- Best Director (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1988 Independent Spirit Awards
- Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1988 Independent Spirit Award
- Human Rights Award (Win) - 1988 Political Film Society
Awards for THE BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET:
- Best Screenplay Caixa de Catalunya Award (Win) - John Sayles - 1984 Catalonian International Film Festival, Sitges, Spain
- Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1985 USA Film Festival (later became the Sundance Film Festival)
Awards for RETURN OF THE SECAUCUS SEVEN:
- Best Independent Film (Win) - 1981 Boston Society of Film Critics Awards
- Best Screenplay (Win) - John Sayles - 1980 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
- National Film Registry - 1997 Library of Congress, National Film Preservation Board
- Best Comedy Written Directly for the Screen (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1981 Writers Guild of America
- Best Screenplay (Nominated) - John Sayles - 1980 New York Film Critics Circle
- Second Place - 1981 US Film Festival (later became the Sundance Film Festival)
Other recognition
Sayles' first published story, "I-80 Nebraska," won an O. Henry AwardO. Henry Award
The O. Henry Award is the only yearly award given to short stories of exceptional merit. The award is named after the American master of the form, O. Henry....
; his novel, Union Dues, was nominated for a National Book Award
National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of American literary awards. Started in 1950, the Awards are presented annually to American authors for literature published in the current year. In 1989 the National Book Foundation, a nonprofit organization which now oversees and manages the National Book...
as well as the National Book Critics Circle Award
National Book Critics Circle Award
The National Book Critics Circle Award is an annual award given by the National Book Critics Circle to promote the finest books and reviews published in English....
.
In 1985, Sayles received the John D. MacArthur Award, given to 20 Americans in diverse fields each year for their innovative work. He has also been the recipient of the Eugene V. Debs Award, the John Steinbeck Award
John Steinbeck Award
The John Steinbeck Award, 'In The Souls of the People', is an annual award given to an individual that has contributed to society in the spirit of John Steinbeck...
and the John Cassavetes
John 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...
Award. He was honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer's Guild of America (1999).
See also
- Night SkiesNight SkiesNight Skies was a sci-fi horror film that was in development in the late 1970s, but never actually made. Steven Spielberg conceived the idea after Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Instead, material developed at the time was used in Poltergeist and E.T...
- for a more complete history of the Close Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind is a 1977 science fiction film written and directed by Steven Spielberg. The film stars Richard Dreyfuss, François Truffaut, Melinda Dillon, Teri Garr, Bob Balaban, and Cary Guffey...
sequel becomes E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-TerrestrialE.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a 1982 American science fiction film co-produced and directed by Steven Spielberg, written by Melissa Mathison and starring Henry Thomas, Dee Wallace, Robert MacNaughton, Drew Barrymore, and Peter Coyote...
story
Further reading
- Diane Carson and Heidi Kenaga, eds., Sayles Talk: New Perspectives on Independent Filmmaker John Sayles, Wayne State University Press, 2006
- John Sayles, Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan, Da Capo Press, 2003
External links
- John Sayles' official website
- Senses of Cinema: Great Directors Critical Database
- Interview April 2007 by Cathy Pryor in the London Independent
- (audio) John Sayles interview at KCRWKCRWKCRW is a public radio station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, carrying a mix of National Public Radio news, talk radio and freeform music format. The general manager of KCRW is Jennifer Ferro...
- The Rumpus interview
- Return of the Independent: Sayles on Sayles (5-part interview) from siffblog.com
- An Extended Interview with John Sayles — video report by Democracy Now!Democracy Now!Democracy Now! and its staff have received several journalism awards, including the Gracie Award from American Women in Radio & Television; the George Polk Award for its 1998 radio documentary Drilling and Killing: Chevron and Nigeria's Oil Dictatorship, on the Chevron Corporation and the deaths of...