Shane Carruth is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 film writer

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:...

, 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:...

, editor, producer

Film producer

A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...

, actor and musician.

Life and career

Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Myrtle Beach is a coastal city on the east coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is situated on the center of a large and continuous stretch of beach known as the Grand Strand in northeastern South Carolina. It is considered to be a major tourist destination in the...

. He attended Stephen F. Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin State University

Stephen F. Austin State University is a public university located in Nacogdoches, Texas, United States. Founded as a teachers' college in 1923, the university was named after one of Texas' founding fathers, Stephen F. Austin. Its campus resides on part of the homestead of another Texas founding...

.

Carruth wrote, directed, produced, performed one of the two main roles, and composed the music for his 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...

 Primer

Primer (film)

Primer is a 2004 American science fiction drama film about the accidental discovery of a means of time travel. The film was written, directed, and produced by Shane Carruth and was completed on a budget of $7,000...

, which was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival

Sundance Film Festival

The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...

 with the Grand Jury Prize. Carruth, a former software engineer

Engineer

An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...

 with an undergraduate degree in mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, utilized his technical knowledge on the project.

David Sullivan, one of the leads in Primer, claimed on his Twitter that "Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production." Filmmaker Rian Johnson

Rian Johnson

Rian Craig Johnson is an American writer and director, who won the Special Jury Prize for Originality of Vision at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival with his debut feature, Brick.-Background:...

 also posted: "Shane... has a mind-blowing sci-fi script. Let's all pray to the movie-gods that he gets it made soon." In 2010, several news sources reported that A Topiary is in the works, and that the script is written. There is already a website for the movie (www.atopiary.com), which, according to Carruth in an interview to io9, "The website for now is just a place mark as financing has yet to be completed. I'm cautiously optimistic that this can happen soon and couldn't be happier with the filmmakers that have committed to the project so far."

Awards and nominations

Primer:

• 2004 Sundance Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize
• 2004 Sundance Film Festival: Alfred P. Sloan Prize
  Alfred P. Sloan Prize
  The Alfred P. Sloan Prize is an award given each year, starting in 2003, to a film at the Sundance Film Festival. The prize is given to a feature film that focuses on science or technology as a theme, or depicts a scientist, engineer, or mathematician as a major character.Each winner is presented...
  
   (for a film dealing with science and technology)
• 2004 Nantucket Film Festival: Best Writer/Director
• 2004 Gotham Awards Nomination: Best Feature
• 2005 London International Festival of Science Fiction: Best Feature
• 2005 Independent Spirit Award Nomination: Best Feature
• 2005 Independent Spirit Award Nomination: Best Director
• 2005 Independent Spirit Award Nomination: Best First Screenplay
• 2005 Independent Spirit Award Nomination: Best Actor in a Debut Performance (David Sullivan
  David Sullivan (actor)
  David "Sully" Sullivan is an American film and television actor.-Biography:Sullivan was born in Tyler, Texas and grew up in Longview, and attended Spring Hill Schools where he graduated in 1996. He went on to attend Baylor University and majored in marketing and corporate communications,...
  
  )

External links

Interviews:

• Interview with Shane Carruth about 'PRIMER'- 07/Mar/04, MakingTheFilm.Com
• A Primer Primer, By Dennis Lim Tuesday, Oct 5 2004, New York - Village Voice
• Interview with Primer director Shane Carruth, 2004-10-03, sffworld.com
• Primer Movie website