Brandon Cronenberg

{{Infobox person

| name = Brandon Cronenberg

| image = Brandon Cronenberg.jpg

| caption = Cronenberg in 2023

| birth_name = Brandon Cronenberg

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|1|10}}

| birth_place = Toronto, Ontario, Canada

| alma_mater = Toronto Metropolitan University

| occupation = {{hlist|Director|screenwriter}}

| years_active = 2008{{ndash}}present

| father = David Cronenberg

| relatives = Caitlin Cronenberg (sister)
Denise Cronenberg (aunt)
Aaron Woodley (cousin)

}}

Brandon Cronenberg (born January 10, 1980) is a Canadian director and screenwriter.{{Cite web|url=http://www.semainedelacritique.com/en/directors/brandon--cronenberg|title=Brandon Cronenberg | La Semaine de la Critique of Festival de Cannes|website=Semaine de la Critique du Festival de Cannes|accessdate=June 8, 2021}} He is the son of renowned filmmaker David Cronenberg and the brother of Caitlin Cronenberg.{{Cite news|date=May 28, 2012|title=Cronenberg family snapshots|work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/cronenberg-family-snapshots/article4217791/|access-date=2021-06-14}} He is known for his science fiction horror films Antiviral (2012), Possessor (2020), and Infinity Pool (2023). He has won several accolades for his work.

Early life

Cronenberg was born in Toronto, the son of filmmakers David Cronenberg and Carolyn Zeifman, and the brother of photographer Caitlin Cronenberg. He also has a half sister, Cassandra, from his father's first marriage. Cronenberg studied film at Toronto Metropolitan University in Toronto, Canada. He initially considered himself to be a "book nerd" growing up, who was interested in becoming a writer, painter, or musician. He came to realize that film contained all those elements and attended film school.{{cite web |url= http://www.canada.com/entertainment/book+nerd+cinephile+says+Cronenberg/7218147/story.html |title=I was a 'book nerd' not a cinephile, says Cronenberg son |first= Jay|last= Stone|work=canada.com |date= 2012-09-12|access-date=11 September 2012}}

Career

=''Antiviral''=

In 2008, Cronenberg directed a short film titled Broken Tulips, about people who pay to be injected with viruses that were harvested from celebrities. Cronenberg has stated that the genesis of the film was a viral infection he once had. More precisely, the "central idea came to him in a fever dream during a bout of illness," wrote journalist Jill Lawless.{{cite news|last=Lawless|first=Jill|date=22 May 2012|title=Brandon Cronenberg Is a Chip off the Bloody Block|work=Sioux City Journal|url=http://bigstory.ap.org/content/brandon-cronenberg-chip-bloody-block|access-date=17 March 2013}}{{cite news|date=22 May 2012|title=Cronenbergs Bring Father-Son Story to Cannes: Brandon Cronenberg's Antiviral a Genre Film Like Father's Early Work|work=CBC News|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/cronenbergs-bring-father-son-story-to-cannes-1.1154208|access-date=17 March 2013}} It was further shaped when he saw an interview Sarah Michelle Gellar did on Jimmy Kimmel Live!; what struck him was when "she said she was sick and if she sneezed she'd infect the whole audience, and everyone just started cheering."{{cite journal|last=Johnson|first=Ron|date=September 2012|title=Time for Cronenberg 2.0|url=http://www.postcity.com/Post-City-Magazines/September-2012/Time-for-Cronenberg-20/|journal=Post City Magazines|issue=September 2012|access-date=11 September 2012}}

The short was adapted from a script he was working on for his first feature, Antiviral.{{Cite web|title=Interview: "Antiviral" Director Brandon Cronenberg Talks the Horror of Celebrity Obsession|url=https://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2013/04/interview-antiviral-director-brandon-cronenberg|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Complex|language=en}} Principal photography for the feature film adaptation took place in Hamilton, Ontario and in Toronto.{{cite web|last=Etan|first=Vlessing|date=3 November 2011|title=Sarah Gadon, Malcolm McDowell Join 'Antiviral'|url=https://hollywoodreporter.com/news/sarah-gadon-malcolm-mcdowell-join-257200|access-date=23 August 2013|work=The Hollywood Reporter}}

Antiviral debuted at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival in the Un Certain Regard section.{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.fr/en/article/58878.html |title=2012 Official Selection |access-date=2012-04-21 |work=Cannes}}{{cite news |url=http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/19/cannes-seeing-double-cronenbergs |title=Cannes seeing double Cronenbergs |access-date=2012-04-21 |newspaper=Toronto Sun}} Cronenberg and his father both screened films at that year's Cannes Film Festival, marking the first time a father and son screened films together in the festival's history.

Cronenberg re-edited the movie after the festival to make it tighter, trimming nearly six minutes from its running time. The revised version was first shown at the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival, where it tied for the award for Best Canadian First Feature Film.{{cite web |url= http://www.torontosun.com/2012/09/09/brandon-cronenberg-brings-first-feature-film-antiviral-home |title=Brandon Cronenberg brings first feature film 'Antiviral' home|first= Bruce|last= Kirkland|work=torontosun.com |date= 2012-09-09|access-date=11 September 2012}}{{Cite web|date=2012-09-16|title=2012 Toronto International Film Festival Winners|url=https://collider.com/toronto-international-film-festival-2012-winners/|access-date=2021-01-24|website=Collider|language=en-US}} It later won the Citizen Kane Award for Best Debut Feature at the Sitges Film Festival.{{Cite web|title=FESTIVAL ARCHIVES - Sitges Film Festival - Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya|url=https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2012|access-date=2021-01-25|website=sitgesfilmfestival.com|archive-date=January 29, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210129184211/https://sitgesfilmfestival.com/eng/arxiu/2012|url-status=dead}}

=''Please Speak Continuously...'' and ''Possessor''=

In 2019, Cronenberg's short film Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You, starring Deragh Campbell, premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the Critics' Week section.{{Cite web|last=Tartaglione|first=Nancy|date=2019-04-22|title=Cannes Critics' Week Lineup Features 'Vivarium' With Imogen Poots, Jesse Eisenberg – Full List|url=https://deadline.com/2019/04/cannes-critics-week-2019-lineup-full-list-movies-vivarium-1202599535/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Deadline|language=en-US}} The film won the Canal+ Grand Prize at L'Étrange Festival in Paris, and in December 2019 was included in TIFF's annual year-end Canada's Top Ten list for short films.{{Cite web|date=2019-09-22|title=L'Etrange 2019: VIVARIUM Wins Grand Prize, THE ODD FAMILY: ZOMBIE ON SALE Wins Audience Award|url=https://screenanarchy.com/2019/09/letrange-2019-vivarium-grand-prize-the-odd-family-zombie-on-sale-audience-award.html|access-date=2021-01-25|website=ScreenAnarchy}}Norman Wilner, [https://nowtoronto.com/movies/features/tiff-top-10-canadian-films-2019/ "TIFF announces Canada's top 10 films of 2019"]. Now, December 11, 2019.

Cronenberg stated that visuals for Please Speak Continuously and Describe Your Experiences as They Come to You came from experiments he and his cinematographer Karim Hussain were doing for a feature film he was making called Possessor.{{Cite web|title=Sloan Science & Film|url=http://www.scienceandfilm.org/articles/3263/brandon-cronenbergs-new-films|access-date=2021-05-26|website=www.scienceandfilm.org}}

Possessor was released the following year, starring Christopher Abbott, Andrea Riseborough, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuppence Middleton and Sean Bean.{{cite web|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/berlin-sean-bean-jennifer-jason-leigh-stacy-martin-board-sci-fi-thriller-possessor-1184699|title=Berlin: Sean Bean, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Stacy Martin Board Sci-Fi Thriller 'Possessor'|website=The Hollywood Reporter|first=Alex|last=Ritman|date=February 10, 2019|access-date=April 8, 2019}} It premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition section, where US distribution rights were picked up by Neon.{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=2020-03-27|title=Brandon Cronenberg Sci-Fi Thriller 'Possessor' Acquired By Neon|url=https://deadline.com/2020/03/neon-andrea-riseborough-possessor-brandon-cronenberg-sundance-acquisition-1202894280/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200327181925/https://deadline.com/2020/03/neon-andrea-riseborough-possessor-brandon-cronenberg-sundance-acquisition-1202894280/ |archive-date=March 27, 2020 }}{{Cite web|last=Patten|first=Dominic|date=2019-12-04|title=Sundance 2020: Angelina Jolie, Robert Redford, Riley Keough, Bruce Lee Docu, Lena Waithe & LGBTQ+ Rights Pack Lineup|url=https://deadline.com/2019/12/sundance-film-festival-2020-lineup-films-competition-midnight-spotlight-kids-next-full-list-1202800567/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Deadline|language=en-US}} The film won awards for Best Feature Length Film and Best Direction at the Sitges Film Festival that year, as well as the Grand Prize at the 2021 Gérardmer Film Festival.{{Cite web|last=de la Fuente|first=Anna Marie|date=2020-10-18|title=Brandon Cronenberg's 'Possessor Uncut' Wins the Sitges Festival's Best Film, Director Awards|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/global/brandon-cronenberg-possessor-uncut-wins-sitges-festival-1234808780/|access-date=2021-01-25|website=Variety|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=AlloCine|title=Gérardmer 2021 : Possessor de Brandon Cronenberg et les sauterelles de La Nuée au Palmarès|url=https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle=18696483.html|access-date=2021-03-04|website=AlloCiné|date=January 31, 2021 |language=fr}} The film also received three nominations at the inaugural Critics' Choice Super Awards in the Science Fiction/Fantasy category, for Best Movie, Best Actor, and Best Actress.{{Cite web|date=2021-01-04|title=Flights Of Fantasy|url=https://cbswatchmagazine.com/extras/inaugural-critics-choice-super-awards/flights-of-fantasy|access-date=2021-01-28|website=Watch Magazine|language=en}} It was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's year-end Canada's Top Ten list for feature films.Victoria Ahearn, [https://www.squamishchief.com/toronto-international-film-festival-releases-top-ten-lists-for-2020-1.24252475 "Toronto International Film Festival releases Top Ten lists for 2020"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210104154028/https://www.squamishchief.com/toronto-international-film-festival-releases-top-ten-lists-for-2020-1.24252475 |date=January 4, 2021 }}. Squamish Chief, December 9, 2020.

=''Infinity Pool''=

At the 2019 Cannes Film Festival it was announced that Cronenberg's third feature would be a film called Infinity Pool, based on an original script of his.{{Cite web|last=Goodfellow|first=Melanie|title=Celluloid Dreams boards Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool'|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/celluloid-dreams-boards-brandon-cronenbergs-infinity-pool-exclusive-/5139227.article|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Screen Daily|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190510161344/https://www.screendaily.com/news/celluloid-dreams-boards-brandon-cronenbergs-infinity-pool-exclusive-/5139227.article |archive-date=May 10, 2019 }} Infinity Pool stars Alexander Skarsgård and Mia Goth, and will play at both the 2023 Sundance Film Festival and Berlin International Film Festival.{{Cite web |last=Lattanzio |first=Ryan |date=2022-12-08 |title=See Sundance First Looks for 25 Buzzy Films, from 'Cat Person' to 'Passages' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/gallery/sundance-2023-lineup-first-looks/ |access-date=2022-12-09 |website=IndieWire |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Roxborough |first=Scott |date=2022-12-20 |title=Berlin Fest Adds World Premieres of John Malkovich's 'Seneca,' Alex Gibney's Boris Becker Doc |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/berlin-film-festival-2023-john-malkovich-seneca-1235285292/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} Neon are distributing in the US, with a commercial release set for January 27, 2023.{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2022-12-16 |title=Dip Your Toes into Brandon Cronenberg's 'Infinity Pool' With Official Poster for Mia Goth Movie |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3744132/dip-your-toes-into-brandon-cronenbergs-infinity-pool-with-official-poster-for-mia-goth-movie/ |access-date=2022-12-20 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}

= Upcoming work =

In 2021, it was announced that he would write and direct an adaptation of the J. G. Ballard novel Super-Cannes as a limited series for television.{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Naman|date=2021-05-20|title=Brandon Cronenberg to Adapt J.G. Ballard Novel 'Super-Cannes' as Series|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/brandon-cronenberg-jg-ballard-super-cannes-1234977445/|url-status=live|access-date=2021-05-26|website=Variety|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210520100451/https://variety.com/2021/tv/global/brandon-cronenberg-jg-ballard-super-cannes-1234977445/ |archive-date=May 20, 2021 }}

In June 2024, it was announced that Cronenberg is working with Sam Barlow and Half Mermaid on a sci-fi horror FMV videogame code named Project C. It will be published by Blumhouse Games.{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blumhouse-is-going-all-in-on-horror-games-including-one-from-sam-barlow-and-brandon-cronenberg/1100-6524049/| title=Blumhouse Is Going All In On Horror Games, Including One From Sam Barlow And Brandon Cronenberg|first=James|last=Carr|date=2024-06-07|access-date=2024-10-19|website=GameSpot}}{{cite web|url=https://www.fangoria.com/blumhouse-games-debut/| title=Brandon Cronenberg Made A Video Game And We Can’t Wait To Play It|first=Angel|last=Melanson|date=2024-06-07|access-date=2024-10-19|website=Fangoria}}