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Joe Swanberg

{{short description|American filmmaker}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Joe Swanberg

| image = Joe Swanberg 2014.jpg

| imagesize =

| caption = Swanberg in 2014

| birthname =

| birth_date =

| birth_place = Detroit, Michigan, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = {{flatlist|

  • Director
  • producer
  • writer
  • editor
  • actor}}

| years_active = 2005–present

| spouse = {{marriage|Kris Williams|2007|2019|end=divorce}}{{cite web|url=http://www.chicagomag.com/arts-culture/March-2020/south-by-southwest-canceled-kris-rey-indie-film/|title=Without SXSW, Kris Rey Looks for a Home for Her Film|website=Chicago|first=Nick|last=Allen|date=March 16, 2020|access-date=March 18, 2020}}

| children = 2

| domesticpartner =

| website = {{URL|joeswanberg.com}}

| notable works = Easy
Drinking Buddies

}}

Joe Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement.{{cite magazine|author-link=Richard Brody|author=Brody, Richard|url=http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/movies/2011/02/in-berlin.html|title=The Front Row: Joe Swanberg in Berlin|magazine=The New Yorker|date=11 February 2011 }}{{Cite web |title=Interview: Chicago Filmmaker Joe Swanberg. If This Post Were Rated, It Would Be NC-17 |url=https://chicagoist.com/2008/05/27/interview_chica.php |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=The Chicagoist |archive-date=January 24, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220124064832/https://chicagoist.com/2008/05/27/interview_chica.php |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |last=Murthi |first=Vikram |date=2024-08-14 |title=A Requiem for Mumblecore: Looking Back at the Last Time Movies Were Allowed to Be Small |url=https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/mumblecore-requiem-funny-ha-ha-andrew-bujalski-joe-swanberg-greta-gerwig-1235036281/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=IndieWire |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |last=Bures |first=Brendan |date=2017-04-16 |title=Joe Swanberg steps out: The filmmaker is still creating daring movies about normal people |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/04/16/joe-swanberg-steps-out-the-filmmaker-is-still-creating-daring-movies-about-normal-people_partner/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Salon |language=en}} His films often focus on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. He is also known for his early collaborations with Greta Gerwig.{{cite web |title=I don't need a man. I would have done all this anyway |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/aug/06/greta-gerwig-i-dont-need-a-man-i-would-have-done-all-this-anyway |work=The Guardian|date=6 August 2015 }}

Early life

Swanberg was born in Detroit, Michigan and raised in Georgia and Alabama.{{cite news | url = http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/22034545-421/joe-swanberg-tapped-his-chicago-smarts-for-drinking-buddies.html | work = Chicago Sun-Times | title = Joe Swanberg tapped his Chicago smarts for 'Drinking Buddies | first= Bill | last= Zwicker |date= August 19, 2013 | access-date= 2013-12-18 | quote= Though born in Detroit, Swanberg has lived “in Illinois since just before high school.” A high school buddy in Naperville... }} He graduated from Naperville Central High School in suburban Chicago and attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale as a film major, earning a bachelor's degree in 2003.{{cite news |title=Writer/director Joe Swanberg's new Netflix show "Easy" |url=https://abc7chicago.com/joe-swanberg-new-on-netflix-easy-naperville-central/1572543/ |access-date=29 October 2021 |publisher=ABC |date=25 October 2016}} As a teenager, he worked at Hollywood Video.

Career

In 2005, Swanberg wrote, directed, edited, shot, produced, and starred in Kissing on the Mouth, his first feature film, for a modest budget. He followed it with LOL (2006), which marked Swanberg's first time working with actress Greta Gerwig. Gerwig and Swanberg collaborated on the director's next two features: Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007), which also starred filmmakers Andrew Bujalski, Ry Russo-Young, and Mark Duplass and marked Swanberg's first collaboration with animator and actor Kent Osborne; and Nights and Weekends (2008), on which Gerwig shared a directing credit. Swanberg's next feature, Alexander the Last, was produced by Noah Baumbach, who later cast Gerwig in his 2010 film Greenberg.

After spending all of 2009 working on Silver Bullets, Swanberg finished seven features in 2010: Uncle Kent, Caitlin Plays Herself, The Zone, Art History, Silver Bullets, Privacy Setting and Autoerotic (co-directed with horror filmmaker Adam Wingard). Uncle Kent premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2011 and Silver Bullets and Art History premiered at the Berlinale in February. The rest of the 2010 films premiered theatrically in 2011 after screenings at film festivals. Four of these were later included in Joe Swanberg: Collected Films 2011, a DVD boxed set from the music and video label Factory 25.{{cite web|url=http://www.factorytwentyfive.com/joe-swanberg-collected-films-2/ |title=Joe Swanberg: Collected Films 2011 |publisher=Factorytwentyfive.com |access-date=2017-01-31}}

In 2012, Swanberg wrote and directed the film Drinking Buddies, starring Olivia Wilde, Jake M. Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. The film was acquired by Magnolia Pictures shortly after its SXSW premiere.

The following year. Swanberg shot Happy Christmas, starring himself, Melanie Lynskey, Lena Dunham, and Anna Kendrick. This was the first of his films to be shot on 16mm film, rather than digital.4:3 [http://fourthreefilm.com/2014/08/an-interview-with-joe-swanberg/ Happy Christmas: An Interview with Writer/Director Joe Swanberg.] 4:3 The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival.

His next film as director was Digging for Fire, which premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and stars Jake Johnson.{{cite web |url=http://www.sundance.org/projects/digging-for-fire |title=Sundance.org |publisher=Sundance.org |access-date=2017-01-31 |archive-date=January 4, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104052637/http://www.sundance.org/projects/digging-for-fire |url-status=dead }} The film was released on August 21, 2015, by The Orchard.{{cite web |last=Douglas |first=Edward |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/digging-for-fire-2015 |title=Comingsoon.net |publisher=Comingsoon.net |date=2015-08-21 |access-date=2017-01-31 |archive-date=May 9, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150509032621/http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/digging-for-fire-2015 |url-status=dead }}

Swanberg wrote, directed, and produced Easy, an anthology series for Netflix. The series premiered in 2016 and ran for three seasons ending in 2019. Easy featured many of Swanberg's frequent collaborators from his films, including Jake Johnson, Joe Lo Truglio, and Nicky Excitement.

In 2017, Swanberg and Jake Johnson co-wrote Win It All. Johnson stars with Aislinn Derbez, Joe Lo Truglio and Keegan-Michael Key. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest on March 11, 2017. It was released on April 7, 2017, by Netflix.

Swanberg is a noted proponent of Internet-based distribution for independent films and has made his 2011 feature Marriage Material available for free on his Vimeo page.{{cite web|url=https://vimeo.com/34790491 |title=Vimeo |publisher=Vimeo |date=2012-01-09 |access-date=2017-01-31}} He also released his 2020 feature, Build the Wall, starring Kent Osborne and Jane Adams, on his Vimeo page.{{cite web |title=Build the Wall, on vimeo |url=https://vimeo.com/427178500 |website=Vimeo|date=8 June 2020 }}{{cite magazine |last1=Brody |first1=Richard |title=Review: Age Shows in Joe Swanberg's "Build the Wall" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/review-age-shows-in-joe-swanbergs-build-the-wall |access-date=11 November 2021 |magazine=The New Yorker |date=28 August 2020}}

In 2021, Swanberg opened Analog Pizza and Video Store, a VHS video rental shop in the back room of Borelli's Pizzeria in Chicago.{{cite news |last1=Krupp |first1=Emma |title=You can rent director Joe Swanberg's VHS collection from a Ravenswood pizzeria |url=https://www.timeout.com/chicago/news/you-can-rent-director-joe-swanbergs-vhs-collection-from-a-ravenswood-pizzeria-051421 |access-date=29 October 2021 |publisher=TimeOut |date=14 May 2021}}

In 2024, it was announced that he is working on a slate of five horror-themed feature films for Yale Entertainment.{{Cite web |date=2024-07-09 |title=Joe Swanberg Partners With Yale Entertainment’s Jordan Yale Levine & Jordan Beckerman On Five-Film Horror Slate |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/joe-swanberg-partners-yale-entertainment-164850939.html |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-CA}}{{Cite web |last=Squires |first=John |date=2024-07-09 |title=Joe Swanberg Producing a Slate of Five Horror Films for Yale Entertainment |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3819728/joe-swanberg-producing-a-slate-of-five-horror-films-for-yale-entertainment/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Bloody Disgusting! |language=en-US}}

Influences

Swanberg cites Elaine May, Paul Mazursky, Lars von Trier,{{Cite web |last=Kramer |first=Gary |date=2011-10-25 |title=Interview: Joe Swanberg Talks Silver Bullets, Mumblecore, and More |url=https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/interview-joe-swanberg/ |access-date=2024-08-16 |website=Slant Magazine |language=en-US}} Marco Ferreri, and Eric Rohmer as primary influences on his work.

Filmography

=Film=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
Year

!Film

! width=65 | Director

! width=65 | Writer

! width=65 | Producer

! width=65 | Editor

! width=65 | Cinematographer

! Notes

2005

| style="text-align:left;"| Kissing on the Mouth

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

2006

| style="text-align:left;"| LOL

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

2007

| style="text-align:left;"| Hannah Takes the Stairs

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

2008

| style="text-align:left;"| Nights and Weekends

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|co-directed with Greta Gerwig

2009

| style="text-align:left;"| Alexander the Last

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|co-produced with Noah Baumbach

rowspan=2|2010

| 11/4/08

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| documentary film

Open Five

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

|

rowspan=6| 2011

| style="text-align:left;"| Uncle Kent

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| Silver Bullets

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|also sound

style="text-align:left;"| Caitlin Plays Herself

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| Autoerotic

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| co-directed with Adam Wingard
also special make-up effects

style="text-align:left;"| Art History

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| The Zone

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

rowspan=3|2012

| style="text-align:left;"| V/H/S

| {{partial|Segment Director}}

| {{no}}

| {{partial|Segment Producer}}

| {{partial|Segment Editor}}

| {{no}}

|segment: "The Sick Thing That Happened to Emily When She Was Younger"
also sound designer of the segment

style="text-align:left;"| Marriage Material

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| All the Light in the Sky

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

rowspan=2| 2013

| style="text-align:left;"| Drinking Buddies

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| 24 Exposures

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

2014

| style="text-align:left;"| Happy Christmas

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

2015

| Digging for Fire

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

2017

| Win It All

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

|

rowspan=2|2020

| The Rental

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

|

Build the Wall

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

|

==Producer only==

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
style="width:33px;"|Year

!|Film

!|Role

2009

|It Was Great but I Was Ready to Come Home

| rowspan=2| Producer

2011

| What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape

rowspan=4| 2015

| Queen of Earth

| producer/associate producer

Uncle Kent 2

|executive producer

Bloomin Mud Shuffle

| rowspan=2| producer

Lace Crater
2016

|Little Sister

|rowspan=7|executive producer

rowspan=2| 2017

| Person to Person

Golden Exits
2018

| Madeline's Madeline

rowspan=3| 2019

| Sword of Trust

Depraved
Holy Trinity
2023

|The Becomers

|producer

=Short film=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
Year

!Film

! width=65 | Director

! width=65 | Writer

! width=65 | Producer

! width=65 | Cinematographer

! width=65 | Editor

2003

| Mikey

| {{yes}}

| {{partial|Uncredited}}

| {{partial|Uncredited}}

| {{yes}}

| {{partial|Uncredited}}

2005

| Hissy Fits

| {{yes}}

| {{partial|Uncredited}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{partial|Uncredited}}

2006

| Thanks for the Ad!

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

rowspan=3|2008

|Swedish Blueballs

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

About Film Festivals

|{{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

Ginger Sand

|{{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

rowspan=2| 2009

| Birthday Suit

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

One Shot Film

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

2010

|The World of Film Festivals

|{{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

2012

| Stray Bullets

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

2013

| Privacy Setting

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

=Acting roles =

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
style="width:33px;"|Year

!|Film

!|Role

! Notes

rowspan=2| 2005

| style="text-align:left;" |Kissing on the Mouth

| Patrick

|

Hissy Fits

|

|short film

rowspan=2| 2006

| style="text-align:left;"| LOL

| Tim

|

style="text-align:left;"| Young American Bodies

| Ben

| TV series

rowspan=4| 2007

| style="text-align:left;"| Hohokam

| The Jeffery

|

style="text-align:left;"| Quiet City

| Adam

|

style="text-align:left;"| Grammy's

| Clarence

| rowspan=3| short film

style="text-align:left;"| The Timebox Twins

| Boy

rowspan=4| 2008

| style="text-align:left;"| Untied Strangers

| Wes

style="text-align:left;"| Present Company

| Archibald King

|

style="text-align:left;"| Nights and Weekends

| James

|

style="text-align:left;"| Paintbrush

| Danny

| short film

rowspan=3| 2009

| style="text-align:left;"| You Wont Miss Me

|

|

style="text-align:left;"| Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever

| Hazmat Team

|

style="text-align:left;"| The Mountain, the River and the Road

| Tom

|

rowspan=4| 2010

| style="text-align:left;"| Everyone Says I Look Just Like Her

| Brandon

|

style="text-align:left;"| A Horrible Way to Die

| Kevin

|

style="text-align:left;"| Blackmail Boys

| Andrew Kenneth Tucker

|

style="text-align:left;"| Audrey the Trainwreck

| Jeremy Roth

|

rowspan=7| 2011

| style="text-align:left;"| Uncle Kent

| Joe

|

style="text-align:left;"| Silver Bullets

| Ethan

|

style="text-align:left;"| Caitlin Plays Herself

| Joe

|

style="text-align:left;"| Autoerotic

| {{Citation needed|date=January 2022}}

|

style="text-align:left;"| Art History

| Sam

|

style="text-align:left;"| You're Next

| Drake Davison

|

style="text-align:left;"| The Zone

| Joe

|

rowspan=3| 2012

| style="text-align:left;"| The Kings of Yorktown

|Bartender

|

style="text-align:left;"| V/H/S

| Sam

|segment: "Second Honeymoon"

style="text-align:left;"| Marriage Material

| Joe

| medium-length film

rowspan=5| 2013

| style="text-align:left;"| Detonator

| Sid

|

style="text-align:left;"| Drinking Buddies

| Angry Car Guy

|

style="text-align:left;"| White Reindeer

| George

|

style="text-align:left;"| The Sacrament

| Jake

|

style="text-align:left;"| Proxy

| Patrick Michaels

|

rowspan=4| 2014

|Happy Christmas

|Jeff

|

style="text-align:left;" |Thou Wast Mild and Lovely

| Akin

|

Empire Builder

|The Husband

|

Journeyman

|Jake Hopkins

| short film

rowspan=4| 2015

|There

|Toth

|

Uncle Kent 2

|Joe

|

Bloomin Mud Shuffle

|Brock

|

Lace Crater

|Dean

|

2016

| Joshy

| Aaron

|

2017

|XX

|Singing Panda

|segment "The Birthday Party"

2018

|Nobody Likes You as Much as I Do

|Pauly

|Short film

2021

| Offseason

| George Darrow

|

2024

| Invention

| John

|

=Television=

class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:left"
Year

!Film

! width=65 | Director

! width=65 | Writer

! width=65 | Producer

! width=65 | Editor

! Notes

2006–2009

| Young American Bodies

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| 23 episodes
webseries
also creator, cinematographer and camera operator

2014

| Looking

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| episode "Looking in the Mirror"

2016–2017

| Love

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| 3 episodes

2016–2019

| Easy

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| {{yes}}

| 25 episodes
Also creator

2019

| Soundtrack

| {{yes}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| {{no}}

| 2 episodes

References

{{reflist}}

External links

{{commons category}}

  • [http://www.joeswanberg.com/ Official site]
  • {{IMDb name|1846132}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20080212052321/http://www.greencine.com/central/node/137 GreenCine: "More excited than I have ever been": Interview with Joe Swanberg]
  • [http://www.indiewire.com/people/2006/08/indiewire_inter_18.html indieWIRE INTERVIEW: Joe Swanberg, director of "LOL"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060829175538/http://www.indiewire.com/people/2006/08/indiewire_inter_18.html |date=August 29, 2006 }}
  • [http://www.filmmakermagazine.com/spring2007/features/mumblecore.php Filmmaker Magazine: What I Meant to Say]
  • {{cite web | url = http://www.dailyfilmdose.com/2010/08/movie-that-killed-mumblecore.html | publisher= DailyFilmDose.com | date = August 26, 2010| access-date= 2013-12-18| title = The Movie That Killed Mumblecore | first= Reece | last = Crothers}}
  • [http://www.hellisforhyphenates.com/blog/2014/08/31/august-2014/ Joe Swanberg], Hell Is For Hyphenates, August 31, 2014

{{Joe Swanberg}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Swanberg, Joe}}

Category:Film directors from Michigan

Category:Living people

Category:Writers from Detroit

Category:Film producers from Michigan

Category:American male film actors

Category:American male screenwriters

Category:21st-century American male actors

Category:American male television actors

Category:American cinematographers

Category:American showrunners

Category:Screenwriters from Michigan

Category:American male television writers

Category:American television writers

Category:American film editors

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)