Anna Biller

Last updated

Anna Biller
Anna Biller.jpg
Biller in June 2022
Born
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • actress
  • editor
  • production designer
  • musician
  • costume designer
Known forFeminist films
Notable work
Partner Robert Greene

Anna Biller is an American filmmaker who wrote and directed the feature films Viva (2007) and The Love Witch (2016). Biller considers herself a feminist filmmaker and consciously explores feminist themes throughout her work, including exploring the female gaze in cinema. [1] [2] She is vocal on both her website and in interviews about gender inequalities in the film industry. [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Biller was born in Los Angeles [5] to a Japanese-American mother who is a fashion designer and a Caucasian father who is a visual artist. [6] [7] She grew up watching her mother design clothes, watching her father paint with a bright color palette, and watching classic cinema, all of which has had a big influence on her filmmaking practice. [8] She has a B.A. in art from UCLA and an MFA in art and film from the California Institute of the Arts. [4] During her time at CalArts, she studied both art and film and began making 16 mm films, and was mentored by Morgan Fisher and Paul McCarthy. [9] [10] She started making 8 mm films while she was living in New York. [9]

Career

At the beginning of her career, Biller was known for her short films and staged musicals, [11] which played with old Hollywood genres and tropes from the 1930s to the 1950s. [12] She made her first short film, Three Examples of Myself as Queen, while studying at CalArts. [13] In the film, Biller plays Pointsettia, a teenager who turns into a princess and has the power to transform men into dogs. [9] The film screened at small venues and film festivals. Lane Relyea of Artforum International wrote "the film's humor and graceful perplexity may not have caused any sudden shifts in the local fault lines but did crack a glorious smile on this audience member's face." [14] John Hartl of The Seattle Times called it a "bizarre, Warholian musical fantasy." [15]

In 2001, she directed two short films: The Hypnotist, a melodrama written by her frequent collaborator Jared Sanford, [9] and A Visit from the Incubus, a Western horror musical. A Visit from the Incubus tells the story of a woman who is raped by an incubus, and decides to get back at him by challenging him to a singing competition. Robert Nott of The Santa Fe New Mexican called it a "must-see". [16]

Her 2007 debut feature film, Viva , tells the story of a bored housewife who goes out in search of sexual adventure in the 1970s. It premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam, [17] and won the Best of Fest Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival. The film was also entered into the main competition at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival. [18] Reason magazine called Viva an "uncannily precise rendition of the look, sound, mood, and arch dialogue" of seventies sexploitation films, with "high-key, pseudo-Technicolor lighting and spare, colorful set design." [19] Viva had a very limited theatrical release. [12]

Biller's second feature film, The Love Witch, premiered in 2016 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is a twist on classic serial killer films, featuring a woman who kills through calculated sexuality and "love magic," causing her male victims to fall too much in love. [20] It evokes the sexploitation of women in Hammer horror films, and was shot entirely on film in order to recreate the old Hollywood style. [21] The film took Biller seven years to complete because of her attention to detail in directing, writing, costume and set design, and work with her cinematographer. [3]

Richard Brody of The New Yorker said of The Love Witch, "Biller puts genre to the test of do-it-yourself artistry, and puts feminist ideology itself to the test of style. The film pulsates with furious creative energy throughout, sparking excitement and giddy amazement that it even exists." [22] In May 2016, The Love Witch was acquired for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories. [23] The Love Witch was included in many lists for the best films of 2016, including those of The New Yorker and IndieWire. [24] [25] It won in a tie for the Trailblazer Award and Best Costume Design at the Chicago Indie Critics Awards, [26] and also won the Michael Cimino Best Film Award at the American Independent Film Awards. [27]

In 2019, she became a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [28]

Biller said in 2017 that her next film will be a Bluebeard story. [3] She stated that "I want to make this film because I have a yearning to see more quality films for women, like the ones that were made in Hollywood’s golden age." [29]

On December 5, 2021, Biller announced she had completed her first novel, Bluebeard's Castle. The book was published in October 2023 by Verso Books. [30] Bluebeard's Castle was listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 by The Telegraph , who said it was, "A stylised retelling of the old fable that mixes self-reference and gaudy excess...the sex, death and pricy cognac are of a wildly enjoyable piece." [31] The Times Literary Supplement also praised it, calling it "Both a fantasy and a nightmare, with the film-maker Biller employing the same sense of celluloid artifice and lusciously heightened reality that characterized her retro horror masterpiece The Love Witch ." [32]

In July 2022, Biller announced her next film, the horror film The Face of Horror. [33]

Personal life

Biller lives in Los Angeles with her partner, author Robert Greene. [34]

Filmography

Biller served as director, producer, writer, editor, production designer, and costume designer on all films listed.

YearFilmTypeCredit
1994Three Examples of Myself as QueenShort filmAlso actress
1998Fairy BalletShort filmAlso actress, composer
2001The HypnotistShort film
2001A Visit from the IncubusShort filmAlso actress, composer
2007 Viva Feature filmAlso actress, composer
2016 The Love Witch Feature filmAlso composer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tilda Swinton</span> British actress

Katherine Matilda Swinton is a British actress. Known for her roles in independent films and blockbusters, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British Academy Film Award, in addition to nominations for three Golden Globe Awards. In 2020, The New York Times ranked her as one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doris Wishman</span> American filmmaker

Doris Wishman was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. She is credited with having directed and produced at least 30 feature films during a career spanning over four decades, most notably in the sexploitation film genre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Swanberg</span> American filmmaker

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. His films often focus on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. He is also known for his collaboration with Greta Gerwig.

Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film characterized by naturalistic acting and dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associated with the genre include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, the Duplass brothers Mark and Jay, Greta Gerwig, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Ry Russo-Young. In many cases, though, these directors reject the term. The genre is a mostly American phenomenon. The related term mumblegore has been used for films mixing the mumblecore and horror genres. It's also a type of music, typically hip hop, where the vocalists tend to mumble their lyrics.

<i>Viva</i> (2007 film) 2007 film by Anna Biller

Viva is a 2007 American sex comedy film written and directed by Anna Biller and starring, in addition to Biller, Jared Sanford, Bridget Brno, Chad England, Marcus DeAnda, and John Klemantaski. The plot concerns a 1970s suburban housewife who is dragged through the worst excesses of the sexual revolution.

In 2010, there was a dramatic increase and prominence in the use of 3D-technology in filmmaking after the success of Avatar in the format, with releases such as Alice in Wonderland, Clash of the Titans, My Name is Khan, Jackass 3D, and numerous other titles being released in 3D formats. 20th Century Fox celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2010.

<i>The Blair Witch Project</i> 1999 horror film by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez

The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American supernatural horror film written, directed, and edited by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez. It is a fictional story of three student filmmakers—Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, and Joshua Leonard—who hike into the Black Hills near Burkittsville, Maryland, in 1994 to film a documentary about a local myth known as the Blair Witch. The three disappear, but their equipment and footage are discovered a year later. The purportedly "found footage" is the movie the viewer sees.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greta Gerwig</span> American actress and filmmaker (born 1983)

Greta Celeste Gerwig is an American actress, screenwriter, and film director. Initially known for working on mumblecore films, she has since expanded from acting in and co-writing independent films to directing major studio films. Gerwig was included in the annual Time 100 list of the most influential people in the world in 2018.

<i>Compensation</i> (film) 1999 American film

Compensation is a 1999 independent drama film produced, co-edited and directed by Zeinabu irene Davis and written by Marc Arthur Chéry. The film is about two parallel love stories set in turn-of-the-century and present-day Chicago, with both stories concerning a relationship between a deaf woman and a hearing man. The story is inspired by the 1906 poem of the same name from early African-American writer Paul Laurence Dunbar. The film stars Michelle A. Banks and John Earl Jelks in the leading roles. The early part of the story is shot like a silent film. Though the film was not released until 1999, filming took place in 1993.

<i>Silver Bullets</i> 2011 American film

Silver Bullets is a 2011 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Joe Swanberg. The film stars Kate Lyn Sheil, Ti West, Swanberg and Amy Seimetz. It is one of six films released by Swanberg in 2011. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival on February 12, 2011, and was then released in a limited release on October 28, 2011, by Factory25.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A24</span> American independent entertainment company

A24 Films LLC, commonly referred to as A24, is an American independent entertainment company that specializes in film and television production, as well as film distribution. The company is based in Manhattan.

<i>Southside with You</i> 2016 American film

Southside with You is a 2016 American biographical romantic drama film written, produced, and directed by Richard Tanne, in his feature film directorial debut. The film stars Parker Sawyers and Tika Sumpter as a young Barack Obama, and Michelle Robinson, respectively, and focuses on the couple's first date in 1989.

<i>The Witch</i> (2015 film) Film by Robert Eggers

The Witch is a 2015 folk horror film written and directed by Robert Eggers in his feature directorial debut. It stars Anya Taylor-Joy in her film debut, alongside Ralph Ineson, Kate Dickie, Harvey Scrimshaw, Ellie Grainger, and Lucas Dawson. Set in 1630s New England, its plot follows a Puritan family who encounter forces of evil in the woods beyond their farm.

<i>Losing Ground</i> (1982 film) 1982 American film by Kathleen Collins

Losing Ground is a semiautobiographical 1982 American drama film written and directed by Kathleen Collins, and starring Seret Scott, Bill Gunn and Duane Jones. It is the first feature-length drama directed by an African-American woman since the 1920s and won First Prize at the Figueira da Foz International Film Festival in Portugal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Eggers</span> American film director and screenwriter

Robert Houston Eggers is an American filmmaker and production designer. He is best known for writing and directing the historical horror films The Witch (2015) and The Lighthouse (2019), as well as directing and co-writing the historical fiction epic film The Northman (2022). His films are noted for their folkloric and mythological elements, as well as his thorough efforts to ensure historical authenticity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anya Taylor-Joy</span> Actress (born 1996)

Anya-Josephine Marie Taylor-Joy is an actress. Born in Miami and raised in Buenos Aires and London, Taylor-Joy left school at the age of 16 to pursue an acting career. After a series of small television roles, her breakthrough came with a leading role in the horror film The Witch (2015), which earned her several accolades. She continued with roles in the horror film Split (2016) and its sequel Glass (2019), the black comedy film Thoroughbreds (2017), and the television crime drama series Peaky Blinders (2019–2022).

<i>Be My Cat: A Film for Anne</i> 2015 film by Adrian Țofei

Be My Cat: A Film for Anne is a 2015 Romanian found footage psychological horror feature film directed, produced, written by, and starring Adrian Țofei, about an aspiring filmmaker who goes to extremes to convince actress Anne Hathaway to star in his film. It is the first entry in Adrian Țofei's planned indie trilogy which includes We Put the World to Sleep and Pure. It is also Adrian Țofei's first film and Romania's first found footage horror movie.

<i>The Love Witch</i> 2016 film by Anna Biller

The Love Witch is a 2016 American comedy horror film written, edited, directed, produced, and scored by Anna Biller. The film stars Samantha Robinson as Elaine Parks, a modern-day witch who uses spells and magic to get men to fall in love with her with disastrous results. Shot in Los Angeles and Arcata, California, it premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. In May 2016, it was acquired for distribution at the Cannes Marché du Film by Oscilloscope Laboratories.

<i>The Killing of a Sacred Deer</i> 2017 film by Yorgos Lanthimos

The Killing Of A Sacred Deer is a 2017 absurdist psychological horror thriller film directed and co-produced by Yorgos Lanthimos, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Efthimis Filippou. It stars Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Barry Keoghan, Raffey Cassidy, Sunny Suljic, Alicia Silverstone, and Bill Camp. It follows a cardiac surgeon who introduces his family to a teenage boy with a connection to his past, after which they mysteriously begin to fall ill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Samantha Robinson (American actress)</span> English/American actress (born 1991)

Samantha Robinson is an American actress. She is known for playing the lead role in the film The Love Witch, directed by Anna Biller. Her other roles include coffee heiress Abigail Folger in the 2019 film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, directed by Quentin Tarantino.

References

  1. ↑ Myers, Emma (December 1, 2016). "The Love Witch Is A Seductive Revenge Movie For The Heartbroken". Elle. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ Garvey, Meaghan (May 16, 2017). "Female Gaze: Lana Del Rey, I Love Dick, And The Love Witch". MTV. Archived from the original on May 17, 2017. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 Patterson, John (March 2, 2017). "The Love Witch director Anna Biller: 'I'm in conversation with the pornography all around us'". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved March 13, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Anna Biller Productions – About". www.lifeofastar.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  5. ↑ Biller, Anna [@missannabiller] (March 28, 2018). "I was born and raised in Los Angeles, so me making movies about the history of movies is like someone who grows up in a coal mining town making movies about coal miners. It's my form of naturalism" (Tweet). Retrieved March 25, 2019– via Twitter.
  6. ↑ Turner, Gustavo (November 10, 2016). "L.A.-Bred Filmmaker Anna Biller Made a Witchy Retro Masterpiece That Straight Guys Will Misread". LA Weekly . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Les Biller: Rosamund Felson Gallery". RosamundFelsen.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  8. ↑ Borders, Meredith (November 7, 2016). "Birth.Movies.Interview.: Writer/Director Anna Biller On THE LOVE WITCH". Birth.Movies.Death . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Klorfein, Jason (January 31, 2010). ""Myself as Queen": A Profile and Interview with Anna Biller". Bright Lights Film Journal. Archived from the original on May 28, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Calendar" . Deerfield Review. Illinois. October 29, 2009. Entertainment section. Retrieved August 15, 2018– via online NewsBank.
  11. ↑ French, Philip (May 17, 2009). "Review: Critics: Other films: Anyone for another helping of papal bull? The Da Vinci Code sequel is all very well, says Philip French, but for a real treat, catch Eric Cantona instead: Angels & Demons (140 mins, 12A) Directed by Ron Howard ; starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Ayelet Zurer, Stellan Skarsgard, Armin Mueller-Stahl". Observer. London. p. 15. Retrieved August 3, 2018– via Infotrac Newsstand.
  12. 1 2 Gorfinkel, Elena (2011). ""Dated Sexuality": Anna Biller's Viva and the Retrospective Life of Sexploitation Cinema". Camera Obscura. 26 (3 78): 95–135. doi:10.1215/02705346-1415443 . Retrieved August 3, 2018.
  13. ↑ Macmanus, Robert (September 22, 2009). "A Rush on Anna Biller". Vice . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  14. ↑ "Best & worst: 1994". Artforum International. December 1994. p. 64+. Retrieved August 3, 2018– via General OneFile.
  15. ↑ Hartl, John (September 17, 1995). "Asian-American Film Fest Rivals 1994 with Roster of Not-to-be-missed Movies" . The Seattle Times. p. M4. Retrieved August 15, 2018– via online NewsBank.
  16. ↑ Nott, Robert (November 29, 2002). "THE NEW WEST". Santa Fe New Mexican. p. 65. Retrieved August 3, 2018– via General OneFile.
  17. ↑ Modenessi, Jennifer (February 9, 2007). "IndieFest ventures back to the East Bay - Aspiring filmmakers welcome Q&A sessions; film fans just want to watch as many as they can" . Contra Costa Times. Walnut Creek, CA. p. f3. Retrieved August 15, 2018– via online NewsBank.
  18. ↑ "29th Moscow International Film Festival (2007)". MIFF. Archived from the original on April 21, 2013. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
  19. ↑ Cavanaugh, Tim (July 24, 2008). "Win Free Sex! The never-ending charm of sexual revolution nostalgia". Reason . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  20. ↑ Perry, Joseph (April 16, 2016). "'The Love Witch' (2016): Serial Killing Meets Sexual Politics In Occult Thriller". GruesomeMagazine.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  21. ↑ "The Love Witch's Plush Female Gaze". 25YL. January 11, 2022. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  22. ↑ Brody, Richard (May 9, 2016). "The State of Independent Film in 2016". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  23. ↑ Erbland, Kate (May 18, 2016). "Oscilloscope Laboratories Picks Up Anna Biller's Spellbinding 'The Love Witch' – Exclusive". IndieWire . Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  24. ↑ Brody, Richard (December 9, 2016). "The Best Movies of 2016". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  25. ↑ Ehrlich, David (December 6, 2016). "The 25 Best Movie Moments of 2016, According to IndieWire Critic David Ehrlich". IndieWire. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  26. ↑ Jevens, Darel (January 8, 2017). "Top Chicago Critics Circle awards go to 'Moonlight,' 'La La Land'" . Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  27. ↑ Raup, Jordan (February 19, 2017). "'Krisha' Sweeps the Inaugural American Independent Film Awards". TheFilmStage.com. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  28. ↑ Hayden, Eric (July 1, 2019). "Academy Invites 842 New Members". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  29. ↑ "Anna Biller Filmmaker and Author - Bluebeard".
  30. ↑ "Verso snaps up 'glorious' debut from independent filmmaker Biller".
  31. ↑ Revely-Calder, Cal. "The best (and worst) fiction books of 2023, from Eleanor Catton to Zadie Smith".
  32. ↑ Dearnley, Elizabeth. "Wishful thinking; A shy novelist is bedazzled by a mysterious lover".
  33. ↑ "The Face of Horror". Anna's Blog. July 27, 2022.
  34. ↑ Kurutz, Steven (November 7, 2012). "Robert Greene on Renovating Like a Master" . The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.