David Russo (filmmaker)

David Russo
Occupations	Animator filmmaker
Style	Stop motion animation surrealism

David Russo is an American filmmaker and animator recognized for his work in independent cinema and known for his work combining live-action and stop-motion animation, as well as his surrealist style. ^{[1] [2]} His feature film The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle (2009) premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. ^[3] Russo has also received a Genius Award from The Stranger and the Betty Bowen Memorial Award in Visual Arts. ^{[4] [5]}

Career

Short films and animation

David Russo began his film career creating experimental short films that integrated animation with live-action. ^{[6] [7] [8]} His works, including Populi (2002) and Pan With Us (2003), were presented at film festivals such as the Sundance Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, and the Tribeca Film Festival. ^[9] Pan With Us was awarded the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at Sundance, as well as the Golden Gate Award for best animated short at the San Francisco International Film Festival. ^{[10] [11] [12]} Russo's short film I Am (Not) Van Gogh premiered at the 2005 Bumbershoot festival. ^[13] The short was broadcast on Canal Plus in Europe, released theatrically in France, and won the Grand Prix at the 25 FPS Festival in Zagreb, Croatia as well as other festivals including the Black Maria Film Festival and Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. ^{[14] [15] [16]} Filmmaker Magazine has compared his approach to animation to that of Michel Gondry and Jan Švankmajer. ^[17]

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle

In 2009 Russo directed The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle , his first feature-length film, premiering at the Sundance Film Festival. ^{[18] [19] [20]} Russo was awarded the jury prize for Best Director at the Fantasia Film Festival. The dramedy portrays janitors and examines issues such as consumer behavior and corporate ethics. ^{[21] [22]} The story grew from Russo's own experiences as a janitor. ^{[15] [23]} The New York Times described the film as "an imaginative and quirky exploration of the bizarre," while Now Magazine noted its "undeniable originality." ^{[24] [25]}

Selective Filmography

Year	Title	director	screenWriter	Cinematographer	Actor	Animator	Notes
2009	The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle	Yes	Yes			Yes	Feature
2005	I Am (Not) Van Gogh	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes		Short; animation
2003	Pan with Us	Yes	Yes	Yes			Short; animation
2002	Populi	Yes	Yes	Yes			Short; animation
1998	Carried Away				Yes
1996	Cityscrapes: Los Angeles				Yes

References

1. West, Lindy; Kiley, Brendan; Mudede, Charles (January 15, 2009). "The Sundance Kids: This Week, Three Seattle Filmmakers—Two of Them Stranger Genius Award Winners—Are Headed to the Most Important Film Festival in the Country". The Stranger .
2. Gnerre, Andrew (January 16, 2009). "David Russo Witnesses The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle". MovieMaker Magazine .
3. Variety Staff (May 19, 2009). "Russo to direct Blue Man movie". Variety .
4. Graves, Jen (January 9, 2008). "Visual Art Creative Capital Winners: SuttonBeresCuller, Trimpin, David Russo". The Stranger .
5. Bradley Steinbacher (October 14, 2004). "David Russo: A Filmmaker in the Midst of Reinvention". The Stranger.
6. Kaufman, Anthony (2003). "25 New Faces of Indie Film 2003". Filmmaker Magazine .
7. Seattle Channel (n.d.). "Seattle Cine-visions #3: Artist Portraits II". Seattle Municipal Archives. Seattle Cine-visions. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
8. Ball, Ryan (February 13, 2008). "Animation Talent on Spot for ka-chew!". Animation Magazine .
9. Axmaker, Sean (May 19, 2009). "SIFF: Off the Indie Radar: After his first feature, maverick local director David Russo may be done with movies". Seattle Weekly . Archived from the original on April 14, 2024.
10. Staff Writer (March 19, 2004). "SXSW Film 04 Awards". The Austin Chronicle.
11. Baisley, Sarah (May 1, 2003). "Russo Wins Golden Gate Animation Award". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on January 3, 2025.
12. Staff Writer (December 12, 2015). "Film Festival: David Russo and James Longley". Seattle Gay Scene.
13. "David Russo". Jack Straw Cultural Center. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
14. "I'm (Not) Van Gogh". Centre de Cultura Contemporània de Barcelona. CCCB. October 24, 2008. Retrieved January 3, 2025.
15. Axmaker, Sean (May 23, 2009). "Interview – David Russo and Little Dizzle". Parallax View.
16. Ebiri, Bilge (July 27, 2007). "Non–Van Gogh Makes Pomo Fun Again". Vulture .
17. Van Couvering, Alicia (2009). "The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle's David Russo". Filmmaker Magazine .
18. Moira Macdonald (February 29, 2008). "NW Film Forum Director Is Leaving". The Seattle Times .
19. Etheredge, Warren (October 21, 2009). "David Russo: "I'm an Experimental Filmmaker in the Literal Sense."". Seattle Met .
20. Etheredge, Warren (October 22, 2009). "David Russo: "People Who Want to be Directors are Suckers!"". Seattle Met .
21. Macaulay, Scott (September 27, 2005). ""#2" Is Number One". Filmmaker Magazine. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024.
22. Tim Appelo (May 24, 2010). "Janitors and Auteurs: How David Russo Cleaned Up". City Arts Magazine .
23. Sciretta, Peter (January 22, 2009). "Sundance Movie Review: The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle". SlashFilm.
24. Scott, A.O. (May 12, 2010). "Movie Review: 'The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle'". The New York Times .
25. Cole, Susan G. (August 5, 2010). "The Immaculate Conception Of Little Dizzle". Now Toronto.

External links

• David Russo at IMDb