James Sweeney | |
|---|---|
 Sweeney at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival | |
| Born | 1990 (age 34–35) [1] |
| Occupation(s) | Director, screenwriter, actor |
| Years active | 2010–present |
James Sweeney (born 1990) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He is most known for directing and starring in Straight Up (2019) and Twinless (2025).
In 2019, Sweeney directed, wrote, and starred in Straight Up which had its world premiere at Outfest. [3] The film was released in February 2020, by Strand Releasing. [4] [5] Prior to, Sweeney made a Proof of concept short film based upon the script, Normal Doors for 20th Digital Studio. [6] Sweeney earned a nomination for Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay. [7] [8]
Sweeney's next film Twinless which he directs, wrote, and stars opposite Dylan O'Brien will have its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. [9] [10]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Straight Up | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2025 | Twinless | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Mary Elle Fanning is an American actress. She made her film debut as a child as the younger version of her sister Dakota Fanning's character in the drama film I Am Sam (2001). She appeared in several other films as a child actress, including Daddy Day Care (2003), Babel (2006), The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Phoebe in Wonderland, and the miniseries The Lost Room (2006). She then had leading roles in Sofia Coppola's drama Somewhere (2010) and J. J. Abrams' science fiction film Super 8 (2011).
James Allan Schamus is an American screenwriter, producer, business executive, film historian, professor, and director. He is a frequent collaborator of Ang Lee, the co-founder of the production company Good Machine, and the co-founder and former CEO of motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company Focus Features, a subsidiary of NBCUniversal. He is currently president of the New York–based production company Symbolic Exchange, and is Professor of Professional Practice at Columbia University, where he has taught film history and theory since 1989.
Roadside Attractions, LLC is an American production company and film distributor based in Los Angeles, California, founded on July 27, 2000, by Howard Cohen and Eric d'Arbeloff. Lionsgate Films bought a portion of Roadside in 2007, and has majorly served as the arthouse division for the studio since then.
Dylan Rhodes O'Brien is an American actor. His first major role was as Stiles Stilinski in the MTV supernatural series Teen Wolf (2011–2017). He achieved further prominence for his lead role in the science fiction Maze Runner trilogy (2014–2018), which led to more film appearances.
Sydney Bernice Sweeney is an American actress. She first gained attention in 2018 for appearing in the television series Everything Sucks! and The Handmaid's Tale, and in the limited series Sharp Objects. In the following year, she was featured in the Quentin Tarantino-directed film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.
Straight Up is a 2019 independent film written, produced, and directed by James Sweeney. Sweeney stars in the film with Katie Findlay, Dana Drori, James Scully, Tracie Thoms, Betsy Brandt, and Randall Park. The film premiered July 23, 2019 at Outfest, with limited distribution by Strand Releasing beginning February 28, 2020.
Tango Productions, LLC, doing business as Tango Entertainment, is an American film production company founded in 2017 by Lia Buman and Tim Headington. The company produced the films Little Woods (2018) The Old Man & the Gun (2018), Skate Kitchen (2019), Little Fish (2020), Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020), Resurrection (2022), and Aftersun (2022).
Anyone but You is a 2023 American romantic comedy film directed by Will Gluck, who co-wrote the screenplay with Ilana Wolpert. Loosely based on Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare, it stars Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell. The supporting cast includes Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, Bryan Brown, and Rachel Griffiths.
Ponyboi is a 2024 American thriller directed by Esteban Arango, from a screenplay by River Gallo. It is based upon the 2019 short film of the same name by Gallo. It stars Gallo, Dylan O'Brien, Victoria Pedretti, Murray Bartlett and Indya Moore.
Jimpa is a 2025 drama film starring Olivia Colman and John Lithgow. It is directed by Sophie Hyde and written by Hyde and Matthew Cormack, of Closer Productions in Adelaide, South Australia. It had its world premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival on 23 January 2025, and will also be screened at the Adelaide Film Festival in October 2025. It received mixed reviews from critics.
Twinless is a 2025 American comedy film written and directed by James Sweeney. It stars Dylan O'Brien, Sweeney, Aisling Franciosi, Lauren Graham, Tasha Smith, Chris Perfetti, François Arnaud, Susan Park and Cree Cicchino.
The 2025 Sundance Film Festival took place in person from January 23 to February 2, 2025, in Park City and Salt Lake City, Utah, and online from January 30 to February 2. The first selection lineup was announced on December 11, 2024.
