Lawrence Michael Levine | |
|---|---|
 Levine interviewed about Green in 2011 | |
| Born | 1976 (age 47–48) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Actor, director, editor, producer, writer |
| Years active | 2004-present |
| Spouse | Sophia Takal |
Lawrence Michael Levine (born 1976) [1] is an American actor, writer, and filmmaker, best known for writing and directing the films Gabi on the Roof in July , [2] Wild Canaries , and Black Bear .
In 2005, Levine wrote, produced, and directed his debut film Territory, based on his stage play of the same name. Critic Aaron West of eFilmCritic wrote of the film, "The off-Broadway version is undoubtedly the more appropriate medium for this story, and if given a choice, I would rather see it there. Still, I cannot help but applaud Levine for trying something a little different. His characters are extraordinarily ordinary, and his tightly wound screenplay reveals their (and our) brightest and darkest sides at various times." [3]
In 2009, he wrote and directed the short films The Empress and Fat Friend.
His next film, 2010's romantic drama/comedy Gabi on the Roof in July , received a positive critical response [4] and was praised by Eric Kohn of Indiewire , who called the film a "lightly amusing comedy". [5]
In 2014, Levine wrote, directed, and starred in the mystery/comedy Wild Canaries . The film received a positive response from critics and was praised by The Village Voice as being "...the closest a contemporary film has come to replicating the unbridled jubilance of a classic screwball comedy". [6] His most recent film, Black Bear , stars Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon and Aubrey Plaza. [7]
In addition to his own films, Levine has also acted in such pictures as Richard's Wedding , Takal's Green, All the Light in the Sky , and V/H/S/2 (segment "Tape 49"), and appears in the second season of the anthology series Easy .
Levine is married to fellow filmmaker Sophia Takal, with whom he has collaborated on several films. [6] In 2013, Jordan Zakarin of The Hollywood Reporter named Levine and Takal two of New York's next big independent filmmakers. [8]
Sarah Lynn Gadon is a Canadian actress. She began her acting career guest-starring in a number of television series, such as Are You Afraid of the Dark? (1999), Mutant X (2002), and Dark Oracle (2004). She also worked as a voice actress on various television productions. Gadon gained recognition for her roles in David Cronenberg's films A Dangerous Method (2011), Cosmopolis (2012), and Maps to the Stars (2014). She also starred in Denis Villeneuve's thriller Enemy (2013), the period drama Belle (2013), and the action horror film Dracula Untold (2014).
Jonathan Blitstein is a current American film producer, former playwright, and indie filmmaker. He currently runs Tandem Pictures, and previously was an executive at Astronauts Wanted, and Disney Digital Network, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company.
Aubrey Christina Plaza is an American actress, comedian, and producer. She starred as April Ludgate on the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–2015), played Julie Powers in Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010) and Scott Pilgrim Takes Off (2023), and featured as the Shadow King and Lenny Busker in the FX superhero series Legion (2017–2019). In 2022, she starred in the second season of the HBO anthology series The White Lotus, for which she received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and a Golden Globe Award. Time magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2023.
Amy Seimetz is an American actress and filmmaker. She has appeared in several productions, including AMC's The Killing, HBO's Family Tree, and films like Upstream Color, Alien: Covenant, Pet Sematary, and No Sudden Move.
The F Word is a 2013 romantic comedy film directed by Michael Dowse from a screenplay by Elan Mastai, based on the play Toothpaste and Cigars by TJ Dawe and Michael Rinaldi, starring Daniel Radcliffe, Zoe Kazan, Megan Park, Adam Driver, Mackenzie Davis, and Rafe Spall. It focuses on two young people who meet for the first time and, since she has a boyfriend, decide to be "friends."
Martha Stephens is an American film writer and director.
Wild Canaries is an American black comedy mystery film directed, produced and written by Lawrence Michael Levine and starring Levine, Sophia Takal, Alia Shawkat, Annie Parisse, Jason Ritter and Kevin Corrigan. The film had its world premiere premiered at the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 8, 2014. The film was released in a limited release and through video on demand on February 25, 2015 courtesy of Sundance Selects.
Before I Disappear is a 2014 American drama film directed by Shawn Christensen. The film is a feature-length adaptation of his 2012 Oscar-winning short film, Curfew. The film had its world premiere at South by Southwest Film on March 10, 2014. The film was acquired for distribution by IFC Films on August 5, 2014, and released on November 28, 2014.
Sophia Takal is an American actress, writer and director, perhaps best known for her work in independent features such as All the Light in the Sky, Supporting Characters and Gabi on the Roof in July. Filmmaker magazine named Takal one of the "25 New Faces of Film" in 2011. She directed and co-wrote the 2019 remake of the 1974 horror film Black Christmas.
Gabi on the Roof in July is a 2010 American independent comedy-drama film directed by Lawrence Michael Levine.
Josephine Decker is an English–born American filmmaker. Films she has directed include Butter on the Latch (2013), Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014), Madeline's Madeline (2018), Shirley (2020), and The Sky is Everywhere (2022). She also co-directed the documentary Bi the Way (2008) with Brittany Blockman.
Onur Tukel is a Turkish-American actor, painter, and filmmaker. A notable figure in the New York City independent film community, Tukel's films often deal with issues of gender and relationships.
Jesse Moss is an American documentary filmmaker and cinematographer known for his cinéma vérité style. His 2014 film, The Overnighters, was shortlisted for best documentary feature at the Oscars. He has directed four independent, feature-length films, and three television documentaries and has produced 15 documentaries.
Rothaniel Jerrod Carmichael is an American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, and filmmaker. He has released three stand-up comedy specials on HBO: Love at the Store (2014), 8 (2017), and Rothaniel (2022). He also co-created, co-wrote, produced, and starred in the semi autobiographical NBC sitcom The Carmichael Show (2015–2017). Carmichael directed, produced, and starred in On the Count of Three (2021). In 2022, he won a Primetime Emmy Award for writing Rothaniel and was nominated for guest hosting Saturday Night Live that same year.
Easy is an American comedy-drama television anthology series written, directed, edited and produced by Joe Swanberg. It consists of 25 half-hour episodes. The series is set in Chicago.
Paterson is a 2016 drama film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch. The film stars Adam Driver as a bus driver and poet named Paterson, and Golshifteh Farahani as his wife, who dreams of being a country music star and opening a cupcake business.
Ari Aster is an American filmmaker. Having garnered some initial recognition for the short film The Strange Thing About the Johnsons (2011), he became best known for writing and directing Hereditary (2018), Midsommar (2019), and Beau Is Afraid (2023), all of which were released by A24. His films have been noted for their unsettling combination of horror, dark comedy, and depictions of graphic violence. In 2018, he co-founded the production company Square Peg with Danish producer Lars Knudsen.
Jonathan Kesselman is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer, who first gained notice as the writer and director of The Hebrew Hammer (2003).
Black Bear is a 2020 American black comedy-drama thriller film written and directed by Lawrence Michael Levine. It stars Aubrey Plaza, Christopher Abbott, Sarah Gadon, Paola Lázaro and Grantham Coleman.
Logan George is an American film director, writer, and editor. George works exclusively with his partner, Celine Held, as a co-writer and co-director. His debut feature film Topside premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival. His short film work has been nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, and has premiered at Sundance Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival.
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