Andrew Bujalski (; born April 29, 1977) is an American

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and

actor An actor (masculine/gender-neutral), or actress (feminine), is a person who portrays a character in a production. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. ...

, who has been called the "godfather of

mumblecore Mumblecore is a subgenre of independent film characterized by naturalistic acting and (sometimes improvised) dialogue, low budgets, an emphasis on dialogue over plot, and a focus on the personal relationships of young adults. Filmmakers associ ...

Life and career

Bujalski, born in Boston in 1977, is the son of artist-turned-businesswoman Sheila Dubman and businessman Edmund Bujalski. His father is Catholic and his mother is Jewish. He grew up in

Newton, Massachusetts Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located roughly west of Downtown Boston, and comprises a patchwork of thirteen villages. The city borders Boston to the northeast and southeast (via the neighborhoods of ...

, where he attended the same high school as ''Beeswax'' collaborator

Alex Karpovsky Alexander Karpovsky (born September 23, 1975) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, producer, and film editor. He is best known for his role as Raymond "Ray" Ploshansky on the HBO comedy drama series '' Girls'' (2012–17), for which he wa ...

(although the two didn't know each other at the time). Bujalski studied film at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher lear ...

's Department of Visual and Environmental Studies, where the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

filmmaker

Chantal Akerman Chantal Anne Akerman (; 6 June 19505 October 2015) was a Belgian film director, screenwriter, artist, and film professor at the City College of New York. Akerman is best known for her films (1974), (1975), and '' News from Home'' (1976). The ...

was his

thesis advisor A doctoral advisor (also dissertation director, dissertation advisor; or doctoral supervisor) is a member of a university faculty whose role is to guide graduate students who are candidates for a doctorate, helping them select coursework, as well ...

. He shot his first feature, ''

Funny Ha Ha ''Funny Ha Ha'' is a 2002 American film written and directed by Andrew Bujalski. It has been described as the first mumblecore film. It was shot on 16 mm film on a very low budget. It deals with the lives of people in their twenties as they try ...

'', in 2002 and followed it with ''

Mutual Appreciation ''Mutual Appreciation'' is a 2005 independent film by Andrew Bujalski who previously directed '' Funny Ha Ha'' (2002). The script is primarily dialogue between a group of young people as they try to determine where they fit in the world. It is con ...

'' in 2003. They received theatrical distribution in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Bujalski wrote both screenplays and appears as an actor, playing a major role in both films. In 2006 he appeared as an actor and contributed to the screenplay of the

Joe Swanberg 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, tech ...

film ''

Hannah Takes the Stairs ''Hannah Takes the Stairs'' is a 2007 American independent mumblecore film by Joe Swanberg. It has been described "as the defining movie of the low-budget, dialogue-driven 'mumblecore' movement." Plot Hannah is a recent college graduate living i ...

''. ''

Beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

'' and ''

Computer Chess Computer chess includes both hardware (dedicated computers) and software capable of playing chess. Computer chess provides opportunities for players to practice even in the absence of human opponents, and also provides opportunities for analysi ...

'', Bujalski's third and fourth films, were filmed in Austin, where the director lives. ''Beeswax'' was released in summer 2009. While making it Bujalski wrote a

screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...

adaptation of

Benjamin Kunkel Benjamin Kunkel (born December 14, 1972) is an American novelist and political economist. He co-founded and is a co-editor of the journal ''n+1.'' His novel ''Indecision'' was published in 2005; and ''Utopia or Bust: A Guide to the Present Cr ...

's 2005 novel ''Indecision'' for

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

. His fourth feature, ''Computer Chess'',Longworth, Karina
10 Movies We're Excited About in 2012.
''

LA Weekly ''LA Weekly'' is a free weekly alternative newspaper in Los Angeles, California. The paper covers music, arts, film, theater, culture, and other local news in the Los Angeles area. ''LA Weekly'' was founded in 1978 by Jay Levin (among others), ...

''.Andrew Bujalski's Next Project: Computer Chess
/ref> is a

period film A historical drama (also period drama, period piece or just period) is a dramatic work set in the past, usually used in the context of film and television, which presents history, historical events and characters with varying degrees of fiction s ...

set at a

computer programming Computer programming or coding is the composition of sequences of instructions, called computer program, programs, that computers can follow to perform tasks. It involves designing and implementing algorithms, step-by-step specifications of proc ...

tournament in 1980. It premiered at the 2013

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...

and won the Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize.2013 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
/ref> It is his first feature edited digitally and the only feature film shot almost exclusively with original

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

1968 AVC-3260 B&W video cameras. Grunsky, Matthias
"Computer Chess": a more detailed look at the tube camera
Bujalski married Karen Olsson in 2009. They have two children. Bujalski also has worked as a writer on several studio projects, including, most recently, the live-action remake of Disney’s ''Lady and the Tramp''.

Style and content

Bujalski's rough-edged, realistic films are often compared to the works of directors

John Cassavetes John Nicholas Cassavetes (December 9, 1929 – February 3, 1989) was an American filmmaker and actor. He began as an actor in film and television before helping to pioneer modern American independent cinema as a writer and director, often self- ...

Maurice Pialat Maurice Pialat (; 31 August 1925 – 11 January 2003) was a French film director, screenwriter and actor known for the rigorous and unsentimental style of his films. His work is often described as " realist",

and

Mike Leigh Mike Leigh (born 20 February 1943) is an English screenwriter, producer, director and former actor with a film, theatre, and television career spanning more than 60 years. His accolades include prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, the Berlin In ...

. All of his feature films were photographed by Austrian cinematographer Matthias Grunsky. The first three are shot on hand-held

16mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 mm and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, ...

, have a sometimes decidedly "lo-fi" feel (reinforced by ''Funny Ha Has distorted

mono sound Monaural sound or monophonic sound (often shortened to mono) is sound intended to be heard as if it were emanating from one position. This contrasts with stereophonic sound or ''stereo'', which uses two separate audio channels to reproduce sou ...

), and are often classified as

. The actors are non-professionals, many drawn from other media, including animator

Kate Dollenmayer Kate Dollenmayer is an American actor and film archivist. She made her debut as the star of Andrew Bujalski's 2002 film '' Funny Ha Ha''. She subsequently appeared in Bujalski's next film ''Mutual Appreciation'' in 2005. Early and personal life ...

as the lead in ''Funny Ha Ha'', musician Justin Rice as the lead in ''Mutual Appreciation'' and experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison in a supporting role in the same film. ''Funny Ha Ha'' featured a cast and crew of Harvard alumni. Though his films often appear

improvised Improvisation, often shortened to improv, is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. The origin of the word itself is in the Latin "improvisus", which literally means un-foreseen. Improvis ...

, they are for the most part

scripted ''Scripted'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Icon for Hire. It was released on Tooth & Nail Records on August 23, 2011, and went on to break the label's new artist record for albums sold during the first week of release. Backgr ...

; the dialogue is often noted for its drawn-out, awkward nature, and characters frequently evade key topics. Many of the films seem to start and end ''

in medias res A narrative work beginning ''in medias res'' (, "into the middle of things") opens in the chronological middle of the plot, rather than at the beginning (cf. '' ab ovo'', '' ab initio''). Often, exposition is initially bypassed, instead filled i ...

'', giving the films a "slice of life" feeling that suggests a larger narrative or world that the audience is looking in on. The characters in Bujalski's films are mostly

middle-class The middle class refers to a class of people in the middle of a social hierarchy, often defined by occupation, income, education, or social status. The term has historically been associated with modernity, capitalism and political debate. Commo ...

. The desire for stability is a recurring theme, and many characters rush headlong into attempts at a more controlled existence; one of the main characters in ''Funny Ha Ha'' elopes with his ex-girlfriend.

Filmography

As director, writer, and editor

As actor

Awards

* Alfred Sloan Feature Film Prize, 2013 –

* Best Director, 2005 –

Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival The Sidewalk Film Festival is an annual film festival taking place during the last weekend in August in the Theatre District of Birmingham, Alabama, since 1999. The festival typically screens at seven venues located within downtown Birmingham, fea ...

* Best Screenplay, 2005 –

Newport International Film Festival Newport International Film Festival was an annual film festival in Newport, Rhode Island, established in 1998. The Newport Film Festival was generally held the first week in June and featured various international films at several local cinemas. ...

Someone to Watch Award The Someone to Watch Award is an emerging filmmaker award presented by Film Independent Spirit Awards that recognizes a talented filmmaker of singular vision who has not yet received appropriate recognition. History The award includes a $25,000 un ...

, 2004 – IFP

References

External links

*
Funny Ha Ha Official Site

Mutual Appreciation Official Site

Beeswax Official Site

Computer Chess Official Site

"Young Intellectuals Making Movies"
essay on Andrew Bujalski and

Noah Baumbach Noah Baumbach (born September 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker. He is known for making light comedies set in New York City and his works are inspired by filmmakers such as Woody Allen and Whit Stillman. His frequent collaborators include Wes A ...

in ''

Dissent Dissent is an opinion, philosophy or sentiment of non-agreement or opposition to a prevailing idea or policy enforced under the authority of a government, political party or other entity or individual. A dissenting person may be referred to as ...

,'' Summer 2006.
Video Interview Berlinale 2009
Cargo Film Magazine
Don't Say "Mumblecore" to Bujalski, article and video, Sept 17, 2009

Andrew Bujalski performs and is interviewed on Radio Happy Hour

A conversation with Andrew Bujalski
on '' The Marketplace of Ideas''
In Conversation: Straight Talk: Andrew Bujalski, In Conversation with Paul Felten, ''The Brooklyn Rail''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bujalski, Andrew Living people 1977 births American male screenwriters Film directors from Massachusetts Film directors from Texas Harvard University alumni Male actors from Austin, Texas Writers from Boston Writers from Austin, Texas Alfred P. Sloan Prize winners