Wayne Kramer (born 26 May 1965) is a

filmmaker Filmmaking (film production) is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, starting with an initial story, idea, or commission. It then continues through screenwriting, castin ...

and

storyboard artist A storyboard artist (sometimes called a story artist or visualizer) creates storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions. Work A storyboard artist visualizes stories and sketches frames of the story. Quick pencil drawings and mark ...

. Kramer has written and directed films such as the 2003 film ''

The Cooler ''The Cooler'' is a 2003 American crime drama film directed by Wayne Kramer, from a screenplay by Frank Hannah and Kramer. The film stars William H. Macy, Maria Bello, Shawn Hatosy, Ron Livingston, Estella Warren, Paul Sorvino, and Alec Baldw ...

'', which garnered an Oscar nomination for its star

Alec Baldwin Alexander Rae Baldwin III (born April 3, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, and producer. In his early career, Baldwin played both leading and supporting roles in a variety of films such as Tim Burton's '' Beetlejuice'' (1988), Mike Nic ...

, as well as two Golden Globe nominations for Baldwin and Maria Bello. He also adapted his 1995 short film "Crossing Over" into a feature-length version which starred

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. His films have grossed more than $5.4billion in North America and more than $9.3billion worldwide, making him the seventh-highest-grossing actor in North America. He is the recipient o ...

Ray Liotta Raymond Allen Liotta (; December 18, 1954 – May 26, 2022) was an American actor. He was best known for his roles as Shoeless Joe Jackson in ''Field of Dreams'' (1989) and Henry Hill in Martin Scorsese's ''Goodfellas'' (1990). He was a Primet ...

Ashley Judd Ashley Judd (born Ashley Tyler Ciminella; April 19, 1968) is an American actress. She grew up in a family of performing artists: she is the daughter of the late country music singer Naomi Judd and the half-sister of country music singer Wynonna ...

and

Jim Sturgess James Anthony Sturgess''Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.''; at ancestry.com (born 16 May 1978) is an English actor and singer-songwriter. His first major role was as Jude in the musical romance drama film ''Acro ...

, and was released by the

Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America prior ...

in 2009. He also wrote the screenplay for the film ''

Mindhunters ''Mindhunters'' is a 2004 crime slasher film directed by Renny Harlin and starring Kathryn Morris, LL Cool J, Jonny Lee Miller, Patricia Velásquez, Clifton Collins Jr., Christian Slater, and Val Kilmer. It was written by Wayne Kramer and Kev ...

'', but the final script was heavily rewritten by others and bore little resemblance to Kramer's original work.

Career

Kramer first began directing with the 1992 film ''Blazeland'', which was never completed. Kramer has since commented that the process was "an absolute nightmare from beginning to end" and that he has no plans to finish or release the film. His first official release, ''

'', was selected for competition in the 2003

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,6 ...

. Later the same year ''The Cooler'' received a 2003 Special Mention for Excellence in Filmmaking from the

National Board of Review The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

. A year later, he was nominated for a

Golden Satellite Award The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...

and an

Edgar Allan Poe Award The Edgar Allan Poe Awards, popularly called the Edgars, are presented every year by the Mystery Writers of America, based in New York City. Named after American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849), a pioneer in the genre, the awards honor the bes ...

for writing the film's screenplay. In 2006, Kramer directed the action thriller '' Running Scared'' for

Media 8 Entertainment Bloom (formerly MDP Worldwide, Behaviour Worldwide and Media 8 Entertainment) was an American independent film entertainment company engaged in financing, development, production and worldwide distribution of theatrical feature films in various ...

. The film starred

Paul Walker Paul William Walker IV (September 12, 1973 – November 30, 2013) was an American actor. He was known for his role as Brian O'Conner in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise. Walker began his career as a child actor in the 1980s, gaining recogniti ...

and Cameron Bright. Although ''Running Scared'' did not fare well at the box office, it has gone on to become a hugely profitable DVD title for Media 8. In 2006, Kramer was one of several filmmakers interviewed for the

Kirby Dick Kirby Bryan Dick (born August 23, 1952) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor best known for directing documentary films. He received Academy Award nominations for Best Documentary Feature for directing ''Twist of Fait ...

documentary '' This Film Is Not Yet Rated'', in which he discusses the apparent absurdity of the fact ''The Cooler'' was given an NC-17 certificate by the

MPAA The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distrib ...

simply due to a few seconds long shot of its lead actress' pubic hair. Kramer directed ''

Pawn Shop Chronicles ''Pawn Shop Chronicles'', also known as ''Hustlers'', is a 2013 American crime comedy film directed by Wayne Kramer and written by Adam Minarovich. The film stars an ensemble cast, led by Paul Walker, Matt Dillon, Brendan Fraser, Vincent D'Onofri ...

'', which was released on 12 July 2013. The film starred

Vincent D'Onofrio Vincent Philip D'Onofrio (; born June 30, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his supporting and leading roles in both film and television. He has been nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. His roles include Private Leonar ...

Chi McBride Kenneth "Chi" McBride ( ; born September 23, 1961) is an American actor. He has appeared in films, where he is known primarily as a character actor, and in television, where he has had numerous starring roles. In film, he has played prominent ro ...

, Kevin Rankin,

Matt Dillon Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination. Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...

Elijah Wood Elijah Jordan Wood (born January 28, 1981) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of Frodo Baggins in the ''Lord of the Rings'' film trilogy (2001–2003) and '' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey'' (2012). Woo ...

, and

Brendan Fraser Brendan James Fraser ( ; born December 3, 1968) is an American-Canadian actor known for his leading roles in blockbusters, comedies, and dramatic films. Having graduated from the Cornish College of the Arts in 1990, he made his film debut in '' ...

Filmography

*''Blazeland'' (1992) *''

'' (2003) *''

'' (2004) - story and screenplay *'' Running Scared'' (2006) *'' This Film Is Not Yet Rated'' (2006) - Actor *'' Crossing Over'' (2009) *''

'' (2013) *''Caught Stealing'' (TBA) *''Ecstasia'' (TBA) *''Blue Before Blood'' (TBA)

Film

Recurring contributors

References

External links

* * * 1965 births Living people South African screenwriters South African film directors American film directors {{SouthAfrica-film-director-stub