Anna Biller is an American filmmaker who wrote and directed the feature films ''Viva'' (2007) and '' The Love Witch'' (2016). Biller considers herself a feminist filmmaker and consciously explores feminist themes throughout her work, including exploring the female gaze in cinema. She is vocal on both her website and in interviews about gender inequalities in the film industry.

Early life

Biller was born in Los Angeles to a Japanese-American mother who is a fashion designer and a Caucasian father who is a visual artist. She grew up watching her mother design clothes, watching her father paint with a bright color palette, and watching classic cinema, all of which has had a big influence on her filmmaking practice. She has a B.A. in art from

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...

and an MFA in art and film from the

California Institute of the Arts The California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) is a Private university, private art school in Santa Clarita, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the US created specifically for ...

. During her time at CalArts, she studied both art and film and began making 16 mm films, and was mentored by Morgan Fisher and Paul McCarthy. She started making 8 mm films while she was living in New York.

Career

At the beginning of her career, Biller was known for her short films and staged musicals, which played with old Hollywood genres and tropes from the 1930s to the 1950s. She made her first short film, ''Three Examples of Myself as Queen'', while studying at CalArts. In the film, Biller plays Pointsettia, a teenager who turns into a princess and has the power to transform men into dogs. The film screened at small venues and film festivals. Lane Relyea of '' Artforum International'' wrote "the film's humor and graceful perplexity may not have caused any sudden shifts in the local fault lines but did crack a glorious smile on this audience member's face." John Hartl of ''

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is an American daily newspaper based in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1891, ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest region. The Seattle Time ...

'' called it a "bizarre, Warholian musical fantasy." In 2001, she directed two short films: ''The Hypnotist'', a melodrama written by her frequent collaborator Jared Sanford, and ''A Visit from the Incubus'', a Western horror musical. ''A Visit from the Incubus'' tells the story of a woman who is raped by an incubus, and decides to get back at him by challenging him to a singing competition. Robert Nott of '' The Santa Fe New Mexican'' called it a "must-see". Her 2007 debut feature film, '' Viva'', tells the story of a bored housewife who goes out in search of sexual adventure in the 1970s. '' Viva'' offers a satirical perspective on the adult film industry, exploring women's agency and empowerment within this context. Biller's approach combines elements of satire, horror, and genre filmmaking, blending camp with feminist critique to create visually captivating and thematically rich narratives. It premiered at the

International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...

, and won the Best of Fest Award at the Boston Underground Film Festival. The film was also entered into the main competition at the 29th Moscow International Film Festival. ''

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing valid conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, religion, scien ...

'' magazine called ''Viva'' an "uncannily precise rendition of the look, sound, mood, and arch dialogue" of seventies sexploitation films, with "high-key, pseudo- Technicolor lighting and spare, colorful set design." ''Viva'' had a very limited theatrical release. Biller's second feature film, '' The Love Witch,'' premiered in 2016 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film is a twist on classic serial killer films, featuring a woman who kills through calculated sexuality and " love magic," causing her male victims to fall too much in love. In '' The Love Witch'', Samantha Robinson portrays the protagonist, Elaine, whose quest for love serves as a critique of patriarchal ideals and the objectification of women. Biller describes the film as addressing "how being a woman in our society can drive you crazy." It evokes the sexploitation of women in Hammer horror films, and was shot entirely on film in order to recreate the old Hollywood style. The film took Biller seven years to complete because of her attention to detail in directing, writing, costume and set design, and work with her cinematographer. Richard Brody of ''

The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...

'' said of ''The Love Witch'', "Biller puts genre to the test of do-it-yourself artistry, and puts feminist ideology itself to the test of style. The film pulsates with furious creative energy throughout, sparking excitement and giddy amazement that it even exists." In May 2016, ''The Love Witch'' was acquired for distribution by Oscilloscope Laboratories. ''The Love Witch'' was included in many lists for the best films of 2016, including those of ''The New Yorker'' and IndieWire. It won in a tie for the Trailblazer Award and Best Costume Design at the Chicago Indie Critics Awards, and also won the Michael Cimino Best Film Award at the American Independent Film Awards. In 2019, she became a member of the

Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS, often pronounced ; also known as simply the Academy or the Motion Picture Academy) is a professional honorary organization in Beverly Hills, California, U.S., with the stated goal of adva ...

. Biller said in 2017 that her next film will be a Bluebeard story. She stated that "I want to make this film because I have a yearning to see more quality films for women, like the ones that were made in Hollywood’s golden age." On December 5, 2021, Biller announced she had completed her first novel, ''Bluebeard's Castle''. The book was published in October 2023 by Verso Books. ''Bluebeard's Castle'' was listed as one of the best fiction books of 2023 by '' The Telegraph'', who said it was, "A stylised retelling of the old fable that mixes self-reference and gaudy excess...the sex, death and pricy cognac are of a wildly enjoyable piece." '' The Times Literary Supplement'' also praised it, calling it "Both a fantasy and a nightmare, with the film-maker Biller employing the same sense of celluloid artifice and lusciously heightened reality that characterized her retro horror masterpiece '' The Love Witch''." In July 2022, Biller announced her next film, the horror film ''The Face of Horror''.

Personal life

Biller lives in Los Angeles with her partner, author Robert Greene.

Filmography

Biller served as director, producer, writer, editor, production designer, and costume designer on all films listed.

Awards

Awards that Biller has won throughout the years.

References

External links

*
Biller's blog
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biller, Anna 21st-century American women American film directors of Japanese descent American film editors American women film directors American women film editors American women screenwriters Feminist artists Feminist musicians Film directors from Los Angeles American horror film directors Living people Screenwriters from California Year of birth missing (living people)