Darius Marder is an American film director, screenwriter, and editor from

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. He is known for directing and co-writing ''

Sound of Metal ''Sound of Metal'' is a 2019 American drama film directed and co-written by Darius Marder. It stars Riz Ahmed as a metal drummer who loses his hearing, and also features Olivia Cooke, Paul Raci, Lauren Ridloff, and Mathieu Amalric. ''Soun ...

'', for which he was nominated for

Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

. The film received a total of six nominations at the

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

, including

Best Picture The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

, winning Best Editing and Best Sound. Marder also edited the Academy Award-winning documentary '' Freeheld'' (2007).

Early life

Marder grew up in

Conway, Massachusetts Conway is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,761 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. History English colonists first settled Conway in 1 ...

with his parents and four siblings. His parents, Lauri and Efrem Marder, both artists from

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, lived according to the teachings of the Russian philosopher and mystic

George Gurdjieff George Ivanovich Gurdjieff ( – 29 October 1949) was a philosopher, mystic, spiritual teacher, composer, and movements teacher. Born in the Russian Empire, he briefly became a citizen of the First Republic of Armenia after its formation in 1 ...

. The family lived there with about 35 other followers, which Marder has described as a "beautiful experience." Marder performed poorly in high school, and did not attend college. At 18, he began teaching literature to middle school students. He later started a sushi catering business in

Vermont Vermont () is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, New York (state), New York to the west, and the Provinces and territories of Ca ...

. Marder's great-grandfather was raised in an orthodox Jewish community in

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

. Marder was particularly close to his paternal grandmother, , who was a gay activist. After taking an antibiotic for a bout of

pancreatitis Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormone A hormone (from the Ancient Greek, Greek participle , "se ...

, Dorothy became profoundly deaf. Her sudden deafness had a significant impact on Darius.

Career

Once Marder had started his own family, he moved with his then wife and two children to New York, where their youngest child was born shortly afterwards. He worked as a chef and food stylist, while also writing, producing, and filming various projects. Marder met producer Dan Campbell, who told him about the life story of treasure hunter Lance Larson. Marder decided to make a film about the man. He made his directorial debut with the documentary ''Loot'', which premiered at the 2008

Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episodi ...

where it won the Best Documentary Feature award. The documentary focuses on Larson as he travels with two

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

veterans, Andrew Seventy and Darrel Ross, in search of the stolen materials in Europe that they buried after the war. Marder co-wrote ''

The Place Beyond the Pines ''The Place Beyond the Pines'' is a 2012 American Epic film, epic Crime film, crime drama film directed by Derek Cianfrance with a screenplay by Cianfrance, Ben Coccio and Darius Marder from a story by Cianfrance and Coccio. The film tells thre ...

'' (2012) with his friend

Derek Cianfrance Derek M. Cianfrance (; born January 23, 1974) is an American film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for writing and directing the films ''Blue Valentine (film), Blue Valentine'' (2010), ''The Place Beyond the P ...

and Ben Coccio. Cianfrance had previously been working on the hybrid documentary film ''Metalhead'', which centered on a metal drummer whose eardrums are ruptured and then becomes deaf. The film featured the members of the band Jucifer portraying themselves. However, the project was later scrapped and abandoned, until Marder took it up, resulting in the

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying character (arts), individuals, events, or setting (narrative), places that are imagination, imaginary or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent ...

alized and distinct

narrative film Narrative film, fictional film or fiction film is a motion picture that tells a fictional or fictionalized story, event or narrative. Commercial narrative films with running times of over an hour are often referred to as feature films, or featur ...

''. Starring

Riz Ahmed Rizwan Ahmed (; born ) is a British actor and rapper. He has received several awards, including an Academy Award and a Primetime Emmy Award with nominations for two Golden Globe Awards and two British Academy Film Awards. In 2017, he was name ...

, the film premiered at the

2019 Toronto International Film Festival The 44th annual Toronto International Film Festival was held from 5 to 15 September 2019. The opening gala was the documentary film '' Once Were Brothers: Robbie Robertson and The Band'', directed by Daniel Roher, and the festival closed with a ...

and was released by

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

in 2020. The film was shot in 2018 in Marder's native Massachusetts, primarily in

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

, but also in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, Lynn,

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, Danvers,

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...

, Lawrence, Malden,

Rowley Rowley may refer to: Places Canada * Rowley, Alberta, a hamlet * Rowley Island, Nunavut United Kingdom * Rowley, County Durham, a hamlet - see Rowley railway station (England) * Rowley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, a village and civil par ...

, and Topsfield. Marder, his brother Abraham Marder, and Cianfrance received an

Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay is the Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) for the best screenplay not based upon previously published material. It was created in 1940 as a separate writing award from the Academy Award for Best ...

nomination for the film. The film received a total of six nominations at the

, including

, Best Actor (Ahmed) and Best Supporting Actor ( Paul Raci), Best Sound, and Best Film Editing. The film won two Oscars for Best Editing and Best Sound. Marder is currently co-writing the script for Cianfrance's upcoming film ''Empire of the Summer Moon'', an adaptation of S. C. Gwynne's nonfiction book ''Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Tribe in American History'' (2010).

Personal life

Marder moved back to Massachusetts after living in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

for 25 years. He now lives in Ashfield. In 2014, Marder appeared on the hidden camera show ''

Impractical Jokers ''Impractical Jokers'' is an American hidden camera comedy and reality show with improvisational elements. Produced by NorthSouth Productions, ''Impractical Jokers'' premiered on truTV on December 15, 2011, starring the members of The Tenderlo ...

'' as an unwitting passer-by to James Murray and Sal Vulcano's challenge; a discussion about whose story of losing their virginity was more embarrassing.

Filmography

As editor

Select awards

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

: Nomination for the

(''Sound of Metal'')

Chicago Film Critics Association The Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA) is an association of professional film criticism, film critics, who work in print, broadcast and online media, based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. The organization was founded in 1990 by film cri ...

Awards *

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

: Nomination for the ''Milos Stehlik Award for Promising Filmmaker'' (''Sound of Metal'')

Critics' Choice Movie Awards The Critics' Choice Awards (formerly known as the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award) is an awards show presented annually by the American Critics Choice Association (CCA) to honor the finest in cinematic achievement. Written ballots are ...

: Nomination for '' Best Screenplay'' (''Sound of Metal'')

Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to Cinema of the United States, American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then ...

: Competition selection (''Sound of Metal'')

Directors Guild of America Award The Directors Guild of America Awards are issued annually by the Directors Guild of America. The first DGA Award was an "Honorary Life Member" award issued in 1938 to D. W. Griffith. The statues are made by New York firm, Society Awards. Cate ...

: Winner of Outstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film (''Sound of Metal'') Hollywood Critics Association Awards *

: Winner of Best Male Director (''Sound of Metal'') *

: Nomination for Best First Feature (''Sound of Metal'') *

: Nomination for Best Original Screenplay (''Sound of Metal'')

Independent Spirit Awards The Independent Spirit Awards, originally known as the FINDIE or Friends of Independents Awards, and later as the Film Independent Spirit Awards, are awards presented annually in Santa Monica, California, to independent filmmakers. Founded in ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

: Nomination for the Truer Than Fiction Award (''Loot'') *

: Winner of Best First Feature (''Sound of Metal'')

LA Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episodi ...

* 2008: Winner of Best Documentary Feature (''Loot'') PEN Center USA Literary Awards * 2014: Winner of Best Screenplay (''The Place Beyond the Pines'') San Diego Film Critics Society Awards *

: Nomination for Best Director (''Sound of Metal'') *

: Runner-up for Best Original Screenplay (''Sound of Metal'')

Satellite Awards 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 ...

: Nomination for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

(''Sound of Metal'')

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

: Nomination for the

Platform Prize The Platform Prize is an annual film award, presented by the Toronto International Film Festival to films of "high artistic merit that also demonstrate a strong directorial vision."Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Awards * 2021: Nomination for Best Original Screenplay (''Sound of Metal'')

Writers Guild of America Awards The Writers Guild of America Awards is an award for film, television, and radio writing including both fiction and non-fiction categories given by the Writers Guild of America, East and Writers Guild of America West since 1949. Eligibility The ...

* 2021: Nomination for Best Original Screenplay (''Sound of Metal'')

Zurich Film Festival Zurich Film Festival (ZFF) is an annual film festival that has been held in Zürich, Switzerland, since 2005. The festival's main focus is to promote emerging filmmakers from all over the world. In three competition categories only first, secon ...

* 2019: Winner of the Golden Eye for Best International Feature Film (''Sound of Metal'')

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Marder, Darius Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American film editors American male screenwriters Filmmakers from Massachusetts Film directors from Massachusetts People from Conway, Massachusetts Writers from Massachusetts People from Ashfield, Massachusetts American people of Austrian-Jewish descent Directors Guild of America Award winners