David Russo is an American filmmaker and animator recognized for his work in independent cinema and known for his work combining live-action and

stop-motion animation Stop-motion (also known as stop frame animation) is an animated filmmaking and special effects technique in which objects are physically manipulated in small increments between individually photographed frames so that they will appear to exh ...

, as well as his

surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...

style. His feature film ''

The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle ''The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle'' is a 2009 American dark comedy written and directed by David Russo (filmmaker), David Russo. It stars Marshall Allman as Dory, an unusually religious young man who, after losing his job as an IT manage ...

'' (2009) premiered at the

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 ...

. Russo has also received a Genius Award from '' The Stranger'' and the

Betty Bowen Betty Bowen (born Betty Cornelius) (1918–1977), was an American journalist and art promoter. She was born in Kent, Washington, and earned an English degree from the University of Washington. She worked briefly as a reporter for ''The Seattle Time ...

Memorial Award in Visual Arts.

Career

Short films and animation

David Russo began his film career creating experimental short films that integrated animation with live-action. His works, including ''Populi'' (2002) and ''Pan With Us'' (2003), were presented at film festivals such as the

Chicago International Film Festival The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964 by Michael Kutza, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America. Its logo is a stark, black and white close up of the comp ...

, and the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. ''Pan With Us'' was awarded the Jury Award for Best Animated Short at

Sundance A Sun Dance is a Native American ceremony. Sun dance or Sundance may also refer to: Places ;Canada * Sundance, Calgary, Alberta, a neighbourhood * Sundance, Manitoba, a ghost town ;United States * Sundance, New Mexico, a census-designated pl ...

, as well as the Golden Gate Award for best animated short at the

San Francisco International Film Festival The San Francisco International Film Festival (abbreviated as SFIFF), organized by SFFILM, is held each spring for two weeks, presenting around 200 films from over 50 countries. The festival highlights current trends in international film and vid ...

. Russo's short film ''I Am (Not) Van Gogh'' premiered at the 2005

Bumbershoot Bumbershoot is an annual international music and arts festival held in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington. One of North America's largest such festivals, it takes place every Labor Day (United States), Labor Day weekend (leading up to and ...

festival. The short was broadcast on Canal Plus in Europe, released theatrically in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, and won the Grand Prix at the 25 FPS Festival in

Zagreb, Croatia Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

as well as other festivals including the Black Maria Film Festival and Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival. ''

Filmmaker Magazine ''Filmmaker'' is a quarterly publication magazine covering issues relating to independent film. The magazine was founded in 1992 by Karol Martesko-Fenster, Scott Macaulay and Holly Willis. The magazine is now published by the IFP (Independent Fil ...

'' has compared his approach to animation to that of

Michel Gondry Michel Gondry (; born 8 May 1963) is a French filmmaker and producer noted for his inventive visual style and distinctive manipulation of mise en scène. Along with Charlie Kaufman, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay as one o ...

and

Jan Švankmajer Jan Švankmajer (born 4 September 1934) is a Czech retired film director, animator, writer, playwright and artist. He draws and makes free graphics, collage, ceramics, tactile objects and asse ...

''The Immaculate Conception of Little Dizzle''

In 2009 Russo directed ''

'', his first feature-length film, premiering at the

. Russo was awarded the jury prize for Best Director at the

Fantasia Film Festival Fantasia International Film Festival, also known as Fantasia Fest or simply Fantasia, is a genre film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. It focuses on fantasy, horror, sci-fi and cult genre films. Regular ...

. The

dramedy Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...

portrays janitors and examines issues such as consumer behavior and corporate ethics. The story grew from Russo's own experiences as a janitor. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' described the film as “an imaginative and quirky exploration of the bizarre," while '' Now Magazine'' noted its “undeniable originality.”

Selective Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Russo, David Living people Filmmakers from Washington (state) Year of birth missing (living people) Animators from Washington (state)