Gregg Araki (born December 17, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He is noted for his involvement with the

New Queer Cinema "New queer cinema" is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in '' Sight & Sound'' magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s. It is also referred to as the "queer new ...

movement. His ''Teenage Apocalypse'' film trilogy, consisting of ''

Totally F***ed Up ''Totally F***ed Up'' (also known as ''Totally Fucked Up'') is a 1993 American drama film written and directed by Gregg Araki. The first installment of Araki's ''Teenage Apocalypse'' film trilogy, it is considered a seminal entry in the New Queer ...

''(1993), ''

The Doom Generation ''The Doom Generation'' is a 1995 independent film, independent black comedy thriller (genre), thriller film co-produced, co-edited, written and directed by Gregg Araki, and starring Rose McGowan, James Duval and Jonathan Schaech. The plot follow ...

''(1995) and ''

Nowhere Nowhere may refer to: Music * ''Nowhere'' (album), an album by Ride * '' Nowhere: Music from the Gregg Araki Movie'', a soundtrack album from the 1997 film (see below) * "Nowhere" (song), a song by Therapy? * "Nowhere", a song by 112 from '' ...

'' (1997), has been heralded as a cult classic. His film '' Kaboom'' (2010) was the inaugural winner of the

Queer Palm The Queer Palm is an independently sponsored prize for selected LGBT-relevant films entered into the Cannes Film Festival. The award was founded in 2010 by journalist Franck Finance-Madureira. It is sponsored by Olivier Ducastel and Jacques Mart ...

at the

Cannes Film Festival The Cannes Film Festival (; ), until 2003 called the International Film Festival ('), is the most prestigious film festival in the world. Held in Cannes, France, it previews new films of all genres, including documentaries, from all around ...

Early life and education

Araki was born in Los Angeles on December 17, 1959, to

Japanese American are Americans of Japanese ancestry. Japanese Americans were among the three largest Asian Americans, Asian American ethnic communities during the 20th century; but, according to the 2000 United States census, 2000 census, they have declined in ...

parents. He grew up in nearby

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

, and enrolled in college at the

University of California, Santa Barbara The University of California, Santa Barbara (UC Santa Barbara or UCSB) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Tracing its roots back to 1891 as an ...

. He graduated with a B.A. from UCSB in 1982. He later attended the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

School of Cinematic Arts The USC School of Cinematic Arts is an academic unit of the University of Southern California, in Los Angeles. With a history that dates to the first years of talkies, the school descends from America's first program to confer a college degree in ...

, where he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts in 1985.

Career

Low-budget beginnings

Araki made his directorial debut in 1987 with '' Three Bewildered People in the Night''. With a budget of only $5,000 and using a stationary camera, he told the story of a romance between a video artist, her sweetheart, and her gay friend. Two years later, Araki followed up with '' The Long Weekend (O' Despair)'', another film with a $5,000 budget. His third film, ''

The Living End The Living End is an Australian punk rock band from Melbourne, formed in 1994. Since 2002, the line-up consists of Chris Cheney (vocals, guitar), Scott Owen (double bass, vocals), and Andy Strachan (drums). The band rose to fame in 1997 after ...

'' (1992), saw an increase to $25,000. Director

Jon Jost Jon Stephen Jost (born 16 May 1943) is an American independent filmmaker from Chicago. Born in Chicago to a military family, Jost grew up in Georgia, Kansas, Japan, Italy, Germany and Virginia. He began making films in January 1963 after being e ...

lent him camera equipment and provided spare film stock. He often had to shoot his early movies spontaneously and without proper permits. Despite the financial constraints, Araki's films received critical acclaim. He received awards from the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno International Film Festival is a major international film festival, held annually in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narr ...

and the

Los Angeles Film Critics Association The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) is an American film critic organization founded in 1975. Background Its membership comprises film critics from Los Angeles–based print and electronic media. In December of each year, the organi ...

, with an additional nomination for a

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 ...

award.

''Teenage Apocalypse'' trilogy

Araki's next three movies—''

''(1993), ''

'' (1995), and ''

'' (1997)—were collectively dubbed the ''Teenage Apocalypse'' trilogy. The trio has been characterized as "... teen alienation, hazy sexuality and aggression." A former student of his at UC Santa Barbara, Andrea Sperling, co-produced the films with him. The trilogy saw Araki work increasingly with more notable actors and actresses including

Rose McGowan Rósa Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is an American actress and activist. After her film debut in a brief role in the comedy ''Encino Man'' (1992), she achieved recognition for her performance in the dark comedy ''The Doom Generation' ...

Margaret Cho Margaret Moran Cho (born December 5, 1968) is an American stand-up comedian, actress and musician. In her Stand-up comedy, stand-up routines she critiques social and political problems, especially about race and sexuality. She starred in the Ame ...

Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress. Known for playing eccentric characters in independent films, she was named "Queen of the Indies" by ''Time'' in 1997. She has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...

, Guillermo Díaz,

Ryan Phillippe Matthew Ryan Phillippe ( ; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas (One Life to Live), Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''One Life to Live'' (1992–1993) and making his feature film debut in ''Crimson Tide ...

Heather Graham Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award. After appearing in tel ...

, and

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. The accolades she has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, along with nominations for a Primetime ...

among others. The trilogy received varying degrees of reviews, from a thumbs down and "zero stars" by

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...

to "Literally the Best Thing Ever" by ''

Rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

'', and was eventually heralded as cult classics. Gregg Araki

Subsequent efforts

Araki's following film, '' Splendor'' (1999), was both an homage to

screwball comedies Screwball comedy is a film subgenre of the romantic comedy genre that became popular during the Great Depression, beginning in the early 1930s and thriving until the early 1950s, that satirizes the traditional love story. It has secondary charact ...

of the 1940s and 1950s and a response to the controversy surrounding his ongoing relationship (despite Araki self-identifying as gay) with actress

Kathleen Robertson Kathleen Robertson (born July 8, 1973) is a Canadian actress. She has starred in a number of films, and from 2011 to 2012 played the role of Kitty O'Neill in the Starz (TV channel), Starz political drama series ''Boss (TV series), Boss''. From ...

. Hailed as the director's most optimistic film to date, it made its premiere at the 1999

. Araki's next project was the ill-fated

MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...

production ''This Is How the World Ends'', originally planned with a budget of $1.5 million. He viewed it as a chance to reach the masses through MTV's viewership and signed on to do the project despite the budget being cut to $700,000. Araki wrote, directed, and shot the pilot episode, but ultimately MTV decided against the project and the effort never aired. Following a short hiatus, Araki returned in 2004 with the critically acclaimed ''

Mysterious Skin ''Mysterious Skin'' is a 2004 coming-of-age drama film written, produced, and directed by Gregg Araki, adapted from Scott Heim's 1995 novel of the same name. The film tells the story of two pre-adolescent boys who both experienced sexual abuse ...

'', based on the 1995

Scott Heim Scott Heim (born September 26, 1966) is an American novelist from Hutchinson, Kansas, currently living in Massachusetts. Heim's first novel, ''Mysterious Skin'', was published in 1995. Biography Scott Heim was born in Hutchinson, Kansas, in 19 ...

novel of the same name. This marked Araki's first work with someone else's source material. Araki's next feature was the stoner comedy ''

Smiley Face A smiley, sometimes called a smiley face, is a basic ideogram representing a smiling face. Since the 1950s, it has become part of popular culture worldwide, used either as a standalone ideogram or as a form of communication, such as emoticon ...

'' (2007), featuring

Anna Faris Anna Kay Faris ( ; born November 29, 1976) is an American actress. Known for playing comedic roles, she rose to prominence with the lead part of Cindy Campbell in the Scary Movie (film series), ''Scary Movie'' films (2000–2006). Her film credi ...

Adam Brody Adam Jared Brody (born December 15, 1979) is an American actor. His breakout role was as Seth Cohen on the Fox television series '' The O.C.'' (2003–2007). For his performance as Noah in the Netflix romantic comedy series '' Nobody Wants T ...

, and

John Krasinski John Burke Krasinski (; born October 20, 1979) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his role as Jim Halpert on the NBC sitcom ''The Office'' (2005–2013), where he was also a producer and occasional director. He directed, co-w ...

, written by Dylan Haggerty. It marked a stark change from the dark, heavy drama of ''Mysterious Skin'', a change purposely planned by Araki. It received very favorable reviews, with some describing it as another of Araki's potential cult classics. '' Kaboom'' marked Araki's tenth film and made its premiere at the

2010 Cannes Film Festival The 63rd Cannes Film Festival took place from 12 to 23 May 2010. American filmmaker Tim Burton served as jury president for the main competition. Thai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the dram ...

. It was awarded the first ever

for its contribution to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender issues. Araki followed that film with ''

White Bird in a Blizzard ''White Bird in a Blizzard'' is a 2014 art drama thriller film co-produced, written, directed and edited by Gregg Araki and starring Shailene Woodley, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni, and Angela Bassett. Based on the novel of the same name by Laur ...

'' (2014), which was given limited release to mixed reviews. Araki returned to television with the 2019 series ''

Now Apocalypse ''Now Apocalypse'' is an American comedy television series that aired for one season of ten episodes from March 10 to May 12, 2019, on Starz. The series was written by Gregg Araki and Karley Sciortino. Araki also was director and executive produ ...

'', co-executive produced by

Gregory Jacobs Gregory Jacobs (born August 14, 1968) is an American film director, assistant director, producer, and screenwriter. He has frequently collaborated with several film directors, most notably Steven Soderbergh, as well as directing himself, having ...

and

Steven Soderbergh Steven Andrew Soderbergh ( ; born January 14, 1963) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, cinematographer, and editor. A pioneer of modern Independent film, independent cinema, Soderbergh later drew acclaim for formally inventiv ...

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

. Araki's next film, the comedy/thriller ''

I Want Your Sex "I Want Your Sex" is a song by English singer and songwriter George Michael. Released as a single on 18 May 1987 in the United States and on 1 June in the United Kingdom, it was the third hit from the soundtrack to ''Beverly Hills Cop II'' and t ...

'', will star

Olivia Wilde Olivia Wilde (born Olivia Jane Cockburn, , March 10, 1984) is an American actress and director. She played Thirteen (House), Remy "Thirteen" Hadley on the medical-drama television series ''House (TV series), House'' (2007–2012), and appeared ...

, Cooper Hoffman, and

Charli XCX Charlotte Emma Aitchison (born 2 August 1992), known professionally as Charli XCX, is a British singer and songwriter. She began posting songs on Myspace in 2008 before entering the London rave scene. Signing a recording contract with Asylum Re ...

. The screenplay was written by Araki and

Karley Sciortino Karley Sciortino is an American writer, television host, and producer. She is the founder of ''Slutever'', a website that focuses on sex and sexuality, and executive producer and host of the ''Viceland'' documentary series of the same name. She ...

. It's expected to premiere at the

2025 Cannes Film Festival The 78th annual Cannes Film Festival took place from 13 to 24 May 2025. French actress Juliette Binoche served as jury president for the main competition. Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi won the Palme d'Or, the festival's top prize, for the drama ...

Style

One notable feature of Araki's work is the frequent presence of

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with dream pop) is a subgenre of indie rock, indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion (music), distortion and effects, a ...

music. This was first seen in the soundtrack of ''Totally Fucked Up'', and was also substantially featured in the films ''Nowhere'' and ''Mysterious Skin''. Both ''The Living End'' and ''Nowhere'' owe their titles to this shoegaze influence: ''The Living End'' after

The Jesus and Mary Chain The Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid, who are the two founders and only consistent members of the ...

song of the same name, and ''Nowhere'' after

Ride Ride may refer to: People * MC Ride, a member of Death Grips * Sally Ride (1951–2012), American astronaut * William Ride (19262011), Australian zoologist Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Ride'' (1998 film), a comedy film by Millicen ...

's album ''

''.

Awards and honors

In 2010, '' Kaboom'' was named the first-ever winner of the

. Araki has also been honored with the 2006 Filmmaker on the Edge Award at the

Provincetown International Film Festival The Provincetown International Film Festival (PIFF) is an annual film festival founded in 1999 and held on Cape Cod in Provincetown, Massachusetts. The festival presents American and international narrative features, documentaries and short film ...

. In 2013, Araki was recognized by the Museum of Arts and Design in New York City with the retrospective ''God Help Me: Gregg Araki''.

Personal life

Araki has previously self-identified as "a gay Asian American". However, he had a relationship with actress

from 1997 to 1999. In a 2014 interview, at which time he was in a relationship with a male partner, Araki said: "I don't really identify as anything", adding "I'd probably identify as gay at this point, but I have been with women."

Filmography

Film

Television

References

External links

*
Young, Beautiful, and F***ed: A conversation with Gregg Araki and other members of The Doom Generation
in

Bright Lights Film Journal ''Bright Lights Film Journal'' is an online popular-academic film magazine, based in Oakland, California, United States. It is edited and published by Gary Morris. Originally a print publication established in 1974, it was discontinued in 1980 t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Araki, Gregg 1959 births 20th-century American LGBTQ people 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American LGBTQ people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters American cinematographers American film directors of Japanese descent American film editors American LGBTQ film directors American LGBTQ people of Asian descent American LGBTQ screenwriters American male screenwriters American male television writers American television directors American writers of Japanese descent Film directors from Los Angeles Film producers from California LGBTQ people from California LGBTQ television directors Living people Television producers from California Television writers from California University of California, Santa Barbara alumni USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni