Jeff Nichols
| Jeff Nichols | |
|---|---|
 Nichols at the 2008 San Francisco Indyfest | |
| Born |
December 7, 1978 Little Rock, Arkansas, USA |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | 2006–present |
Jeff Nichols (born December 7, 1978) is an American film director and screenwriter from Little Rock, Arkansas. He studied filmmaking at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Nichols has directed Shotgun Stories (2007), Take Shelter (2011), Mud (2012) and Midnight Special (2016). Most recently, he directed the drama Loving, a film about the landmark U.S. civil rights court case Loving v. Virginia, which was released on November 4, 2016.
In his review of Midnight Special, Rolling Stone critic Peter Travers said "the Arkansas-born Nichols, 37, already ranks with the best American directors of his generation".[1]
Career
2007's Shotgun Stories, Nichols' debut feature film starring Michael Shannon, was shot on a budget of only $250,000. Nichols moved into larger independent productions with 2011's Take Shelter, also starring Shannon, and 2012's Mud, starring Matthew McConaughey, which competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. In 2012, he became the President of the Jury of the 7th Rome Film Festival.
His 2016 sci-fi drama film Midnight Special competed for the Golden Bear at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival.[2][3]
Style and influences
Nichols notes Mark Twain's influence on him.[4]
Personal life
Nichols was born in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is the brother of Lucero guitarist and singer Ben Nichols.[5]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Credited as | Notes | Rotten Tomatoes | Average Rating | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | Producer | |||||
| 2007 | Shotgun Stories | Yes | Yes | Yes | 91% | 7.2/10 | |
| 2011 | Take Shelter | Yes | Yes | 92% | 8.1/10 | ||
| 2012 | Mud | Yes | Yes | 98% | 8.0/10 | ||
| 2016 | Midnight Special | Yes | Yes | 84% | 7.3/10 | ||
| 2016 | Loving | Yes | Yes | 90% | 7.6/10 | ||
| 2016 | In the Radiant City | Yes | |||||
References
- ↑ http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/reviews/midnight-special-20160316
- ↑ "2012 Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ↑ "Cannes Film Festival 2012 line-up announced". Time Out. Retrieved April 19, 2012.
- ↑ Leffler, Rebecca (May 26, 2012). "Cannes 2012: Jeff Nichols' 'Mud' Slides into Competition with Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Coyle, Jake (April 17, 2013). "With Twain in mind, director Jeff Nichols plumbs the depths of love in 'Mud'". The Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved May 31, 2013.