Aaron Katz (filmmaker)
Encyclopedia
Aaron Katz is an award-winning independent American
filmmaker from Portland, Oregon
.
in Portland from 1994 to 2000. He experimented with a super 8mm camera, creating a number of short films.
He pursued filmmaking further at the North Carolina School of the Arts
, where he met future collaborators Brendan McFadden, Marc Ripper, Andrew Reed, Chad Hartigan
. He directed a number of short films on both Digital Video and 16mm film.
when his first feature Dance Party USA
, premiered at the 2006 South by Southwest
Film Festival. Katz wrote and directed the film for around $2,000 and shot for two weeks in his hometown of Portland with a small crew of friends. The film went on to play at numerous festivals all over the world and was listed as a top ten film by the New York Sun
.
Katz quickly followed it in 2007
with Quiet City
. Using some of the same crew and a similar budget, he shot the film in eight days in Brooklyn and again premiered the film at South by Southwest. Quiet City features fellow filmmaker Joe Swanberg
in a supporting role and the two were subsequently cited as two of the founders of a new independent film movement called mumblecore
. The film was released in theaters on August 31, 2007 and grossed $15,610 over its modest run.
Katz, as well as Erin Fisher, Cris Lankenau, Brendan McFadden and Ben Stambler were nominated for the John Cassevetes Award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards
, given to the best film produced for under $500,000, for Quiet City.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
filmmaker from Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
.
High school and college
Aaron began his artistic career while attending Pacific Crest Community SchoolPacific Crest Community School
Pacific Crest Community School is a private alternative school in Portland, Oregon, United States.The school has been accredited by the Northwest Association of Accredited Schools since 1995....
in Portland from 1994 to 2000. He experimented with a super 8mm camera, creating a number of short films.
He pursued filmmaking further at the North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
, where he met future collaborators Brendan McFadden, Marc Ripper, Andrew Reed, Chad Hartigan
Chad Hartigan
Chad Hartigan is an Irish, American independent filmmaker and actor. His most notable on-screen appearance is as Sam in the 2006 film Dance Party USA....
. He directed a number of short films on both Digital Video and 16mm film.
Mumblecore
Katz's breakthrough came in 20062006 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2006...
when his first feature Dance Party USA
Dance Party USA (film)
Dance Party USA is a 2006 film written and directed by Aaron Katz. It stars Cole Pensinger and Anna Kavan.The film took nearly two years to complete. Katz explained the reason for such as being due to the film's editor, Zach Clark, living in Virginia while he lived in Brooklyn...
, premiered at the 2006 South by Southwest
South by Southwest
South by Southwest is an Austin, Texas based company dedicated to planning conferences, trade shows, festivals and other events. Their current roster of annual events include: SXSW Music, SXSW Film, SXSW Interactive, SXSWedu, and SXSWeco and take place every spring in Austin, Texas, United States...
Film Festival. Katz wrote and directed the film for around $2,000 and shot for two weeks in his hometown of Portland with a small crew of friends. The film went on to play at numerous festivals all over the world and was listed as a top ten film by the New York Sun
New York Sun
The New York Sun was a weekday daily newspaper published in New York City from 2002 to 2008. When it debuted on April 16, 2002, adopting the name, motto, and masthead of an otherwise unrelated earlier New York paper, The Sun , it became the first general-interest broadsheet newspaper to be started...
.
Katz quickly followed it in 2007
2007 in film
This is a list of major films released in 2007.-Top grossing films:Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top grossing films that were first released in the USA in 2007...
with Quiet City
Quiet City (film)
Quiet City is a 2007 film directed by Aaron Katz.It premiered at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival in the Emerging Visions category...
. Using some of the same crew and a similar budget, he shot the film in eight days in Brooklyn and again premiered the film at South by Southwest. Quiet City features fellow filmmaker Joe Swanberg
Joe Swanberg
Joe Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. He is a member of the "Mumblecore" movement. His films include Kissing on the Mouth , LOL , Hannah Takes the Stairs , Nights and Weekends and Alexander the Last...
in a supporting role and the two were subsequently cited as two of the founders of a new independent film movement called mumblecore
Mumblecore
Mumblecore is an American independent film movement that arose at the turn of the 21st century. Filmmakers associated with the movement include Andrew Bujalski, Lynn Shelton, Mark Duplass, Jay Duplass, Aaron Katz, Joe Swanberg, and Barry Jenkins....
. The film was released in theaters on August 31, 2007 and grossed $15,610 over its modest run.
Katz, as well as Erin Fisher, Cris Lankenau, Brendan McFadden and Ben Stambler were nominated for the John Cassevetes Award at the 2007 Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards 2007
The Independent Spirit Awards 2007 announced its nominees in November 2007. The ceremony was broadcast live on Independent Film Channel on February 23, 2008 and hosted by actor Rainn Wilson...
, given to the best film produced for under $500,000, for Quiet City.
Feature films as writer and director
- Dance Party USADance Party USA (film)Dance Party USA is a 2006 film written and directed by Aaron Katz. It stars Cole Pensinger and Anna Kavan.The film took nearly two years to complete. Katz explained the reason for such as being due to the film's editor, Zach Clark, living in Virginia while he lived in Brooklyn...
(2006) - Quiet CityQuiet City (film)Quiet City is a 2007 film directed by Aaron Katz.It premiered at the 2007 South by Southwest Film Festival in the Emerging Visions category...
(2007) - Cold WeatherCold Weather (film)Cold Weather is an American mystery film written by Aaron Katz, Ben Stambler, and Brendan McFadden and directed by Katz with Stambler and McFadden producing. The film stars Cris Lankenau as a former forensic science student investigating the mysterious disappearance of his ex-girlfriend...
(2010)