- Christine Vachon
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Christine Vachon Born 1962
New York CityOccupation Producer Years active 1985 — present Christine Vachon (born 1962 in Manhattan, New York City) is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector and daughter of noted photographer John Vachon.
Christine Vachon produced Todd Haynes' controversial first feature, Poison, which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she has gone on to produce many acclaimed American independent films including Far From Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don't Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Happiness, Velvet Goldmine, SAFE, I Shot Andy Warhol, Go Fish, Swoon, I'm Not There, Gigantic, Cracks. and Cairo Time. Her latest and upcoming projects include a short film collaboration with ACE Hotel and online film content producers Massify entitled "Lulu at the Ace Hotel" as well as a five-part HBO mini-series adaptation of James M. Cain's 1941 novel, Mildred Pierce.
Vachon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a paramount New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.[1]
Contents
Early life
Vachon graduated from Brown University in 1983, where she met fellow alums director Todd Haynes and Barry Ellsworth. Together, they created Apparatus Productions in 1987, a non-profit company deeply inspired by the anti-Hollywood New York film scene and oversaw the production of seven films in five years. Most notoriously, Apparatus produced Haynes' controversial Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a film depicting the dramatic rise and fall of the anorexic pop star. To make financial ends meet, Vachon became a proofreader by night. She also took on odd jobs in the film industry to learn the trade.
Killer Films
Vachon and fellow New York producer Pamela Koffler currently run Killer Films, which was establish in 1996. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005 and was honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Her first feature "Poison" (written and directed by Academy Award nominee Todd Haynes) won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance in 1991. Since that initial success Christine has worked on a number of noteworthy films including "I Shot Andy Warhol," "Happiness," "Kids," "One Hour Photo" and "Boys Don't Cry." Through her enduring relationship with Todd, she has worked on every feature film of his to date including "Safe," "Velvet Goldmine," "Far From Heaven," and "I'm Not There," which starred Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Julianne Moore, and Michelle Williams. Cate Blanchett received both Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was also nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards, notching a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett.
In 2008, Christine won an Emmy for her role as executive producer for the TV adaptation of Ira Glass's This American Life
Killer’s releases for 2008 include Savage Grace, directed by Tom Kalin (Swoon) and starring Julianne Moore; An American Crime, starring Catherine Keener and Ellen Page, directed by Tommy O'Haver: Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of Helen Hunt, starring herself, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.
Personal life
Vachon and her partner, artist Marlene McCarty, live in the East Village of New York with their daughter Guthrie. In the fall of 2009, Vachon went into remission after a battle with breast cancer.[2]
Awards and Juries
- In 1994, Vachon was awarded the Frameline[3] for Award Outstanding Achievement in Lesbian and Gay Media.[citation needed]
- In 1996 Vachon was honored with the Muse Award for Outstanding Vision and Achievement by New York Women in Film and Television.
- Vachon received the IFP’s 1999 Gotham Award for producing.[citation needed]
- Vachon received Honorary Maverick Award [1] at Woodstock Film Festival [2]
- For her work on Far from Heaven, Vachon was honored by the New York Film Critics Circle.[citation needed]
- Vachon received the 2003 Producers Award from the National Board of Review.[3]
- Vachon and Killer Films received the 2000 Provincetown International Film Festival Provincetown Filmmaker on the Edge Award.[3]
- Vachon and Killer Films were given special tributes from the SXSW and Deauville Film Festivals.[citation needed]
- Vachon was a member of the 2005 Venice Film Festival.
- Vachon was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 1993 and then again in 2005.
- Most recently, Vachon was a member of the 2010 Sarajevo Film Festival.
Books
In 1998, Christine released her first book, "Shooting to Kill." In it, she details and dissects the intricate process of creating films while injecting personal anecdotes and stories. Her new book, "A KILLER LIFE: HOW AN INDEPENDENT FILM PRODUCER SURVIVES DEAL AND DISASTERS IN HOLLYWOOD AND BEYOND" was published in September 2006 by Simon and Schuster.
Filmography as producer
Director's name in brackets after film title.
- 1991: Poison (Todd Haynes)
- 1992: Swoon (Tom Kalin)
- 1994: Postcards from America (Steve McLean)
- 1994: Go Fish (Rose Troche) (as executive producer)
- 1995: Stonewall (Nigel Finch)
- 1995: Safe (Todd Haynes)
- 1995: Kids (Larry Clark)
- 1996: I Shot Andy Warhol (Mary Harron)
- 1997: Office Killer (Cindy Sherman)
- 1997: Kiss Me, Guido (Tony Vitale)
- 1998: Happiness (Todd Solondz)
- 1998: Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes)
- 1999: Boys Don't Cry (Kimberly Peirce)
- 1999: I'm Losing You (Bruce Wagner)
- 2000: Crime and Punishment in Suburbia (Rob Schmidt)
- 2001: Hedwig and the Angry Inch (John Cameron Mitchell)
- 2001: Series 7: The Contenders (Daniel Minaham)
- 2001: Women in Film (Bruce Wagner)
- 2001: Chelsea Walls (Ethan Hawke)
- 2001: Storytelling (Todd Solondz)
- 2002: One Hour Photo (Mark Romanek)
- 2001: The Grey Zone (Tim Blake Nelson)
- 2001: The Safety of Objects (Rose Troche)
- 2002: Far from Heaven (Todd Haynes)
- 2003: Party Monster (Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato)
- 2003: Camp (Todd Graff)
- 2003: The Company (Robert Altman)
- 2004: A Home at the End of the World (Michael Mayer)
- 2004: A Dirty Shame (John Waters)
- 2006: The Notorious Bettie Page (Mary Harron)
- 2006: Mrs. Harris (Phyllis Nagy)
- 2006: Infamous (Douglas McGrath)
- 2007: This American Life (Ira Glass)
- 2007: An American Crime (Tommy O'Haver)
- 2007: I'm Not There (Todd Haynes)
- 2008: Savage Grace (Tom Kalin)
- 2008: Then She Found Me (Helen Hunt)
- 2008: Gigantic (Matt Aselton)
- 2009: Motherhood (Katherine Dieckmann)
- 2009: Cracks (Jordan Scott)
- 2009: Cairo Time (Ruba Nadda)
- 2010: Lulu at the Hotel (short) (Maya Kazan)
- 2010: Loop Planes (short) (Robin Wilby)
- 2010: Charley (short) (Dee Austin Robertson)
- 2010: Dirty Girl (Abe Sylvia)
- 2010: What's Wrong with Virginia (Dustin Lance Black)
References
- ^ NYICFF Jury
- ^ Dietrich, Joy (July 6, 2010). "Asked & Answered". T (The New York Times). http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/07/06/asked-answered-christine-vachon/. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
- ^ a b c Awards page for Christine Vachon at the Internet Movie Database
External links
Categories:- 1962 births
- American film producers
- Brown University alumni
- LGBT people from the United States
- Living people
- People from Manhattan
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