Cooper Raiff

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Cooper Raiff
Bornc. 1997 (age 24–25)
OccupationFilmmaker, actor
Years active2018–present

Cooper Raiff (born c. 1997)[1] is an American filmmaker and actor. He received critical acclaim for his films Shithouse (2020) and Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022).[2] He appeared on the 2022 Variety list of directors to watch.[3]

Early life[]

A native of Dallas, Raiff attended the Greenhill School in Addison, Texas.[1] He participated in school theatre productions and joined the Dallas Screen Actors studio.[1] In his senior year, he wrote and performed in his first play.[4] Raiff enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles, but withdrew in 2019 to focus on film.[5]

Career[]

During spring break in 2018, Raiff stayed on campus to make Madeline & Cooper, a 50-minute short film that he uploaded to YouTube.[6] He then tweeted a link to the video to filmmaker Jay Duplass, who met with Raiff and encouraged him to adapt the project to feature-length; this became Raiff's debut feature Shithouse, which he starred in, directed, wrote, produced, and co-edited.[7] The film premiered at the 2020 SXSW where it was named Best Narrative Feature.[8] Distributed by IFC Films,[9] it opened in October 2020 to positive reviews.[10][11]

Raiff's second film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for the Dramatic Competition, and is set to be distributed by Apple TV+.[12] The film was reportedly purchased by the company for $15 million.[13]

In 2021, it was announced that Raiff was set to direct The Trashers, a film about James Galante, for 30West.[14] For his first television project, Raiff is attached to direct and co-write an adaptation of Naoise Dolan's novel Exciting Times for Amazon Prime.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c Gaughan, Liam (October 19, 2020). "The 23-Year-Old Greenhill School Alum Talks His Acclaimed Feature-Length Debut Film, How It Got Made And Just How Autobiographical It May Be". CentralTrack.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 17, 2022). "Sundance: Meet Gen Z's Buzziest Director (Who's Still Waiting to Go to a Film Festival)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  3. ^ Lang, Brent (January 10, 2022). "Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2022". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 22, 2022). "Cooper Raiff Debut Won SXSW & His 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' Is Sundance Buzz Title Now: Will Covid Ever Allow Him To See His Work In A Crowded Theater". Deadline. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Anderson, Dick (August 19, 2021). "From S#!%house to the Penthouse". Occidental College. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  6. ^ "23-year-old Dallas native scores with award-winning debut movie". The Dallas Morning News. October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Warren, Ethan (October 19, 2020). "I Grew Up Thinking Feelings Were Cool: Cooper Raiff on Shithouse". Bright Wall/Dark Room. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Jorgenson, Todd (April 24, 2020). "Meet the Self-Taught Greenhill Grad Who Won the Top Film Prize From SXSW". D Magazine. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  9. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (June 10, 2020). "IFC Films Nabs SXSW Award Winning Film 'Shithouse'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  10. ^ "S...house (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango.
  11. ^ "Shithouse Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  12. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 28, 2022). "Sundance: Nanny and The Exiles Take Top Prizes at 2022 Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  13. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 28, 2022). "Apple Lands Cooper Raiff-Directed Cha Cha Real Smooth In $15M World Rights Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  14. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 25, 2021). "Cooper Raiff Set To Direct 'The Trashers' For 30West". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 17, 2021). "Phoebe Dynevor Set To EP & Poised To Star In 'Exciting Times' Series In Works At Amazon Studios". Deadline. Retrieved August 28, 2021.

External links[]

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