Karyn Kusama

Karyn Kusama
Born	Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (1968-03-21) March 21, 1968 (age 53) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S.
Education	New York University
Occupation	Filmmaker
Years active	1996–present
Spouse(s)	Phil Hay ​ (m. 2006)​
Children	1

Karyn Kiyoko Kusama (born March 21, 1968)^[1] is an American filmmaker. She made her directorial and writing feature film debut with the sports drama Girlfight (2000)^[2][3] for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature.

Kusama went on to direct the science fiction action film Æon Flux (2005), based on Peter Chung's animated series of the same name and the cult horror comedy film Jennifer's Body (2009). After working extensively as a television director,^[4] Kusama directed the horror film The Invitation (2015), a segment in the all-female horror anthology film XX (2017), and the Nicole Kidman-starring crime thriller film Destroyer (2018).

Among her accolades, Kusama has received awards from the Cannes Film Festival and the Sundance Film Festival. She has been married to screenwriter Phil Hay since 2006 with whom she shares a son. Hay has co-written three of her films with her writing partner Matt Manfredi. Together the trio formed Familystyle Films,^[5] under which Destroyer was released.

Early life and education[]

Kusama was born in St. Louis, Missouri,^{[6]:264, 266} the daughter of Haruo Kusama, a Japanese child psychiatrist and Susan McGuire, a Midwestern educational psychiatrist.^[7][8][3] She graduated from Ladue Horton Watkins High School in St. Louis,^[9] and in 1990 she earned a BFA in Film & TV from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts.^[3]

Career[]

1996–2009: Girlfight, Æon Flux, and Jennifer's Body[]

After graduating from NYU, where she won a Mobil Prize for a student film called Sleeping Beauties,^[8] Kusama worked as an editor on documentary films, in production on independent film and music videos, as a nanny, and painting houses.^[10]:312 Through her nanny job she met filmmaker John Sayles and worked as his assistant for three years while he was making the film Lone Star, as well as the development of his films Men with Guns and Limbo.^[11] While working for Sayles, she continued to write screenplays. In 1992, Kusama started boxing at Gleason's Gym in Brooklyn, training with Hector Roca.^[2][8] She began collecting ideas for Girlfight, but didn't start writing it until two years later.^{[10]:314–315[12]}

At age 31, Kusama wrote and directed her debut feature, Girlfight. It took several years to find financing for the film, reportedly due to her insistence that the main character be a Latina rather than allowing the film to become a vehicle for a well-known white actress.^[2][3] After financing fell through shortly before shooting began, Girlfight was partially financed by film-maker John Sayles, for whom she worked as an assistant at the time and who served as a mentor.^[3][10]:309 The film was released in 2000 and won the Director's Prize and shared the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, as well as the Prix de la Jeunesse at the Cannes Film Festival. The independent feature film with a budget of around US$1 million was critically well received. However, it brought in only US$1,667,000,^[13] which was considered a poor return; it has since become a classic example of the "Sundance Effect".^{[further explanation needed]}

In 2005, Kusama directed her second film, Æon Flux, a Paramount Pictures studio production that starred Charlize Theron and had a budget of US$62,000,000. The film had been ushered through production by Paramount studio chief Sherry Lansing but during production Lansing left, which resulted in the film being recut and reworked, with significant changes from Kusama's original vision. Following this experience, Kusama said she would never again work on a film in which she doesn't have control of the final cut.^[11] Its worldwide gross was estimated at $10 million below budget,^[14] putting Kusama's career on ice for years afterwards.^[15]

In 2009, Kusama directed the horror film Jennifer's Body, which was written by Diablo Cody and starred actress Megan Fox in the lead role.^[16] The film grossed approximately US$31,000,000 on a budget of around US$16,000,000.^[17] Despite its box office success, the film received mixed reviews from critics upon its release but has since become a cult classic. The film was critically reassessed over time as a "forgotten feminist classic".^[18] According to Cody, the film was marketed incorrectly by executives who focused their efforts on the young male audience.^[19] In regards to the reappraisals of the film, Kusama credited its "distinctly female perspective," stating she had intended to make a film where young women could see themselves represented.^[20] Kusama has since described working on both Æon Flux and Jennifer's Body as "learning experiences," wherein she learned how to navigate the Hollywood studio system.^[21]

2010–present: The Invitation, XX, and Destroyer[]

In 2013, Kusama directed the short film Speechless. Starting in 2014, Kusama began working regularly in television as a director on several series, such as Halt and Catch Fire, The Man in the High Castle, Casual, Billions, and The Outsider. Kusama was slated to direct an adaptation of Breed, an adult horror novel by Scott Spencer under the pen name Chase Novak. The film was to be produced and written by Kusama's husband Phil Hay and his partner Matt Manfredi, but there have been no updates since the film's announcement.^[22]

In 2015, Kusama directed The Invitation, a horror film written by Kusama's husband Phil Hay and his writing partner Matt Manfredi, and starring Logan Marshall-Green.^[23] The film was funded by a film consortium called Gamechanger Films, who fund films directed by women.^[24] It premiered at the 2015 SXSW Festival, to great acclaim,^[25] and was released by Drafthouse Films.^[26] The film would win the International Critic's Award at the 2015 Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival, and was also nominated for Best Picture.^[27] Other accolades won by the film included Best Film at the 2015 Sitges Film Festival and the Golden Octopus at the 2015 Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival.^[28][29]

Part of the film's inspiration are the experiences of loss that Kusama, Hay, and Manfredi had. Kusama's brother, Kevin died when she was young, as did a close friend in New York. The film was shot in sequence, cost US$1 million and was filmed in 20 days in Los Angeles.^[3] Due to the low production cost and time of the film, Kusama noted that despite the challenges involved with making a film in this manner she had the creative control she lacked on her previous Hollywood films.^[21][30]

In 2017, Kusama wrote and directed a segment, titled "Her Only Living Son", in the all-female directed anthology horror film XX.^[31][32]

In 2018, Kusama directed the Los Angeles-set crime thriller film Destroyer, which starred Nicole Kidman in the lead role. According to Kusama, Kidman had lobbied for the part after reading the script.^[30] The film made its debut at the Telluride Film Festival to positive reactions for Kusama's direction and Kidman's performance,^[33][34] but disappointed at the box office, grossing slightly over $5 million globally with a budget of over $10 million.^{[35][36][37][38]}

In 2020, a new Dracula film was announced as in development by Blumhouse Productions, featuring Kusama as director and Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi as writers. The film is reportedly to be set in modern times.^[39]

Themes and style[]

Kusama's films have been noted for their strong feminist themes, and with the exception of The Invitation, all have featured female protagonists. They are often flawed, with the filmmaker citing an interest in ambiguity and difficulty in characters. Kusama has described herself as a "feminist unapologetically" and has criticized the barriers that women face in the film industry.^[20][40] In addition to themes of feminism, Kusama has also explored existential themes such as loss, despair, and anxiety in her films.^[20][25]

Her interest in being a filmmaker comes from the "disparate elements" of art in storytelling from dialogue to music, and the opportunity that being a filmmaker allows in uniting these elements into a single vision. Kusama's films have often drawn upon and been influenced by her own experiences and connections.^[40]

Some of her films have been set in the city of Los Angeles. On the city's usage in The Invitation, Kusama said that despite the film being primarily set and shot in a single interior space it had to be set in Los Angeles due to the mythology and history of the city and the surrounding Southern California region.^[21] With Destroyer, she aimed to authentically depict parts of the city not often seen in popular culture, resulting in its location shooting going "off the beaten path."^[40]

Personal life[]

Kusama married screenwriter Phil Hay in October 2006. They have a son. Although they had known each other since meeting at Sundance when Girlfight premiered in 2000, it wasn't until they worked together on Æon Flux that they began dating.^[3]

Kusama has named Jonathan Glazer and Jacques Audiard as two current filmmakers who have influenced her.^[25] She also said Chantal Akerman's arthouse film Jeanne Dielman is one of her favorite female-directed films.^[40] Kusama was initially inspired to make films–particularly centered around women–by her viewings of Amy Heckerling's Fast Times at Ridgemont High (1982) as well as Martha Coolidge's Valley Girl (1983).

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year	Title	Director	Writer
2000	Girlfight	Yes	Yes
2005	Æon Flux	Yes	No
2009	Jennifer's Body	Yes	No
2015	The Invitation	Yes	No
2018	Destroyer	Yes	No

Short films[]

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Notes
1991	Sleeping Beauties	Yes	Yes
2013	Speechless	Yes	No
2017	Her Only Living Son	Yes	Yes	Segment of XX

Television[]

Year	Title	Director	Executive producer	Episodes
2007	The L Word	Yes	No	"Little Boy Blue"
2014–2017	Halt and Catch Fire	Yes	No	"High Plains Hardware"/"Working for the Clampdown"/"The Threshold"/"Ten of Swords"
2015	Chicago Fire	Yes	No	"Forgiving, Relentless, Unconditional"
2015–2016	The Man in the High Castle	Yes	No	"End of the World"/"Land O' Smiles"
2016	Casual	Yes	No	"Such Good Friends"/"Big Green Egg"
	Masters of Sex	Yes	No	"Night and Day"
2016–2017	Billions	Yes	No	"Quality of Life"/"Golden Frog Time"
2020	The Outsider	Yes	No	"The One About The Yiddish Vampire"
2021	The Mysterious Benedict Society	Yes	No	"The Art of Conveyance and Round-Trippery"
TBA	Yellowjackets	Yes	Yes	"Pilot"

Awards and nominations[]

Year	Title	Awards
2000	Girlfight	Cannes Film Festival Award of the Youth for Foreign Film FIPRESCI Prize – Special Mention Gotham Open Palm Award Sundance Directing Award in the Dramatic Category Sundance Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic Category Seminci Silver Spike Nominated – Black Reel Award for Best Director Nominated – Caméra d'Or Nominated – CICAE Award for Best Film Nominated – Deauville Grand Special Prize Nominated – Ghent Festival Grand Prize Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
2015	The Invitation	Octopus d'Or Jury Prize Sitges Film Festival Award for Best Motion Picture Nominated – Fright Meter Award for Best Director Nominated – iHorror Award for Best Horror Director Nominated – Narcisse Award for Best Feature Film
2017	XX	Neuchâtel International Critics Award
2018	Destroyer	Nominated – BFI London Official Competition Nominated – EDA Female Focus Award for Best Woman Director Nominated – Toronto Platform Prize

References[]

Further reading[]

• Gordon, Bette (Fall 2000). "Karyn Kusama". BOMB Magazine. 73.
• Baker, Aaron (September 2000). "A new combination: Women and the boxing film: An interview with Karyn Kusama". Cineaste. 25 (4): 22–26. ISSN 0009-7004. ProQuest 204837126.
• Figgis, Mike (2000). "Karyn Kusama". In Lippy, Tod; Boorman, John; Donohue, Walter (eds.). Projections 11: New York Film-Makers on New York Film-Making. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-20591-2. OCLC 45625833.
• Horowitz, Josh (2006). "Karyn Kusama". The Mind of the Modern Moviemaker: 20 Conversations with the New Generation of Filmmakers. New York: Penguin Group. ISBN 978-0-452-28681-8. OCLC 475147506.
• Rybicky, Dan (2008). "Chapter 13: "And Maybe There Is a Way to Give Hollywood the Kick in the Ass That It Needs: An Interview with Karyn Kusama". In Bernardi, Daniel (ed.). Filming Difference: Actors, Directors, Producers, and Writers on Gender, Race, and Sexuality in Film. University of Texas Press. pp. 263–288. ISBN 978-0-292-71923-1. OCLC 488626749.

External links[]

• Karyn Kusama at IMDb