Joseph Swanberg is an American independent filmmaker. Known for micro-budget films which make extensive use of improvisation, Swanberg is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His films often focus on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. He is also known for his collaboration with Greta Gerwig.
Humpday is a 2009 American mumblecore comedy-drama film directed, produced, and written by Lynn Shelton and starring Mark Duplass, Joshua Leonard, and Alycia Delmore. It premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. International distribution rights were purchased by Magnolia Pictures for a mid-six figure sum. The film opened in New York City in a limited release on July 10, 2009. The story line follows two male heterosexual best friends, Ben and Andrew. The plot line centers around a "mutual dare" that is introduced at a party, which involves the two main characters engaging in a pornographic film together. The film was shot on-location in Washington state around Seattle from September 2008 to January 2009, and much of the dialogue for the film was improvised.
Compliance is a 2012 American thriller film written and directed by Craig Zobel and starring Ann Dowd, Dreama Walker, Pat Healy, and Bill Camp. The plot of the movie is closely based upon an actual strip search phone call scam that took place in Mount Washington, Kentucky in 2004. In both the film and the real-life incident, a caller posing as a police officer convinced a restaurant manager and others to carry out unlawful and intrusive procedures on an innocent employee.
Nobody Walks is a 2012 American independent drama film directed by Ry Russo-Young. The film premiered in Competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and won a special Jury Prize.
Drinking Buddies is a 2013 American comedy-drama film written, directed and edited by Joe Swanberg, and starring Olivia Wilde, Jake Johnson, Anna Kendrick and Ron Livingston. The film is about two co-workers at a craft brewery in Chicago.
All the Light in the Sky is an American drama film directed by Joe Swanberg and written by Swanberg and Jane Adams, who also stars in the film, along with Sophia Takal, Kent Osborne, Lawrence Michael Levine, Larry Fessenden, and Lindsay Burdge. The film had its world premiere at the AFI on November 3, 2012. The film was released on video on demand on December 3, 2013, before being released in a limited release on December 20, 2013, by Factory25.
The Hollars is a 2016 American comedy-drama film directed by John Krasinski and written by James C. Strouse. The film stars an ensemble cast led by Krasinski, starring Sharlto Copley, Charlie Day, Richard Jenkins, Anna Kendrick and Margo Martindale. The world premiere took place at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 2016, and it was released on August 26, 2016, by Sony Pictures Classics.
Digging for Fire is a 2015 American comedy-drama film directed by Joe Swanberg and co-written by Swanberg and Jake Johnson. It stars an ensemble cast led by Johnson, Rosemarie DeWitt, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Orlando Bloom and Mike Birbiglia. Johnson and DeWitt play a married couple who find a gun and a bone in the backyard of a house they are staying in.
Unexpected is a 2015 American drama film directed by Kris Swanberg, and co-written by Swanberg and Megan Mercier. It stars Cobie Smulders as a teacher at an inner city Chicago high school who unintentionally becomes pregnant. One of her students, Jasmine, is also unexpectedly pregnant, and the two bond through planning their futures. The film had its world premiere at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2015. The film was released in a limited release and released video on demand on July 24, 2015, by The Film Arcade.
Autoerotic is a 2011 comedy-drama film directed by Joe Swanberg and Adam Wingard, written by Swanberg, Wingard, and Simon Barrett, and starring Kate Lyn Sheil, Amy Seimetz, Lane Hughes, Kris Swanberg, Ti West, and Frank V. Ross. IFC Midnight released it to video on demand on July 22, 2011.
The Last Word is a 2017 American comedy-drama film directed by Mark Pellington, from a screenplay by Stuart Ross Fink. It stars Amanda Seyfried and Shirley MacLaine.
Joshy is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Jeff Baena. It stars Thomas Middleditch, Adam Pally, Alex Ross Perry, Nick Kroll, Brett Gelman, Jenny Slate and Lauren Graham. It was shown in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The film was released on August 12, 2016, by Lionsgate Premiere.
The Intervention is a 2016 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Clea DuVall in her directorial debut. The film stars DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Natasha Lyonne, Vincent Piazza, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, Alia Shawkat and Cobie Smulders. The Intervention had its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival on January 26, 2016. It was released in a limited release and through video on demand on August 26, 2016, by Samuel Goldwyn Films and Paramount Pictures.
Easy is an American comedy-drama anthology series written, directed, edited and produced by Joe Swanberg. It consists of 25 half-hour episodes. The series is set in Chicago.
XX is a 2017 American horror anthology film directed by Jovanka Vuckovic, Annie Clark, Roxanne Benjamin, and Karyn Kusama. It stars Natalie Brown, Melanie Lynskey, Breeda Wool, and Christina Kirk. It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 22, 2017, and was released in the United States in select theaters and through video on demand on February 17, 2017, by Magnet Releasing.
Win It All is a 2017 American comedy film co-written, directed and edited by Joe Swanberg. Jake Johnson, who co-wrote the screenplay, stars alongside Aislinn Derbez, Joe Lo Truglio and Keegan-Michael Key.
Bad Hair is a 2020 American satirical black horror comedy film written, directed, and produced by Justin Simien. The film stars Elle Lorraine, Jay Pharoah, Lena Waithe, Kelly Rowland, Laverne Cox, Chanté Adams, James Van Der Beek, Usher Raymond IV, Blair Underwood, and Vanessa Williams.
The Fight is a 2020 American documentary film directed and produced by Eli Despres, Josh Kriegman and Elyse Steinberg. Kerry Washington serves as a producer under her Simpson Street banner. It follows legal battles that lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) had faced during the Trump administration.
Assassins is a 2020 American documentary film, directed and produced by Ryan White. It talks about the assassination of Kim Jong-nam and the two assassins who were tricked.
Cryptozoo is a 2021 American adult animated drama film written and directed by Dash Shaw. It features an ensemble cast as Lake Bell, Michael Cera, Angeliki Papoulia, Zoe Kazan, Peter Stormare, Grace Zabriskie, Louisa Krause and Thomas Jay Ryan. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 29, 2021 and was released by Magnolia Pictures in the United States on August 20, 2021.
