Damien Chazelle: biography of the director, personal life, best films

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Damien Chazelle is a rising Hollywood star. At thirty-two, the director is already an Oscar winner. What can be said about the life and career of this talented young man? What films by Damien Chazelle deserve the attention of a wide audience? All this later in the publication.

Early years

Damien Chazelle was born in Providence, Rhode Island, on January 19, 1985. The boy's father was a professor at Princeton University. The mother of our hero is a fairly well-known writer, historian and expert on the Middle Ages. Damien's grandfather was once an employee of the British branch of the Paramount Pictures film studio, located in London. Grandmother became famous as a stage actress.

Probably, the presence in the family of relatives with connections in the film industry provoked the desire of little Damien Chazelle to connect his life with the creation of films. As the guy's parents noted, from the age of three he watched movies all day, and also came up with his own stories. Father and mother did not interfere with the occupation of the son,but from time to time they still forced me to go out and walk with my peers.

Damien Chazelle's dad was seriously into jazz music. At the suggestion of the head of the family, the guy began to learn to play the drums during his school years. The boy came up with his own parts, improvising while at the drum kit. Sometimes young Damien exercised literally until the appearance of corns on his fingers. However, the guy soon abandoned the idea of becoming a jazz musician, because he did not feel that he could reach significant heights in this area.

Having completed his secondary education, Damien Chazelle applied for admission to Harvard University, where he was accepted on the first try. Here the young man devoted his time to activities in the field of visual and environmental studies. Among other things, the guy did not cease to be interested in film production. Damien received a diploma of graduation from a prestigious educational institution in 2007, after which he began shooting the first author's short films.

Debut film work

The first tape of the novice director Damien Chazelle was a short film called "Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench". The film, which was released in 2009, was about a couple of young lovers who had to endure a breakup. When creating the tape, the young author acted simultaneously as a screenwriter, cameraman, editor and producer. The creation of musical accompaniment was taken up by his university friend Justin Hurwitz.

The short was submitted to the courtwide audience as part of the Tribeca Festival. Then the film migrated to the screening in the Italian city of Turin, where it received a special award from the jury. During the Chicago International Film Festival, the film won the Best Artwork nomination.

Scenario activities

2013 marked Chazelle's writing and successful sale of the screenplay for The Last Exorcism: The Second Coming. This was followed by work on writing the plot for the action-packed film "The Grand Finale". The thriller tells the story of a pianist who suffers from stage fright. Both tapes, based on scripts by Damien, were quite successful.

Obsession

During the first trials as a screenwriter, the young author wrote a story called "Obsession". Damien Chazelle then decided to shelve the work as he felt the plot was too personal. The fact is that the story partly touched on real events in the life of the author, when he tried to become a jazz drummer in his early school years.

Later Chazelle mentioned the idea to the producers. Soon, sponsorship funds for the project were found. Dramatic picture, told about the complex relationship between a gifted drummer named Andrew and despotic orchestra conductor Fletcher. The image of the latter was inspired by Damien's real teacher, whom he had to deal with in the past.

The film startedpremiered at the famous Sundance Film Festival. Here the tape immediately won the main prize. Then the film won several BAFTA awards, and as many as three Oscar nominations served as the final chord. Thus, Chazelle instantly became a Hollywood celebrity.

La La Land

The next triumph of the young director was a musical in the classical style of the 50s. Damien Chazelle nurtured the idea of shooting such a movie from his student years. The result obtained exceeded all expectations. The film, released on wide screens, became a real hit in 2016, winning the love of viewers around the world.

The musical La La Land, starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, has won numerous prestigious awards. The picture won the British Academy Award, won several Golden Globes and Oscars, and was also nominated for Best Film of the Year. After an unexpected triumph, critics said that there was one more, without a doubt, a brilliant young director in the world. At the same time, Damien Chazelle's filmography has been replenished with a real masterpiece.

The Man in the Moon

The biographical drama "Man in the Moon" by Damien Chazelle became the third feature film in the director's career. The story sheds light on real events in the life of American hero, astronaut Neil Armstrong. It was he who became famous as the man whose foot first touched the surface of the moon.

Initially, the director's chair when creating the film was supposed to take Clint Eastwood, whoheld the film rights to a book about the life of Neil Armstrong by writer James Hansen. However, in the end, Universal Pictures took on the obligation to release the picture. The rights to the material were purchased by the company, and Damien Chazelle was appointed to direct. It is noteworthy that "The Man in the Moon" served as the first work of the young creator, in which he did not have a hand in writing the script.

The tape has already premiered at the Venice Film Festival. In Russian cinemas, the viewer will be able to see the director's new film at the end of November this year.

Director's personal life

In 2010, Chazelle married his sweetheart named Jasmine McGlade, whom he met at university. The couple stayed together for 4 years. Then the young people suddenly decided to leave. However, the rupture of marital relations did not prevent them from remaining good friends and even film partners.

The second wife of Damien in 2015 was actress Olivia Hamilton. The latter previously participated in several projects of the director. The couple has been together for several years now.