Hal Hartley
Hal Hartley ( born November 3, 1959 in Islip, Long Iceland, New York) is an American film director and screenwriter and is regarded as a pioneer of the independent film.
After graduating from high school in June 1977, he completed a year of study at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston before between September 1980 and May 1984 School of the State University of New York at Purchase studied film. In 1996 he married the Japanese actress and dancer Miho Nikiado. In 2005, Hal Hartley moved from New York City to Berlin.
His films are often characterized by a deadpan acting style and dry dialogues that are philosophical and funny at the same time. He composed and often plays the music for his films under the pseudonym Ned Rifle. In contrast to most other character film directors Hartley turns, short films, which are summarized as anthologies on DVDs.
Hartley's unique style has helped him to establish a cult. Many of his films have recurring themes, such as venues on Long Iceland, discomfort with technology and foreigners who are in conflict with the local culture. He works often repeated with the same actors, for example, Robert John Burke, Martin Donovan, Elina Löwensohn, Bill Sage, Adrienne Shelly, Karen Silla and Damian Young.
Hal Hartley was awarded at the International Film Festival of Cannes in 1998 for the screenplay of his film Henry Fool.