Film Forum

Terry Zwigoff is an American film director and screenwriter who began his career making documentaries. His films are generally considered character-driven and subversive, often dealing with anti-heroes, misfits, and themes of alienation. LOUIE BLUIE (1985), about an obscure Blues musician, was his first film. It was followed by another documentary, CRUMB (1995) which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and also the DGA Award, along with every film critic’s award that year including the New York Film Critic's Award, The National Society of Film Critics Award,  and the Los Angeles Film Critics Award. Its failure to receive an Oscar® nomination, and the subsequent outcry from this omission, led to the Academy Awards® changing the way its members voted for Documentary Film. CRUMB wound up on over 150 Top Ten Lists for 1995 and was called the best film of the year by many critics. GHOST WORLD (2001) was Zwigoff’s first fiction film. He was nominated for an Oscar® for Best Screenplay along with co-writer Dan Clowes, while Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch were nominated for Golden Globe Awards. USA Today and the Washington Post called it the best film of the year, and it also wound up on over 150 Top Ten lists. Zwigoff’s next film was BAD SANTA (2003) which was Executive Produced and partially written by the Coen Brothers and Zwigoff. Its star, Billy Bob Thornton, was nominated for a Golden Globe award. The film cost $18 million and grossed over $80 million. Like CRUMB and GHOST WORLD, BAD SANTA has gone on to achieve Cult status over the years. Zwigoff's last film, ART SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL (2005) starred John Malkovich, Jim Broadbent, and Angelica Huston. He has two new films in the works, one a comedy and the other a drama.

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