In honor of Feature VI, the sixth gala in support of Film Streams’ Ruth Sokolof Theater, we’re celebrating the films of our special guest, writer-director David O. Russell.
In the past four years, Russell released three films that were adored by critics and audiences alike: THE FIGHTER, SILVER LININGS PLAYBOOK, and AMERICAN HUSTLE. They garnered five Oscar nominations for writing or directing for Russell and nods for actors Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Robert De Niro, and Melissa Leo. Before this impressive streak, Russell was known for subversive comedies that found smaller, though equally avid, audiences. Russell’s debut, the brave and confrontational SPANKING THE MONKEY, won the Audience Award at the 1994 Sundance Film Festival. FLIRTING WITH DISASTER, the wild 1996 road comedy, featured the kind of ensemble cast Russell is now known for, including Ben Stiller, Patricia Arquette, Lily Tomlin, Alan Alda, and more. In 1999, Russell sent up the first Gulf War with THREE KINGS, a satire about war and greed starring George Clooney. The heady comedy I HUCKABEES, with Jason Schwartzman as a sensitive do-gooder who hires existential detectives, has reached cult status.
