John Gallagher

JOHN GALLAGHER - PRODUCER/DIRECTOR

JOHN GALLAGHER (DIRECTOR-PRODUCER), is a New York City based filmmaker, a fixture on the New York scene for nearly 30 years as a director, writer, producer, author, historian and educator, with a wide range of international filmmaking resources and relationships, and a highly regarded, encyclopedic knowledge of films and filmmaking. His track record is especially strong in discovering and mentoring new talent, both in front of and behind the camera.

Among the actors John has cast in debut or significant early roles are Zach Braff, Amanda Peet, Michael Imperioli, Gretchen Mol, John Leguizamo, Heather Matarazzo, Matthew Lillard and Denis Leary, among others. His eye for talent and understanding of actors and filmmaking has brought him to the position of Film Acting Instructor at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, the internationally regarded acting conservatory founded by Sanford Meisner whose alumni include Dylan McDermott, Allison Janney, Diane Keaton, Robert Duvall, Sydney Pollack, James Caan, Eli Wallach, Jeff Goldblum, David Mamet, Mary Steenburgen, Les Moonves, Gregory Peck, Steve McQueen and Tony Randall.

John is owner and president of 305 Media Group. John’s next feature as director is DIGGER, a 3D horror thriller. He recently directed AND THE WINNER IS … starring Christina Broccolini (MYSTERY HUNTERS), which won Best Short at the Chashama Film Festival and Best Actress Awards at Chashama and Picturestart Film Festival, and is an official selection of Filmfest Oldenburg (Germany) and the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival. He has completed the script for the romantic comedy C’ERA UNA VOLTA (ONCE UPON A TIME), which he will direct and produce in Rome and New York, starring Heidi Kristoffer (CONFESSIONS OF A SHOPAHOLIC), and the screenplay HERZL for producers Galia Albin and Brank Lustig

Last year John served as a producer on two feature films – THE INSURGENTS, starring John Shea and Mary Stuart Masterson, which won the German Independence Award at Filmfest Oldenburg, Best Film at the Long Island Film Festival, Best Screenplay at the Palm Beach Film Festival, an official selection at the Montreal Film Festival, the Edmonton Film Festival, and the HD Festival in Seoul, Sydney and London, with theatrical release from Allumination/Slamdance; and HOT BABY, availableon Itunes, featuring the stars of three Sundance award-winning films, in association with Apple Computers. He is also a producer on SLAUGHTER, featuring SAW star Shawnee Smith, executive producer on Marianne Hettinger’s feature MANGO TANGO, filmed in New York and Germany, and co-exec producer on PROJECT TANZANIA, filmed in Africa.

John wrote and directed the critically acclaimed feature romantic fable BLUE MOON, released theatrically through Castle Hill. It is available on video and DVD from Winstar/Fox Lorber, and airs regularly on Showtime, The Movie Channel, WE (Women’s Entertainment), and now ABC-TV. BLUE MOON stars screen legends Ben Gazzara and Rita Moreno, with Alanna Ubach, Brian Vincent, Heather Matarazzo, Vincent Pastore, Burt Young, Lillo Brancato, Victor Argo, David Thornton, and Zach Braff. The movie won Best American Feature at the Avignon/New York Film Festival, and Best Fantasy Film at Worldfest Houston.

John also directed and co-wrote the popular cult comedy THE DELI (Castle Hill), with a cast including Mike Starr, Matt Keeslar, Gretchen Mol, Ice T, Heather Matarazzo, Brian Vincent, Judith Malina, Debi Mazar, Michael Imperioli, Iman, David Johansen, Burt Young, Chris Noth, Heavy D, Michael Badalucco, Frank Vincent, Vincent Pastore and Tony Sirico. THE DELI won the Spirit of Independents Award at the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, and was cited for Excellence in Filmmaking by the National Board of Review. THE DELI is available in a Special Edition DVD from Warner/Ryko, and airs frequently on national TV.

John also produced and directed the improvisational romantic comedy CUPIDITY, which won the prize for Audience Award: Best Feature Film, as well as Best Actress and Best Supporting Actor, at the New York Independent Film Festival. CUPIDITY was awarded Best Actor at the Queens Film Festival, and was an official selection of Internationales Filmfest Oldenburg in Germany, where his films have been warmly received since the festival’s inception in 1994. Other features as writer-director include the comedy MEN LIE (Cinevest/Panorama), winner of numerous international awards, selected for two dozen film festivals, including official U.S. selection of the prestigious Karlovy Vary Film Festival, with Frank Vincent, Aida Turturro, Michael Badalucco, Catherine Scorsese, Victor Argo, Michael Imperioli, and Nicholas Turturro; and the action picture STREET HUNTER (Columbia/Tri-Star), executive produced by Menahem Golan, with Steve James, John Leguizamo, Reb Brown, Frank Vincent, Valerie Pettiford, Richie Havens, Tom Wright, Richie Panebianco, Victor Colicchio, Nelson Vasquez, Vinny Pastore, Thom Christopher and Emilio Del Pozo. John’s short films as writer-director include PENANCE (starring Frank Vincent, Heather Matarazzo); VINNY D (Frank Vincent, Michael Imperioli, Tony Sirico, Tony Darrow); OTHER MEN’S WIVES (Denis Leary); and Kurt Vonnegut's LONG WALK TO FOREVER (Denis Leary).

John was also an executive producer on the feature film drama THE ANIMAL ROOM (Smart Egg), Amanda Peet’s first feature, starring Matthew Lillard, Neil Patrick Harris and Catherine Hicks; and the feature comedy POTLUCK (Allumnation), starring Jason Isaacs, Dan Lauria, Sylvia Miles, Frank Gorshin, Frank Adonis, and writer-producer Victor Colicchio.

John was also heavily involved in publicity and promotion for EVIL DEAD (as well as post-production) and EVIL DEAD 2: DEAD BY DAWN, two classic horror movies directed by and starring his former roommates/horror icons Sam Raimi (the SPIDERMAN trilogy) and Bruce Campbell.

John is the author of Film Directors on Directing (a collection of his interviews with such filmmakers as Francois Truffaut, Dennis Hopper and Wim Wenders) and an upcoming book on William Wellman, the definitive study of the legendary director. He also co-authored the book Gregory LaCava, commissioned by the Filmoteca Espanol and the San Sebastian Film Festival for a retrospective on the veteran Hollywood filmmaker; the foreword to the book featured John’s interview with Katharine Hepburn. His articles on films and filmmaking have appeared in many magazines, including Rolling Stone, American Cinematographer, and Millimeter. He has written dozens of articles on the horror genre for Fangoria, Cinemacabre and Videoscope.

John has also written and co-produced twelve annual National Board of Review Awards events, writing speeches for such actors as Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Robert DeNiro, Lauren Bacall, Chazz Palminteri, Christopher Walken, John Turturro, Dan Aykroyd, Laura Linney, Lena Olin, James Woods, Kevin Bacon, Marisa Tomei, Hugh Jackman, Sigourney Weaver, and Sir Ian McKellen. He produced the 2007 NBR awards show at Cipriani in New York with a cast of honorees including Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, Eli Wallach, Dame Helen Mirren, Forest Whitaker, Oliver Stone, Jennifer Hudson, Ryan Gosling, and Jonathan Demme, among others.

John directed the 2008 NBR Awards with George Clooney, the Coen Brothers, Michael Douglas, Kate Winslet, Emile Hirsch, Ellen Page, Susan Sarandon, Scott Rudin, Julian Schnabel, Jessica Lange, Tim Burton, Stephen Sondheim, Julianne Moore, Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Emily Mortimer, Tilda Swinton, Julie Christie, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Tilda Swinton, Glenn Close, Mike Wallace, Phil Donahue, Brad Bird and Lauren Bacall, hosted by Jesse L. Martin at Cipriani. He directed the event again in January 2009, celebrating the centennial of the NBR, hosted by Whoopi Goldberg, with Clint Eastwood, Anne Hathaway, Edward Norton, David Fincher, Danny Boyle, Salma Hayek, Josh Brolin, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Naomi Watts, Jonathan Demme and Meryl Streep. For the BIOGRAPH DAYS, BIOGRAPH NIGHTS cable TV show, John hosted “The Directors Series,” interviewing dozens of filmmakers, including Dennis Hopper, Lee Marvin, Paul Schrader, Ralph Bellamy, Sam Raimi, James Toback, Alan Parker, Don Ameche, Max von Sydow, Richard Attenborough, Ralph Bakshi and Anne Francis.

John has appeared on-screen in the feature documentaries, WILD BILL: HOLLYWOOD MAVERICK, JOHN CASSAVETES: A CONSTANT FORGE, and 1939: THE MOVIES GREATEST YEAR (airing on Turner Classic Movies in July 2009). He has taught and lectured extensively at schools, seminars and international film festivals on filmmaking, screenwriting, film acting, and film history. He currently serves on the Board of Directors at ReelAct.com (an internet casting service for actors and filmmakers), and teaches advanced directing at The School of Visual Arts and film acting at The Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, and has taught film acting at Shetler Studios, and One on One in New York. He recently did the DVD audio commentary for William Wellman’s HEROES FOR SALE on Warner Bros. Home Video’s FORBIDDEN HOLLYWOOD Vol. 3.

John is on the Board of Directors of The Real Theatre Company. The company has produced HAIR, with the play’s author James Rado as consultant, at The Neighborhood Playhouse and Theatre Row; a tour of urban high schools with a series of Samuel Beckett plays; and is prepping US, a musical based on the music of Peter Gabriel, produced with the authorization and cooperation of Mr. Gabriel, written by artistic director Maggie Levin.

CRITICS COMMENT ON JOHN GALLAGHER'S FILMS

BLUE MOON
"A touching portrait of a marriage" -- Stephen Holden, New York Times

"BLUE MOON has charm and wisdom" -- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times

"Sweet and intimate ... poignant and unusual ... the acting is compelling" -- Jeffrey Lyons, WNBC-TV

"Heartfelt, passionate and touching ... shines with wit, charm and tenderness" -- Bill Diehl, ABC Radio

"Sublime! Two great performances from Ben Gazzara and Rita Moreno" -- Rex Reed, New York Observer

"A magnificent and beautifully crafted masterpiece ... Gallagher has shown his great talent for thoughtful and inspired human stories again and again" -- Diabolo (Germany)

"A brilliant blend of Truffaut and Fellini, with a little Cassavetes and a sprinkling of Woody Allen, yet at the same time it is a unique and highly original film" -- Nordwest (Germany)

THE DELI
"If you love THE SOPRANOS, you'll love THE DELI" -- Joe Kane, NY Daily News "An engaging and funny romp" -- Jeffrey Lyons, WNBC-TV

"Vivid and authentic" -- Frank Scheck, Hollywood Reporter

"A charmer ... boasting not a false move, the comedy scores with its offbeat likeability and perfect pacing" -- Lloyd Sachs, Chicago Sun-Times

"A refreshing, delightful comedy" -- Kris DeForest, Austin Chronicle

"An hilarious, original screwball comedy" -- D. Carson, St. Louis Post-Dispatch

"A comedy jewel" -- Mox (Germany)

"Magical ... delicious" -- Nordwest Zeitung (Germany)

"Gallagher proves a sure hand" -- Weiser Kurier (Germany)

"Compelling... humorously directed" -- Neues Deutschland (Germany)

MEN LIE
"Smartly written and cleverly constructed ... informed observations on the war between the sexes" -- Joe Leydon, Variety

"Sharp insights and caustic wit ... Both sexes will love this provocative, good-natured comedy, which makes for a perfect date movie ... It also leaves you looking for more from this obviously talented filmmaker" -- Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

"Fast, funny, biting ... a sharp-edged satire of intolerance" -- Houston Chronicle

"An hilarious, fast-paced comedy with a fresh point of view" -- Prague Telegraf

"See this movie if you're a woman and have been lied to by men, or if you're a man who's ever lied to a woman. That should cover everyone" -- A.J. Benza, New York Daily News

STREET HUNTER
"A must for action buffs" -- Phantom of the Movies, New York Daily News

"Well-paced direction from Gallagher" -- Larry Cohn, Variety

"A relentless, high-powered thriller" -- Video Event

"Gallagher knows how to pack a movie with off-the-wall people and lends the proceedings a flair and humor that jack things up a notch or two" -- Frank Thompson, Apprise

LONG WALK TO FOREVER
"Faithful adaptation of the Vonnegut story, beautifully filmed, stylishly directed" -- American Classic Screen

BEACH HOUSE
"The least obnoxious jiggle caper of the decade" -- New York Daily News

"A classic" -- Joe Bob Briggs

CUPIDITY
“Funny and charming … Strong comedic performances” -- Tail Slate

“Comic gold …” -- Film Threat

“Quirky, loose and surprising” -- Film Crash

“Wall to wall with talented new faces … An entertaining and successful experiment in romantic comedy” -- Films in Review

“Writer/Director/Producer John Gallagher has managed to top himself. After great independent films like Men Lie, Blue Moon, and The Deli, he's come up with Cupidity, a mockumentary on dating. Gallagher's expert casting has brought to life every nuance of insanity one encounters while trying to find the perfect mate. Must-see great entertainment!!!” -- Comedy Matters

“John Gallagher is a well known name among independent filmmakers, a director with a big heart, a love for clever stories, and affection for good character acting. His love comedy Cupidity is a masterpiece of improvisation, an impressive piece of indie cinema.” -- Filmfest Oldenburg, Germany

Directed by JOHN GALLAGHER – AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

AND THE WINNER IS …
Jury Award, Best Short Film - Chashama Film Festival

Audience Award, Best Actress (Christina Broccolini) – Chashama Film Festival

Audience Award, Best Actress (Christina Broccolini) – Picturestart Film Festival

Official Selection: Fimfest Oldenburg (Germany), Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Film Fest.

CUPIDITY
Audience Award Best Feature Film – New York Independent Film Festival

Best Actress (Michele Coniglio) – New York Independent Film Festival

Best Supporting Actor (Jared Miller) – New York Independent Film Festival

Best Actor (James Gilmartin) – Queens Film Festival

Festivals: Oldenburg (Germany).

TIMELESS
Best Film & Best Actress (Natalie Howe) – NYC Home Film Festival.

BLUE MOON
21st Century Filmmaker Award, Best American Feature (Audience Award), Avignon-New York Film Festival;

Gold Award, Best Feature, Fantasy Category, Worldfest Houston;

People's Choice Award/Best Actress (Rita Moreno)/Rising Star Award (Brian Vincent), Narrowsburg Independent Film Festival.

Festivals: Palm Springs (California), Sedona (Arizona), Worldfest Houston, Avignon/New York, Avignon/France, Wine Country (California), Narrowsburg (NY), Oldenburg (Germany), Ft. Lauderdale (Florida), Italian-American Film Festival (New York).

PENANCE
Festivals: Oldenburg (Germany), Hamptons Summer Shorts, NYC Home.

THE DELI
Spirit of Independents Award, Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Film Festival; Grand Prize, St. Louis Film Festival; Recognition of Excellence in Filmmaking, National Board of Review. Festivals: South by Southwest (Austin), Nantucket, Denver, Mill Valley, Florida (Orlando), Hudson Valley, St. Louis, Ft. Lauderdale, Oldenburg (Germany), New York Comedy Film Festival.

MEN LIE
Best Independent Feature, Worldfest Houston; Best Feature, Audience Award, Florida Film Festival; Special Audience Award, Ft. Lauderdale Intl. Film Festival; Best Comedy, Charleston Film Festival; Official U.S. Selection in Competition, Karlovy Vary Film Festival.

Festivals: Montreal, Hamburg, Oldenburg, Sao Paulo, Istanbul, Karlovy Vary (Czech Republic), Houston, Florida (Orlando), Ft. Lauderdale, Charleston (SC), Cleveland, Laguna Beach (California).