Director Lisa Cholodenko has signed with Arts & Sciences for commercial representation. A prolific film and TV director, producer, and screenwriter, Cholodenko is no stranger to commercialmaking, having turned out work for global brands including Skyy Vodka, Jaguar, and L’Oréal.
While Cholodenko was an MFA film student at Columbia University, she wrote her first feature film, High Art, which she also directed. High Art, as well as her second feature film, Laurel Canyon, premiered at Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Cholodenko co-wrote and directed the film The Kids Are Alright, starring Annette Benning, Julianne Moore, and Mark Ruffalo. The Kids Are Alright was nominated for four Academy Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture, and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture–Musical or Comedy.
In the world of television, Cholodenko directed the HBO miniseries Olive Kitteridge–starring Frances McDormand, Richard Jenkins, Bill Murray, and Jesse Plemons–for which she garnered a Primetime Emmy and Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Director. She directed three episodes of and executive produced the Peabody Award-winning Netflix series Unbelievable, starring Toni Collette and Merritt Weaver. Cholodenko also executive produced and directed two episodes of the Hulu series The Girl From Plainville, led by actor Elle Fanning.
“I’ve always gravitated towards storytelling that grounds the narrative in reality, portrayed through the emotions and experiences of believable characters acting in surprising or unexpected ways,” said Cholodenko. “In this way, the personal becomes universal. I love the unique work Arts & Sciences produces in the branded entertainment and commercial space, and I look forward to exploring those opportunities together.”
Mal Ward, Arts & Sciences’ managing director and partner, said of Cholodenko, “What I love most about her work is that you immediately feel like you know these characters–what makes them tick. You have a true sense of empathy right off the bat. She has this way of distilling the human experience in such an ergonomic, precise, artistically beautiful way that’s made her work stand out across the board, but moreover, it makes her a deft hand at commercial work.”
Cholodenko is currently in development for two upcoming features. She is slated to write, direct, and adapt the acclaimed German film Toni Erdmann, as well as Beautiful, the Grammy-winning Broadway musical about the early life and career of Carole King.
