Ilya Chaiken
Encyclopedia
Ilya Chaiken is an American
film director
and screenwriter
. She is best known for her debut feature Margarita Happy Hour, a film about motherhood, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
in 2001 and went on to the Los Angeles Film Festival
and Toronto International Film Festival
.
Chaiken garnered accolades as a college student for her short films The Actress and Match Flick. She was awarded a Statue Award for artistic excellence in film from the Princess Grace Foundation in 1994. She has worked as an editor on various shorts, music videos, as well as her own films. In 2004, her comedic short The 100 Lovers of Jesus Reynolds granted her a return to Sundance
. That same year she also screened her short Blackout for the Blackout Film Festival, for the first anniversary of the blackout that occurred in New York in 2003.
Chaiken's second feature Liberty Kid
, which deals with post-9/11 life for inner-city youth in Brooklyn, premiered at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival
. It won the Best Feature Award at the New York International Latino Film Festival
and was picked up for broadcasting by HBO. It was produced by such independent film notables as Mike S. Ryan
, Larry Fessenden
, and Roger E. Kass. It received great reviews from the New York Times and Variety and was released on video by Kino Films on Veteran's Day, 2008.
She is a graduate of SUNY Purchase in filmmaking.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
. She is best known for her debut feature Margarita Happy Hour, a film about motherhood, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
in 2001 and went on to the Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
and Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
.
Chaiken garnered accolades as a college student for her short films The Actress and Match Flick. She was awarded a Statue Award for artistic excellence in film from the Princess Grace Foundation in 1994. She has worked as an editor on various shorts, music videos, as well as her own films. In 2004, her comedic short The 100 Lovers of Jesus Reynolds granted her a return to Sundance
Sundance
Sundance Resort is a ski resort located northeast of Provo, Utah, spanning over on the slopes of Mount Timpanogos in Utah's Wasatch Range. Snow skiing began on the site in 1944...
. That same year she also screened her short Blackout for the Blackout Film Festival, for the first anniversary of the blackout that occurred in New York in 2003.
Chaiken's second feature Liberty Kid
Liberty Kid
Liberty Kid is a 2007 low budget American film that is directed by Ilya Chaiken.-Plot summary:Two friends Derrick and Tico lost their jobs at a concession stand at the Statue of Liberty because of 9/11. In order to make money, they become drug dealers and participate in insurance scams. Derrick...
, which deals with post-9/11 life for inner-city youth in Brooklyn, premiered at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
The Los Angeles Film Festival, presented by the Los Angeles Times is an event held annually in June in downtown Los Angeles, California. The Los Angeles Film Festival began as the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival in 1995. The first LAIFF took place over the course of five days in a single...
. It won the Best Feature Award at the New York International Latino Film Festival
New York International Latino Film Festival
The New York International Latino Film Festival is a major Hispanic film festival located in New York City. The festival features over sixty films, shorts, and documentaries over the course of six days, along with other events focused on Latino culture....
and was picked up for broadcasting by HBO. It was produced by such independent film notables as Mike S. Ryan
Mike S. Ryan
Mike S. Ryan is an American film producer. He is most known for producing the indie hit feature Junebug, starring Amy Adams. Adams received a nomination for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role, making it the most inexpensive film to be in contention for an...
, Larry Fessenden
Larry Fessenden
-Life and career:He is president of Glass Eye Pix, an independent film production company based in New York City. Fessenden produced the Dark Sky film The Inkeepers which is directed by Ti West and the thriller Hypothermia, besides his work as producer he stars in the psychological thriller I Can...
, and Roger E. Kass. It received great reviews from the New York Times and Variety and was released on video by Kino Films on Veteran's Day, 2008.
She is a graduate of SUNY Purchase in filmmaking.