Tom Kalin
Encyclopedia
Tom Kalin is an award-winning screenwriter
, film director
, producer
, and professor of experimental film at European Graduate School
in Saas-Fee
.
His debut feature, Swoon
, is considered an integral part of the New Queer Cinema
. In addition to his feature work, Kalin has created a number of short films, many of which are collected in the compilations Behold Goliath or The Boy With the Filthy Laugh, Third Known Nest and Tom Kalin Videoworks: Volume 2.
Much of Kalin's work touches on issues of homosexuality
(both modern-day and historical) and AIDS
. He was a member of two AIDS direct action groups, ACT UP and Gran Fury
. His work has won much critical acclaim and garnered a number of awards and nominations, including honors from the Berlin International Film Festival
, Sundance Film Festival
, Tribeca Film Fest and a number of gay
and lesbian
film festivals. Kalin won the Gotham Awards
Open Palm Award (for Swoon
) and has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards
.
Kalin's last project was Savage Grace
, Savage Grace tells the story of the 1972 Barbara Daly Baekeland
murder case and stars Julianne Moore
as Baekeland.
Tom Kalin has taught graduate-level filmmaking classes at Columbia University School of the Arts
, and is currently lecturing at the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
He is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow.
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:...
, 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:...
, producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, and professor of experimental film at European Graduate School
European Graduate School
The European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
in Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee
Saas-Fee is the main village in the Saastal, or the Saas Valley, and is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland...
.
His debut feature, Swoon
Swoon (film)
Swoon is an independent film written and directed by Tom Kalin, released in 1992. It is an account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, focusing more on the homosexuality of the killers than other movies based on the case...
, is considered an integral part of the New Queer Cinema
New Queer Cinema
New Queer Cinema is a term first coined by the academic B. Ruby Rich in Sight & Sound magazine in 1992 to define and describe a movement in queer-themed independent filmmaking in the early 1990s...
. In addition to his feature work, Kalin has created a number of short films, many of which are collected in the compilations Behold Goliath or The Boy With the Filthy Laugh, Third Known Nest and Tom Kalin Videoworks: Volume 2.
Much of Kalin's work touches on issues of homosexuality
Homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...
(both modern-day and historical) and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He was a member of two AIDS direct action groups, ACT UP and Gran Fury
Gran Fury
Gran Fury was an activist/artist collective that came together in 1988. They took the name Gran Fury as it was the specific Plymouth model used by the New York Police Department, for unmarked police cars. The name was also meant to reference their anger about the AIDS pandemic...
. His work has won much critical acclaim and garnered a number of awards and nominations, including honors from the Berlin International Film Festival
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, 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...
, Tribeca Film Fest and a number of gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
and lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
film festivals. Kalin won the Gotham Awards
Gotham Awards
The Gotham Awards is an annual ceremony of awards presented to the makers of independent films which takes place in New York City...
Open Palm Award (for Swoon
Swoon (film)
Swoon is an independent film written and directed by Tom Kalin, released in 1992. It is an account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, focusing more on the homosexuality of the killers than other movies based on the case...
) and has been nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards
Independent Spirit Awards
The Independent Spirit Awards , founded in 1984, are awards dedicated to independent filmmakers. Winners were typically presented with acrylic glass pyramids containing suspended shoestrings representing the paltry budgets of independent films. In 1986, the event was renamed the Independent Spirit...
.
Kalin's last project was Savage Grace
Savage Grace
Savage Grace is a 2007 film directed by Tom Kalin and written by Howard Rodman, based on the book Savage Grace by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson. The story is based on the dysfunctional, allegedly incestuous relationship between heiress and socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland and her son, Antony...
, Savage Grace tells the story of the 1972 Barbara Daly Baekeland
Barbara Daly Baekeland
Barbara Daly Baekeland was a wealthy socialite who was murdered by her son, Antony Baekeland. She was the wife of Brooks Baekeland, who was the grandson of Leo Baekeland, inventor of Bakelite plastic....
murder case and stars Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore
Julianne Moore is an American actress and a children's book author. Throughout her career, she has been nominated for four Oscars, six Golden Globes, three BAFTAs and nine Screen Actors Guild Awards....
as Baekeland.
Tom Kalin has taught graduate-level filmmaking classes at Columbia University School of the Arts
Columbia University School of the Arts
The Columbia University School of the Arts , also known simply as the School of the Arts or as SoA, is the division of the university that offers Master of Fine Arts degrees in Film, Visual Arts, Theatre Arts, and Writing, as well as a Master of Arts degree in Film Studies...
, and is currently lecturing at the European Graduate School in Switzerland.
He is a 2011 Guggenheim Fellow.
Director
- Savage GraceSavage GraceSavage Grace is a 2007 film directed by Tom Kalin and written by Howard Rodman, based on the book Savage Grace by Natalie Robins and Steven M.L. Aronson. The story is based on the dysfunctional, allegedly incestuous relationship between heiress and socialite Barbara Daly Baekeland and her son, Antony...
(2007) - The Robots of Sodom (2003)
- Third Known Nest (1999)
- Plain Pleasures (1996)
- Nomads (1994)
- Geoffrey Beene 30 (1993)
- Nation (1992)
- SwoonSwoon (film)Swoon is an independent film written and directed by Tom Kalin, released in 1992. It is an account of the 1924 Leopold and Loeb murder case, focusing more on the homosexuality of the killers than other movies based on the case...
(1992)
Writer
- Third Known Nest (1999)
- Office KillerOffice KillerOffice Killer is a comedy-horror film directed by Cindy Sherman. It was released in 1997 and stars Carol Kane, Molly Ringwald and David Thornton.- Plot :...
(1997) - Geoffrey Beene 30 (1993)
- Nation (1992)
- Swoon (1992)
Producer
- I Shot Andy Warhol (1996) (producer)
- Go FishGo Fish (film)Go Fish is a 1994 American lesbian-themed independent drama film. Directed and co-written by Rose Troche, the film tells the story of the interrelationships of a small group of lesbian friends in Chicago...
(1994) (executive producer) - Swoon (1992) (co-producer)
External links
- Tom Kalin Faculty Page at European Graduate SchoolEuropean Graduate SchoolThe European Graduate School in Saas-Fee, Switzerland is a privately funded graduate school founded by the non-profit European Foundation of Interdisciplinary Studies. Its German name is Europäische Universität für Interdisziplinäre Studien...
. Biography, bibliography, photos and video lectures - Tom Kalin at Internet Movie Database
- Photo of Tom Kalin
- Kalin's Saving "Grace"
- Tom Kalin in the Video Data Bank