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Christine Vachon

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Christine Vachon
Vachon in 2019
Born (1962-11-21) November 21, 1962 (age 62)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materBrown University
OccupationProducer
Years active1985–present
PartnerMarlene McCarty
Children1
Parent(s)John Vachon
Françoise Fourestier

Christine Vachon (/væˈʃɒn/;[1] born November 21, 1962) is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector.[2][3]

Vachon produced Todd Haynes' first feature, Poison (1991), which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she has gone on to produce many acclaimed independent films, including Far from Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don't Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, Go Fish, Swoon, I'm Not There, and Carol. She also produced the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce.

Vachon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a paramount New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.[4]

Early life

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Vachon was born in Manhattan, New York City. She is the daughter of Françoise Fourestier and photographer John Vachon.[2]

Career

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She graduated from Brown University in 1983, where she met fellow alums director Todd Haynes and Barry Ellsworth. Together, they created Apparatus Productions in 1987, a non-profit company deeply inspired by the anti-Hollywood New York film scene and oversaw the production of seven films in five years. Most notoriously, Apparatus produced Haynes' controversial Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a film depicting the dramatic rise and fall of the anorexic pop star. To make financial ends meet, Vachon became a proofreader by night. She also took on odd jobs in the film industry to learn the trade.

Killer Films

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Vachon and fellow New York producer Pamela Koffler currently run Killer Films, which was established in 1996. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005 and was honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[5]

Her first feature Poison (written and directed by Academy Award nominee Todd Haynes) won the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991. Since that initial success, Christine has worked on a number of noteworthy films, including I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Kids, One Hour Photo, and Boys Don't Cry. Through her enduring relationship with Haynes, she has worked on every feature film of his to date, including Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, and I'm Not There, which starred Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbour, Julianne Moore, and Michelle Williams. Cate Blanchett received both Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was also nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards, notching a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett.

In 2008, Vachon won an Emmy for her role as executive producer for the TV adaptation of Ira Glass's This American Life.[citation needed]

Killer Films's releases for 2008 include Savage Grace, directed by Tom Kalin and starring Julianne Moore; An American Crime, starring Catherine Keener and Elliot Page, directed by Tommy O'Haver: Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of Helen Hunt, starring herself, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick.

Vachon continued her long-standing collaboration with Todd Haynes for the 2015 film Carol and the 2023 film May December.[6]

Vachon is the artistic director of the MFA Program at Stony Brook Manhattan.

Personal life

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Vachon and her partner, artist Marlene McCarty, live in the East Village of New York with their daughter Guthrie. In the fall of 2009, Vachon went into remission after a battle with breast cancer.[2][7]

Awards and juries

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Awards

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Juries

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Filmography as producer

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Director's name in brackets after film title.

Works and publications

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  • Schamus, James, Barry Ellsworth, Todd Haynes, and Christine Vachon. The Apparatus Guide to No-Budget Filmmaking in New York City. New York: Apparatus Productions, 1989. OCLC 801262187
  • Vachon, Christine, and David Edelstein. Shooting to Kill: How an Independent Producer Blasts Through the Barriers to Make Movies That Matter. New York: Harper Perennial, 2002. Reprint of 1998 edition. ISBN 978-0-380-79854-4 OCLC 793342718
  • Vachon, Christine, and Austin Bunn. A Killer Life: How an Independent Film Producer Survives Deals and Disasters in Hollywood and Beyond. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2006. ISBN 978-0-743-25630-8 OCLC 238812473 2007 Limelight Edition.

References

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  1. ^ "Brit Marling". Killer/Hope: Live at Sundance. Digital Artists. February 1, 2011. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Buckley, Cara (November 6, 2009). "When Being Home Is an Adventure". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Galloway, Stephen; Belloni, Matthew (December 11, 2015). "Watch THR's Full, Uncensored Producer Roundtable With Ice Cube, Steve Golin and More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  4. ^ "NYICFF Jury". Gkids.com.
  5. ^ Sharf, Zack (January 24, 2016). "Sundance Exclusive: Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler's 6 Survival Tips for Producing". Indiewire. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  6. ^ Abramovitch, Seth (September 25, 2015). "Killer Films' Co-Founders Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler on Lesbian Romance 'Carol' and Indie Resilience". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
  7. ^ Dietrich, Joy (July 6, 2010). "Asked & Answered". The New York Times. Retrieved July 6, 2010.
  8. ^ "AND THE 2007 WINNERS ARE..." Woodstock Film Festival. 2007.
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