Tamara Jenkins
Tamara Jenkins | |
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Born | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. | May 2, 1962
Occupations |
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Years active | 1991–present |
Spouse | |
Children | 1 |
Tamara Jenkins (born May 2, 1962) is an American filmmaker and occasional actress. She is best known for her feature films Slums of Beverly Hills (1998), The Savages (2007), and Private Life (2018).
Early life
Jenkins was born in
In the 1980s, Jenkins moved to New York City where she performed in various productions, including the first national tours of
Career
Jenkins began her career with a short film, 1991's Fugitive Love, which screened at the
Her debut feature film, 1998's semi-autobiographical
Starring Alan Arkin, Natasha Lyonne and Marisa Tomei, Slums of Beverly Hills was nominated for two Independent Spirit Awards (Best First Feature and Best First Screenplay). Jenkins took a nearly decade-long hiatus to complete her next feature film.[7] In the nine-year gap between her two films, she worked on an eventually abandoned screenplay about photographer Diane Arbus.[4] Before returning to her next feature film, Jenkins branched out to explore theater, essay publications, and nonprofit film and TV work. In 2003, she directed The New Group's theater production of A Likely Story, written and performed by David Cale.[12]
Shortly after her marriage, Jenkins went to Yaddo, the artists' colony in Saratoga Springs, New York, to work on the screenplay that would eventually become 2007's The Savages.[10] For this tragicomedy about a dysfunctional family dealing with the aftershocks of its patriarch's elderly dementia, Jenkins took inspiration from her experiences with her grandmother and father, both of whom were in nursing homes with dementia.[13] Jenkins' father, who was much older than Jenkins’ mother, first needed care when she was in her 30s.[14] Additionally, Jenkins built upon her theater work at The New Group, departing from her previously straight dramas to something far more absurd. The film layers a bright, doll-like color palette upon a bleak and often morbid story, relying on the savage wit of her screenplay to tie the film together.[15]
The project was initially with
After the success of The Savages, it took Jenkins eleven years to make her third feature film, Private Life. When discussing the more than a decade-long hiatus, Jenkins noted that successful female directors do not often produce films at the same pace as their male counterparts, stating “It’s systemic. It’s gotta be systemic. There is something in the water.”[16]
Private Life, which starred Paul Giamatti, Kathryn Hahn, Molly Shannon, and Kayli Carter, was also written by Jenkins. The film began production in April 2017,[17] and was given a limited release in theaters on October 5, 2018, by Netflix, which also streamed the film.[18][19] Private Life follows a couple dealing with infertility, and is based on Jenkins’ own struggles to have a child.[20] Rolling Stone magazine described the movie as "not only about infertility... a tender but unflinching portrait of a couple in the throes of a midlife crisis."[18] Jenkins was nominated at the 2019 Independent Spirit Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay for the film.[21] Private Life holds a 93% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, making it Jenkins' highest-rated film on the site.[22]
Personal life
In addition to her work in film, Jenkins' writing has been published in Zoetrope: All-Story and
In 2002, Jenkins married screenwriter Jim Taylor.[4] They have a daughter and live in New York City as of 2019[update].[23]
Filmography
Feature films
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer |
---|---|---|---|---|
1998 | Slums of Beverly Hills | Yes | Yes | No |
2007 | The Savages | Yes | Yes | No |
2018 | Private Life | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2018 | Juliet, Naked | No | Yes | No |
Short films
Year | Title | Director | Writer |
---|---|---|---|
1991 | Fugitive Love | Yes | Yes |
1993 | Family Remains | Yes | Yes |
2004 | Choices: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly | Yes | No |
Actress
- Cheap Flight (1996)
- Happy Accidents (2000)
- Love in the Time of Money (2002)
Awards and nominations
Year | Association | Category | Nominated Work | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1999 | Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best First Screenplay | Slums of Beverly Hills | Nominated | |
Best First Feature | Nominated | ||||
2008 | Academy Awards | Best Original Screenplay | The Savages | Nominated | |
Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
Best Screenplay | Won | ||||
2018 | Gotham Awards | Best Screenplay | Private Life | Nominated | |
2019 | Film Independent Spirit Awards | Best Director | Nominated | ||
Best Screenplay | Nominated |
References
- ^ "Tamara Jenkins - Yahoo! Singapore Movies". Sg.movies.yahoo.com. November 30, 1961. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ "Civilization makes a comeback in 'The Savages' | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California". Jweekly.com. December 14, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ "Celebrities | j. the Jewish news weekly of Northern California". Jweekly.com. February 22, 2008. Retrieved April 1, 2012.
- ^ a b c d e Lim, Dennis (November 7, 2007). "Unblinking Look at Death Without Nobility". The New York Times. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ Giles, Jeff. "Dysfunction Junction." Newsweek 132.7 (1998): 61. Academic Search Complete. Web. May 15, 2012.
- ^ "Tamara Jenkins Theatre Credits, News, Bio and Photos". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ a b Tobias, Scott (November 29, 2007). "Tamara Jenkins Interview". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Klein, Joshua (August 26, 1998). "90210: Tamara Jenkins". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on March 16, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ a b "Tamera Jenkins at Fox Searchlight". Archived from the original on February 21, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Fear, David (February 1, 2008). "Tamara Jenkins Gets Savage". Movie Maker. Archived from the original on May 4, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ProQuest 109900970.
- ^ Hernandez, Ernio. "The New Group (naked) Launches With David Cale's A Likely Story, Dec. 1". Archived from the original on September 6, 2012. Retrieved May 5, 2012.
- ^ "Exclusive interview with Tamara Jenkins". Archived from the original on February 10, 2008. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ Onstad, Katrina (December 7, 2007). "Family matters: Director Tamara Jenkins discusses her film The Savages". CBC News. Retrieved February 5, 2008.
- ^ Schwartz, Missy. "Tamara Jenkins." Entertainment Weekly 966/967 (2007): 114. Academic Search Complete. Web. May 9, 2012.
- ^ "A mythic female director finally returns, with some pointed comments". Washington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "'The Savages' Director Tamara Jenkins to Helm Molly Shannon-Starring Netflix Drama 'Private Life'". March 16, 2017. Retrieved March 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Fontoura, Maria (October 11, 2018). "'Private Life' Director Tamara Jenkins Always Looks on the Bright Side". Rolling Stone. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ Rosenbaum, S.I. (October 3, 2018). "137 Minutes With Tamara Jenkins". www.vulture.com. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
- ^ Thompson, Anne (January 18, 2018). "'Private Life': A Decade After 'The Savages,' Tamara Jenkins Returns With a Personal Netflix Film". IndieWire. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (November 16, 2018). "2019 Independent Spirit Awards Nominees: 'Eighth Grade' & 'We the Animals' Lead". IndieWire. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Tamara Jenkins". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- ^ "Tamara Jenkins". Film Independent. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
External links
- Tamara Jenkins at IMDb
- Tamara Jenkins on FilmBug.com
- Tamara Jenkins, Laughing with 'The Savages', a November 2007 interview on Fresh Air