Joe Swanberg, an actor and director known for micro-budget indie films that are brimming with improv, recently filmed a movie called Happy Christmas that is said to star Lena Dunham and Anna Kendrick. Swanberg has worked with Kendrick before on Drinking Buddies, an independent romantic comedy that Swanberg both wrote and directed starring Jake Johnson and Oliva Wilde that will come out this summer. The film was shot by Beasts of the Southern Wild cinematographer Ben Richardson. Richardson was also the cinematographer for Drinking Buddies.
The young director has been described as “prolific” due to the fact that his resume boasts directing credits for sixteen films within the short span of four years. Despite his bountiful resume, Swanberg’s directing and acting roles have been largely unheralded. Yet the combination of Kendrick, Dunham, and Richardson seems auspicious. Kendrick first came onto the scene within the Twilight franchise and went on to make her mark in Hollywood within the critically-acclaimed film Up in the Air, which also starred George Clooney and Vera Farmiga. Kendrick went on to land the starring role in one of last fall’s hit movies, Pitch Perfect. Dunham is best-known as the award-winning writer, director, and star of HBO’s Girls, which has been at the center of headlines, both good and bad, since its debut last spring. Swanberg seems to have triumphed in scoring an acclaimed cast and crew, allowing for the possibility of his first professionally-shot film to triumph as well.
Leave a Comment