Aron Gaudet is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and author. He is best known for The Way We Get By (2009), Beneath the Harvest Sky (2013), and Queenpins (2021). He writes and directs with his wife and film partner, Gita Pullapilly, under their banner, "Team A + G, Inc."[2][3]
Aron Gaudet | |
|---|---|
| Born | Old Town, Maine, U.S. |
| Nationality | French Acadian; American[1] |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | BBA Communications |
| Alma mater | New England School of Communications |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Organization(s) | Team A + G, Inc. |
| Notable work | Crook County Beneath the Harvest Sky The Way We Get By Queenpins Inspiration To Get You Through A F*cked Up Year |
| Title | Filmmaker |
| Spouse | Gita Pullapilly |
| Relatives | Cyriac Pullapilly (father-in-law) |
| Awards | Variety Magazine's 2014 "10 Directors To Watch" (with Pullapilly) Guggenheim Fellow (with Pullapilly) Independent Magazine's "Filmmakers to Watch" |
Biography
editGaudet was born and raised in Old Town, Maine. He was educated at the University of Maine and the New England School of Communications. Prior to working in the film industry, he worked in television news in Bangor, Maine, Burlington, Vermont, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Boston, Massachusetts. In Boston, he worked for New England Sports Network (NESN) covering the Red Sox and the Bruins.[4][5][6] He is a member of the Writers Guild of America and the Directors Guild of America.
Gaudet began his film career in 2007 co-directing an episode titled India: A New Life for the documentary series Frontline/World which aired on June 21, 2007, that year he was selected as a WGBH Filmmaker in Residence for The Way We Get By.[7][8] In 2009, Gaudet released The Way We Get By, about three senior citizens in Maine who greet American troops returning from Iraq and Afghanistan at the Bangor Airport. His mother, Joan Gaudet, is featured in the film.[9]
In 2012, Gaudet co-created and co-executive produced the national U.S. PBS program Lifecasters, which world premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center,[10][11] he also directed The Gambling Man, a 20-minute documentary short film for the Lifecasters series.[12][13]
In 2015, Gaudet was awarded the Guggenheim fellowship for his work as a filmmaker and in 2014, he was selected as one of Variety's "10 Directors To Watch" for his narrative feature directorial debut, Beneath the Harvest Sky.[14][15][16] During that time, he co-wrote a screenplay for Crook County, a true story of the 1980s FBI investigation in Chicago called Operation Greylord;[17] the screenplay was selected for the 2015 Black List of top unproduced screenplays.[18]
In 2018, Gaudet was selected for the Ryan Murphy Half Initiative for Directing for Television.[19] He shadow directed on the season finale episode of ‘American Horror Story.’[20]
In 2019, Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly created the India-US Film Initiative, a program designed to champion and foster Indian filmmakers in Hollywood and US filmmakers in Bollywood.[14][21] Gaudet co-wrote the screenplay, Queenpins, with Gita Pullapilly, which they co-directed in 2020. Queenpins is a dark comedy starring Kristen Bell and Vince Vaughn, inspired by the true story of the largest counterfeit coupon caper in history.[14] STX sold the domestic rights to Queenpins for a record $21.5 million. It is currently streaming on PLUTO, owned by Paramount Global.
In 2023, they directed a $35 million dramatic thriller, "David Armstrong," with 101 Studios' David Glasser producing and starring Jeremy Renner and Billy Bob Thornton. This is the first film Jeremy Renner completed since his accident.
Filmography
edit| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | The Way We Get By | documentary film; Cinema Eye Honors Award and Emmy Award nominee |
| 2010 | The Elephant Bath | Documentary short |
| 2012 | The Gambling Man | Documentary short |
| 2013 | Lifecasters | documentary TV film |
| Beneath the Harvest Sky | feature film | |
| 2021 | Queenpins | feature film |
Personal life
editGaudet is married to Gita Pullapilly, the American screenwriter, film director, and producer. They write and direct under the banner, Team A + G, Inc. production company. In 2022, they published their first book together, Inspiration To Get You Through A F*cked Up Year.[22]
References
edit- ^ De La Garza, Natalie (April 30, 2014). "Movie filmed in Van Buren now playing at local theaters". Aroostook Republican.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 29, 2016). "CAA Signs 'Beneath the Harvest Sky' Duo Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly". Variety.
- ^ Dawson, Nick (September 8, 2013). "Five Questions with Beneath the Harvest Sky Directors Aron Gaudet and Gita Pullapilly". Filmmaker. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ Weigel, Jenniffer. "Filmmaker Gita Pullapilly talks about telling the stories that matter". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Their story goes well beyond a warm welcome". Los Angeles Times. August 9, 2009.
- ^ "SXSW Interview: "The Way We Get By" Director Aron Gaudet". IndieWire. March 11, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2020.
- ^ "Filmmaker Bio | The Way We Get By | POV | PBS". POV | American Documentary Inc. January 15, 2009. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "FRONTLINE/WORLD . Rough Cut . India: A New LIfe | PBS". www.pbs.org. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "The Way We Get By – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Moretto, Mario (January 24, 2013). "Makers of troop greeters film 'moving on' from MPBN after scheduling dispute". Bangor Daily News.
- ^ McNary, Dave (March 29, 2016). "CAA Signs 'Beneath the Harvest Sky' Duo Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly". Variety. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ Grozdanovic, Nikola (April 28, 2014). "Tribeca Review: 'Beneath The Harvest Sky' Starring Aiden Gillen, Emory Cohen & Callan McAullife". IndieWire. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "The Gambling Man – Cleveland International Film Festival :: April 7 – 18, 2021". www.clevelandfilm.org. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ a b c "Husband-Wife Duo Aron Gaudet, Gita Pullapilly to Direct 'Queenpins' Starring Kristen Bell, Leslie Jones". India West. November 5, 2019.
- ^ Burr, Ty (May 8, 2014). "In 'Beneath the Harvest Sky,' down east is done right". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 25, 2020.
- ^ "Mendoza Business Magazine – Show/Biz". bizmagazine.nd.edu.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 18, 2017). "Adam McKay, Emory Cohen Board Corruption Drama 'Crook County'". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ "Black List 2015 Scripts Announced With 'Bubbles' King Of The Jungle – Full List". Deadline Hollywood. December 14, 2015.
- ^ "Mentees | HALF Initiative". half.
- ^ "David Armstrong's Expose of the Sacklers' Role in Opioid Crisis to Become a Film for 101 Studios". TheWrap. January 23, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
- ^ "Gita Pullapilly and Aron Gaudet and India – US Film Summit". myNewYorkeye. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
- ^ "Kristen Bell, Vince Vaughn, & Leslie Jones To Star In Counterfeiting Comedy 'Queenpins'". Full Circle Cinema. July 7, 2020.
External links
edit- Aron Gaudet at IMDb