Shane Carruth


Shane Carruth is an American filmmaker, known for science-fiction features in which he has filled numerous jobs, including producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and actor. These include his prize-winning debut [Primer |Primer] and Upstream Color. In reference to Carruth's unusual filmmaking technique, director Steven Soderbergh described him as "the illegitimate offspring of David Lynch and James Cameron."

Early life

Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1972. He attended Stephen F. Austin State University as a mathematics major. Before becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a developer of flight-simulation software.

Career

''Primer''

For his independent film Primer, Carruth wrote, directed, produced, and performed one of the two main roles; he also composed the score. The film was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the Grand Jury Prize and the Alfred P. Sloan Award. Carruth, a former software engineer with an undergraduate degree in mathematics, used his technical knowledge extensively on the project.

''Upstream Color''

On January 21, 2013, Carruth premiered his film Upstream Color at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival in the U.S. Dramatic Competition category. Carruth, Johnny Marshall, and Pete Horner won the U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design for the film. Keith Kimbell wrote that it was the "most anticipated film in competition", and "most critics couldn't stop talking about it". The film was released via VHX on April 5, 2013. Some of Carruth's music from Upstream Color was featured in the 2016 documentary Tickled.

Unrealized or upcoming work

In 2009, David Sullivan, one of the leads in Primer, tweeted that "Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production". Filmmaker Rian Johnson tweeted that it would feature a "mind-blowing sci-fi script." In 2010, several news sources reported that A Topiary was in the works and that the script had been written. There was already a website for the movie which, according to Carruth in an interview to io9, "The website for now is just a place mark as financing has yet to be completed. I'm cautiously optimistic that this can happen soon and couldn't be happier with the filmmakers that have committed to the project so far." However, the film stalled, and in early 2013, Carruth told EW that it was "the thing I basically wasted my whole life on." Carruth no longer pursues the project; some VFX test footage of the film is visible in Upstream Color in a scene when a character is examining the video for technical flaws.
In 2014, Carruth announced a new film, The Modern Ocean, based on international shipping and the lives of those involved. On August 12, 2015, it was reported that the film was in pre-production, and its ensemble cast was announced in November 2015; it would include Jeff Goldblum, Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Tom Holland, Daniel Radcliffe, Chloë Grace Moretz, Asa Butterfield, and Abraham Attah. In an interview in 2018, Carruth noted that the film is "not gonna happen anytime soon". Irrfan Khan was also scheduled to star as the lead captain of the ship, before his death on April 29, 2020. On June 17, 2020, Carruth posted the entire script for The Modern Ocean on Twitter, along with some of the original score.
In 2019, in an interview Carruth claimed he was working on "a massive thing" and would leave the film industry once that project concludes.

Consulting

Carruth was rumored to have consulted on time-travel sequences for filmmaker Rian Johnson's Looper, though it was later revealed that those sequences were deemed too expensive to shoot.

Acting

In 2018, Carruth starred in the psychological thriller The Dead Center about a hospital psychiatrist whose own sanity is pushed to the edge when a frightened amnesiac patient insists that he has died and brought something terrible back from the other side.

Personal life

In 2019, when asked about his religious beliefs, he stated that he was raised Christian, but fell away from it, before later saying that he still prays from time to time and finds some comfort from the Bible.

Legal issues

From 2011 to 2018, Carruth was in a relationship with Amy Seimetz. The couple became engaged in 2013. Seimetz obtained temporary restraining orders against Carruth in 2018 and a permanent restraining order in 2020, citing years of domestic and emotional abuse and harassment. Carruth has denied these allegations.
On January 13, 2022, Carruth was arrested at the home of another ex-girlfriend on allegations of domestic assault and vandalism. He was released four days later on a $50,000 bond. Variety reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office would not file felony charges.

Filmography

Television

Acting roles

Other credits

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2004Sundance Film FestivalGrand Jury PrizePrimerWon
2004Sundance Film FestivalAlfred P. Sloan PrizePrimerWon
2004Nantucket Film FestivalBest Writer/DirectorPrimerWon
2004Gotham AwardsBest FeaturePrimerNomitated
2004Sitges Film FestivalBest FilmPrimerNomitated
2005London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic FilmBest FeaturePrimerWon
2005Independent Spirit AwardsBest FeaturePrimerNomitated
2005Independent Spirit AwardsBest DirectorPrimerNomitated
2005Independent Spirit AwardsBest First ScreenplayPrimerNomitated
2005Independent Spirit AwardsBest Actor in a Debut Performance PrimerNomitated
2005FantasportoInternational Fantasy Film AwardPrimerNomitated
2013Sundance Film FestivalU.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound DesignUpstream ColorWon
2013Sundance Film FestivalGrand Jury Prize – DramaticUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Sitges Film FestivalBest Directorial RevelationUpstream ColorWon
2013Sitges Film FestivalBest Motion PictureUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Los Angeles [Film Critics Association]Best EditingUpstream ColorSecond place
2013Independent Spirit AwardsBest DirectorUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Independent Spirit AwardsBest EditingUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Gotham AwardsBest FilmUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Gotham AwardsBest Actress Upstream ColorNomitated
2013CamerimageBest Cinematography DebutUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Chicago Film Critics AssociationBest EditingUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Dublin Film Critics' CircleBest DirectorUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Village Voice Film PollBest FilmUpstream ColorNomitated
2013Village Voice Film PollBest DirectorUpstream ColorNomitated
2013SXSW Film FestivalFestival FavoritesUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Australian Film Critics AssociationBest International Film Upstream ColorNomitated
2014Central Ohio Film Critics AssociationBest PictureUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Central Ohio Film Critics AssociationBest CinematographyUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Chlotrudis AwardBest CinematographyUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Lost WeekendBest VisualsUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBreakthrough Upstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest PictureUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest Original ScoreUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest DirectorUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest Actress Upstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest Original ScreenplayUpstream ColorNomitated
2014Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest CinematographyUpstream ColorNomitated
2014London Film Critics' CircleTechnical Achievement of the Year Upstream ColorNomitated