FOX SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES Presents In association with ...

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
Director, Writer, Producer DARREN ARONOFSKY (Director) was born and raised in Brooklyn, New
York. His last film THE WRESTLER premiered at the Venice Film Festival where it won the esteemed Golden
Lion making it only the third American film in history to win this grand prize. One day later it was acquired by
Fox Searchlight hours after its gala screening at the Toronto Film Festival. THE WRESTLER won ‘Best
Feature’ at the Independent Spirit Awards and garnered Academy Award nominations for both Mickey Rourke
and Marisa Tomei.
Aronofsky’s previous feature, THE FOUNTAIN, a science-fiction romance which he wrote and
directed, starred Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. MTV’s Kurt Loder called the film “a classic; dazzling and
visually intoxicating” and Glenn Kenny from Premiere stated that THE FOUNTAIN, “may well restore your
faith in the idea that a movie can take you out of the mundane and into a place of wonderment.”
In 2000, Aronofsky premiered REQUIEM FOR A DREAM at the Cannes Film Festival. The film was
named to over 150 Top Ten lists including the New York Times, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly and the
American Film Institute. The accolades continued with five Independent Spirit Award nominations, including
one for Best Director and a win for Best Actress Ellen Burstyn. Burstyn also received Golden Globe and
Academy Award nominations for her stunning performance.
Aronofsky’s first feature, π, won the Director’s Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay.
Among his honors, the American Film Institute gave Aronofsky the prestigious Franklin J. Schaffner
Alumni Medal and the Stockholm Film Festival presented him the Golden Horse Visionary Award.
MARK HEYMAN (Screenplay By) was born and raised in New Mexico and graduated from Brown
University in 2002. After attending NYU's graduate film program, Heyman began working as director of
development for Darren Aronofsky’s production company Prøtøzøa Pictures. He was a co-producer on THE
WRESTLER, starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.
Following that movie, Heyman decided to turn his focus back to writing, and began working on
BLACK SWAN with Aronofsky. The film marks his first produced screenplay.
ANDRÉS HEINZ (Screenplay By/Story By) attended UCLA and NYU film school where he
completed his B.F.A with the highest honors; his thesis film GROUND LEVEL B was the winner of the 1st
Place Mobil Award.
After graduation, Andrés worked in film and television production, including Production Coordinator
for the film unit at “Saturday Night Live.” He went on to direct his first feature, ORIGIN OF THE SPECIES,
starring Amanda Peet, Jonathan LaPaglia and Michael Kelly.
Since then, Andrés has dedicated himself to writing and has sold several screenplays. BLACK SWAN
is his first original screenplay to be made into a major motion picture.
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