Shane Carruth


Shane Carruth is an American former filmmaker, screenwriter, composer, and actor. He is the writer, director, and co-star of the prize-winning science-fiction film Primer, which was his debut feature. His second film, Upstream Color, was an experimental science-fiction film which he wrote, directed, produced, edited, designed, and starred in. He also composed the scores for both films. In recognition of Carruth's idiosyncratic and, at times, bizarre filmmaking technique, director Steven Soderbergh told Entertainment Weekly, "I view Shane as the illegitimate offspring of David Lynch and James Cameron."

Early life

Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on January 1, 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 Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Tom Holland and Daniel Radcliffe. In an interview in 2018, Carruth noted that the film is "not gonna happen anytime soon". 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's working on "a massive thing" and will 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. In an "Ask Me Anything" session on the site Reddit, Johnson said "He gave some notes on the script but wasn't involved beyond that, sadly."

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

Carruth was engaged to Amy Seimetz as of 2016, though by 2019 they had separated. Seimetz obtained temporary restraining orders against Carruth in 2018 and 2020, citing years of abuse.

Filmography

Television

Acting roles

Other credits

Awards and nominations

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