David Lowery (born December 26, 1980) is an American filmmaker. His film Ain't Them Bodies Saints (2013), starring Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck, was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. In 2016, he directed the Disney film Pete's Dragon (2016), a live-action film which he had co-written, loosely based on the same original story as the Disney 1977 musical of the same name. He directed the drama film A Ghost Story (2017), the crime film The Old Man & the Gun (2018), the fantasy epic The Green Knight (2021) and the musical psychological drama Mother Mary (2026).
Early life Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on December 26, 1980,Mead, Rebecca (January 2012). "Into the Deep". Allure. pp. 103–106. David Lowery is the eldest of nine children born to Madeleine and Mark Lowery. When he was seven, his family moved to Irving, Texas, for his father's work. Lowery attended Irving High School.
At the age of 19, Lowery wrote and directed his first film, a short entitled Lullaby.
Career
Lowery's first feature film, St. Nick, which follows two runaway children abandoned by their guardians, premiered at the 2009 South by Southwest festival. It won the Texas Filmmaker Award at the 2009 AFI Dallas International Film Festival.
In 2011, Lowery started his own production company, Sailor Bear. That same year, he wrote and directed the short film entitled Pioneer, which played at the Sundance Film Festival that year.
In 2013, Lowery wrote, directed and edited his second feature film, Ain't Them Bodies Saints, starring Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. It was selected to compete at the Critics' Week section of the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Lowery has said that he drew from great directors and their works for this film, citing Claire Denis's 35 Shots of Rum, Robert Altman's McCabe & Mrs. Miller, and Paul Thomas Anderson and David Fincher as influences.
In addition to having edited films such as Amy Seimetz's Sun Don't Shine and Shane Carruth's Upstream Color, Lowery co-wrote Pit Stop with director Yen Tan. At the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, it was announced that Lowery would write and direct the film adaptation of the novel The Yellow Birds, written by Iraq War veteran Kevin Powers; it was a 2012 National Book Award finalist. The film was eventually directed by Alexandre Moors and stars Jack Huston, Tye Sheridan, Alden Ehrenreich and Jennifer Aniston.
In April 2016, Lowery directed a remake of Disney's Pete's Dragon, which was met with positive reviews.Pete's Dragon (2016) Rotten Tomatoes. Lowery also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Toby Halbrooks."After Gritty Sundance Debut On ‘Ain’t Them Bodies Saints’, David Lowery To Reinvent ‘Pete's Dragon’ For Disney." Deadline Hollywood (March 19, 2013). In July 2016, it was announced Lowery would direct an episode of Breakthrough for National Geographic Channel. In November 2016, it was announced Lowery had shot a new film, A Ghost Story, over the summer with Rooney Mara and Casey Affleck as a secret project.
Lowery next directed the 2018 drama film The Old Man & the Gun, starring Robert Redford as bank robber, Forrest Tucker, and Casey Affleck.
2020s Lowery followed up The Old Man and the Gun with the medieval fantasy The Green Knight which stars Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Barry Keoghan, Ralph Ineson and Sean Harris. The film was scheduled to world premiere at South by Southwest in March 2020, and be released on May 29, 2020, but the premiere and release were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It was released on July 30, 2021.
Lowery directed a segment of the anthology film The Year of the Everlasting Storm which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in July 2021 and was released in theatres on 3 September 2021.
After working with Disney on Pete's Dragon, Lowery signed on to direct a live-action adaptation of their 1953 animated film Peter Pan in April 2016. The film, titled Peter Pan & Wendy and starring Alexander Molony as Peter Pan, Jude Law as Captain Hook, and Ever Anderson as Wendy Darling, was released on Disney+ on April 28, 2023.
In March 2023, it was announced Lowery would write and direct the music drama film Mother Mary for A24, with Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel starring and Jack Antonoff and Charli XCX writing original songs for the project.
In July 2026, it was announced that Lowery would direct and co-write a feature adaptation of John Langan's Lovecraftian novel, The Fisherman, for Focus Features.
Personal life Lowery married filmmaker Augustine Frizzell in 2010. , they live in Dallas. Lowery identifies as an atheist, and has been a vegan since approximately 1996.
Filmography Film Year Title Director Writer Editor Producer 2005 Deadroom 2009 It Was Great, But I Was Ready to Come Home St. Nick 2013 Ain't Them Bodies Saints Pit Stop 2016 Pete's Dragon 2017 A Ghost Story The Yellow Birds 2018 The Old Man & the Gun 2021 The Green Knight 2023 Peter Pan & Wendy 2026 Mother Mary
Executive producer Minor Setback (2013) Person to Person (2017) Never Goin' Back (2018) Light from Light (2019) Miss Juneteenth (2020) We're All Going to the World's Fair (2022)
Short films YearTitle Director Writer Producer Editor DoPNotes 2000 Lullaby Also camera operator The Knocker 2003 Still Looking for Love 2006 G.D.M.F. Some Analog Lines 2007The Outlaw Son 2008A Catalog of Anticipations Coda Merrily, Merrily 2009 The Crane House Boycrazy Promo Boycrazy in Bed Boycrazy Gets a Job Boycrazy Bikini Mishap Boycrazy at the Drug Store 2011Pioneer My Daily Routine Documentary short 2014 Until We Could 2021 Dig Up My Darling Segment of The Year of the Everlasting Storm 2022 Oak Thorn & The Old Rose Of Love 2024 An Almost Christmas Story
Additional credits Year Title Role 2008 Blood on the Highway Second unit director and assistant camera Ciao Editor and co-producer 2009 Alexander the Last Additional editor and sound recordist St. Nick Editor 2010 Lovers of Hate Cinematographer Audrey the Trainwreck Shadowboxing Editor 2011 Bad Fever Uncertain, TX Universal Squadrons 2012 Sun Don't Shine Reconvergence Cinematographer Nor'easter Editor 2013 Upstream Color 2014 Listen Up Philip Producer Empire Builder Editor and cinematographer
Acting roles Year Title Role Notes 2002 Happy Birthday Videographer 2008 Blood on the Highway Vampire 2009 Alexander the Last Stagehand 2017 A Ghost Story Neighbor's Ghost Uncredited2022Lynch/OzNarrator/ContributorChapter 6: Dig 2024 Queer Jim Cochan An Almost Christmas Story Additional voices Short film
Television Year Title Director Executiveproducer Writer Episode(s) 2014 Rectify "Donald the Normal" 2017 Breakthrough "Addiction: A Psychedelic Cure?" 2018 Strange Angel "Augurs of Spring" and "Ritual of Abduction" 2021 Cinema Toast "The Gunshot Heard 'Round the World" 2024 Star Wars: Skeleton Crew "Way, Way Out Past the Barrier" and "Very Interesting, As An Astrogation Problem"
Accolades +YearAwardCategoryWorkResult2005Texas Film FestivalBest Feature NarrativeDeadroom2008SXSW Film FestivalGrand Jury AwardA Catalog of Anticipations2009Dallas International Film FestivalGrand Jury PrizeSt. NickSidewalk Film FestivalSpecial Jury AwardSt. Louis International Film FestivalNew Filmmakers Forum AwardThessaloniki Film FestivalGolden Alexander201124fps International Short Film FestivalBest Short FilmPioneerAshland Independent Film FestivalBest Short FilmEastern Oregon Film FestivalBest Short FilmHamptons International Film Festival Golden Starfish AwardPhiladelphia Film FestivalSpecial Jury AwardSundance Film FestivalShort Filmmaking AwardSXSW Film FestivalCompetition AwardGrand Jury Award2013Chicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest EditingUpstream ColorLos Angeles Film Critics Association AwardsBest EditingDeauville Film FestivalGrand Special PrizeAin't Them Bodies SaintsGotham AwardsBest FeaturePalm Springs International Film FestivalDirectors To WatchSundance Film FestivalGrand Jury PrizeNashville Film FestivalBest ScreenplayPit Stop2014Independent Spirit AwardsJohn Cassavetes AwardBest EditingUpstream Color2016Heartland Film FestivalTruly Moving Picture AwardPete's Dragon2017Boston Society of Film CriticsBest Film EditingA Ghost StoryDeauville Film FestivalRevelation PrizeCritics PrizeJury PrizeGrand Special PrizeFantasia Film FestivalCamera Lucida AwardSitges Film FestivalCarnet Jove Jury AwardSundance Film FestivalAudience AwardUtah Film Critics Association AwardsBest Director2018Independent Spirit AwardsJohn Cassavetes AwardInternational Online Cinema Awards Best Film EditingLondon Film FestivalBest FilmThe Old Man & the GunSan Diego Film Critics Society AwardsBest Adapted Screenplay2021Cannes Film FestivalGolden EyeThe Year of the Everlasting StormChicago Film Critics Association AwardsBest DirectorThe Green KnightBest Adapted ScreenplayCritics' Choice Super AwardsBest Science Fiction/Fantasy MovieDetroit Film Critics Society AwardsBest DirectorBest Adapted ScreenplayGotham AwardsBest FeatureBest ScreenplayInternational Online Cinema Awards Best Adapted ScreenplayNational Board of Review AwardsTop Independent FilmsSaturn AwardsBest Fantasy FilmSeattle Film Critics SocietyBest DirectorBest ScreenplayWashington DC Area Film Critics Association AwardsBest FilmBest Director
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