Lianne Halfon
Producer Lianne Halfon began working in film in New York. After working in various below-the-line jobs (from gaffer to sound editor), she returned to Los Angeles to work first as a reader for Tri-Star and then to join A&M Films where she was the Sr. Vice President of Production. The company produced films that were critically praised, from The Breakfast Club to A Midnight Clear.
In the next three years she produced the play Libra with Russ Smith at the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago, directed by John Malkovich and based on the novel by Don DeLillo. She executive produced Crumb, which won the Grand Jury Award at Sundance and was released theatrically by Sony Classics, landing on more "10 Best" lists than any other film that year. This was followed by developing and producing the HBO film A Good Baby, directed by Katherine Dieckmann and starring Henry Thomas and David Strathairn.
In April of 1998, Lianne joined her partners John Malkovich and Russ Smith in forming the company Mr. Mudd. In 2001, Mr. Mudd produced Ghost World, a live action feature based on Dan Clowes' comic, directed by Terry Zwigoff (Crumb) and starring Thora Birch and Steve Buscemi. Ghost World was released to critical acclaim and earned an Academy Award® nomination for best adapted screenplay. The Dancer Upstairs, directed by John Malkovich and starring Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem was released in May 2003 by Fox Searchlight.
Along with her partners, Lianne Halfon serves as Executive Producer on the documentary How to Draw a Bunny; a portrait of artist Ray Johnson. How to Draw a Bunny won the Jury Prize at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival and the Prix de Public at the famed Recontre Film Festival in Paris. The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for best documentary in 2003.
Set in 17th Century London, The Libertine starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich and Samantha Morton was produced in 2004, and tells the true story of the Earl of Rochester (Depp), famed poet, sexual provocateur and wit. The film garnered seven Britsh Independent Film Award nominations and one win. In the same year, Halfon and partners wrapped production on the eagerly anticipated Art School Confidential, reuniting the Ghost World team of Zwigoff and Clowes. Dan Clowes adapted his comic serial for Terry Zwigoff to direct. The film stars ingénues Max Minghella and Sophia Myles along with veteran actors John Malkovich, Angelica Huston, and Jim Broadbent. Both The Libertine, and Art School Confidential were released domestically in the spring of 2004.
In 2008, Fox Searchlight released the Mandate/Mr. Mudd produced picture Juno. Directed by Jason Reitman and written by Diablo Cody, Lianne Halfon, Russell Smith and John Malkovich produced along with Mason Novick. Juno became the third biggest indie releas of all-time. It received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
Which Way Home, a documentary by Sundance award winner Rebecca Cammisa, is the story of children crossing the border from Mexico into the United States and was developed with HBO. Shot in Honduras, Mexico, Guatemala and the American southwest, is currently in post-production and will be released in the summer 2008.
Mr. Mudd, along with Canana, recently finished a 15-week sold-out run of Zach Helm's play, The Good Canary. Directed by John Malkovich and starring Diego Luna, The Good Canary toured through several major Mexican cities including: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Monterrey, Leon. It's critical acclaim and financial success set a new precedent in Mexican theater.