Lianne Halfon
Producer Lianne Halfon joined A&M Films as the Sr. Vice President of Production in 1992 to oversee such films as A Midnight Clear and House of Cards. In 1997, she produced the play Libra with Russell Smith at the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago. Libra was directed by John Malkovich and based on the novel by Don DeLillo. Halfon went on to executive produce Terry Zwigoff’s documentary, 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. Halfon also produced the HBO film A Good Baby, directed by Katherine Dieckmann and starring Henry Thomas and David Strathairn.
In April of 1998, Halfon joined partners Smith and Malkovich 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 Malkovich and starring Academy Award® nominee Javier Bardem was released in May 2003 by Fox Searchlight.
Along with her partners, Halfon served 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 Malkovich, Johnny Depp, 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 British 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. The film stars ingenues Max Minghella and Sophia Myles along with veteran actors 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, Halfon, Smith and Malkovich produced along with Mason Novick. Juno became the third biggest indie release of all-time. It received Oscar nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay.
In late 2008, Mr. Mudd, along with Mexican outfit, Canana, finished a 15-week sold-out run of Zach Helm's play, The Good Canary. Directed by Malkovich and starring Diego Luna, The Good Canary toured through several major Mexican cities including: Mexico City, Guadalajara, Aguascalientes, Monterrey, Leon. Its critical acclaim and financial success set a new precedent in Mexican theater.
Most recently, Halfon executive produced Which Way Home, a documentary by Sundance award winner Rebecca Cammisa. Which Way Home tells 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, Which Way Home premiered on HBO in August of 2009.