View source for Allison Anders

{{Use American English|date=November 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{short description|American independent film director|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Allison Anders
| image = Allison Anders accepts the Peabody Award, May 2002 (cropped).jpg
| alt = 
| caption = Allison Anders at the [[Peabody Award|61st Annual Peabody Awards]] (2002)
| birth_name = Mary Allison Anders
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1954|11|16}}
| birth_place = [[Ashland, Kentucky]], U.S.
| education = 
| alma_mater = [[UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television]]
| occupation = Director, screenwriter
| years_active = 1987–present
| known_for = ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''<br />''[[Mi Vida Loca]]''<br />''[[Grace of My Heart]]''
| spouse = 
| partner = 
| children = 3
}}
'''Allison Anders''' (born November 16, 1954) is an American [[independent film]] director whose films include ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]'', ''[[Mi Vida Loca]]'' and ''[[Grace of My Heart]]''.<ref name=NYTimes-SugarTown-CertifiedGenius-1999>{{cite news|last1=Swartley|first1=Ariel|title=Film; Certified Genius, With a Tatoo [sic]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/19/theater/film-certified-genius-with-a-tatoo.html|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 19, 1999}}</ref><ref name=PBS-Frontline-MonsterAteHollywoodInterview-2001>{{cite web|title=The Monster That Ate Hollywood: Interview – Allison Anders|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/interviews/anders.html|website=[[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]]|publisher=[[PBS]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|date=November 22, 2001}}</ref> Anders has collaborated with fellow [[UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television]] graduate [[Kurt Voss]] and has also worked as a television director. Anders' films have been shown at the [[Cannes International Film Festival]] and at the [[Sundance Film Festival]].<ref name=UCSB-ProfessorProfile>{{cite web|title=Allison Anders, Professor of Film & Media Studies|url=http://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/anders/anders.html|website=[[University of California Santa Barbara]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151006150156/http://www.filmandmedia.ucsb.edu/people/faculty/anders/anders.html|archive-date=October 6, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref> She has been awarded a [[MacArthur Fellows Program|MacArthur Genius Grant]] as well as a [[Peabody Award]].

== Early life ==
Anders was born in [[Ashland, Kentucky|Ashland]], [[Kentucky]], to mother Alberta "Rachel" Anders (née Steed) and father Robert "Bob" Anders.<ref name=FamilySearch-KYVitalRecordsIndex-1954>{{cite web|title=Mary A Anders – Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKHV-VF2V|website=[[FamilySearch]]|access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref><ref name=BlitterBaroque-Dad-2015>{{cite web|last1=Allison|first1=Anders|title=Real Gone Daddy|url=http://msallisonanders.tumblr.com/post/122117500428/real-gone-daddy|website=Blitter Baroque: workbook y public diary de Allison Anders|access-date=September 7, 2015|date=June 21, 2015}}</ref> She has two sisters, one of whom, Luanna Anders,<ref name=FamilySearch-KYVitalRecordsIndex-1957>{{cite web|title=Luanna Anders – Kentucky, Vital Record Indexes|url=https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKHF-VHPN|website=[[FamilySearch]]|access-date=September 7, 2015}}</ref> starred in her first film, ''[[Border Radio]].'' Her paternal side has ancestry that traces back to the [[Southern United States|Southern]] [[Hatfield–McCoy feud|Hatfield]] family and, more distantly, to [[George Washington]]'s spy, [[Caleb Brewster]], while her maternal side includes another Washington spy, [[Abraham Woodhull]].<ref name=BlitterBaroque-Dad-2015 />

When Anders was 4 years old, her father abandoned the family. Anders' mother and father were divorced when she was 5.  At age 12, she was gang raped by three boys at a party in Cape Canaveral, Florida, an event that influenced several of her films.<ref>{{cite web| url = https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2001-08-15-0108150011-story.html| title = Chicago Tribune: Chicago news, sports, weather, entertainment| website = [[Chicago Tribune]]| date = August 15, 2001}}</ref> After her mother moved her and her sisters to Los Angeles, Anders suffered a mental breakdown at the age of 15 and was hospitalized. When she came out of the psychiatric ward, she was placed into foster care but ran away. She hitchhiked across the country, at one point ending up in jail. After turning 17, Anders dropped out of her Los Angeles high school and moved back to Kentucky. She later moved to London with the man who fathered her first child.<ref name=PBS-Frontline-MonsterAteHollywood-2001>{{cite web|title=The Monster That Ate Hollywood (Program #2007)|url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/etc/script.html|website=[[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]]|publisher=[[PBS]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|date=November 22, 2001}}</ref>

In her early 20s, Anders moved back to Los Angeles with her daughter and attended a junior college, [[Los Angeles Valley College]],<ref name=PhillyInquirer-GasFood-1992>{{cite news|last1=Stone|first1=Judy|title=Tough Road To Acclaim Allison Anders, Raped At 12, Catatonic For A Year, Has Seen Her Fortunes Change. Her Survival Tale "Gas Food Lodging" Won Fame In Film Festivals. Today It's Back In Town|url=http://articles.philly.com/1992-09-30/entertainment/26021781_1_allison-anders-favorite-film-world-cinema|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150414084852/http://articles.philly.com/1992-09-30/entertainment/26021781_1_allison-anders-favorite-film-world-cinema|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 14, 2015|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=[[The Philadelphia Inquirer]]|date=September 30, 1992}}</ref> while working odd jobs. Due to constant relocation as a child, Anders had not had a steady education. She said that growing up, most of her time was spent watching TV and going to movie theaters. Inspired by the films of [[Wim Wenders]] and other filmmakers, Anders applied to [[UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television|UCLA Film School]].<ref name=CreativeScreenwriting-Interview-1996>{{cite news|last1=Mercurio|first1=James P.|title=Contemporary Melodrama: Interview with Allison Anders|url=http://www.jamespmercurio.com/interview_anders.html|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=Creative Screenwriting|issue=4|date=1996|volume=3|pages=25–28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305185002/http://www.jamespmercurio.com/interview_anders.html|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> During her time at UCLA, Anders produced her first sound film. Wenders attended the screening.<ref name=PBS-Frontline-MonsterAteHollywood-2001 /> She has called Wenders' 1974 film ''[[Alice in the Cities]]'' "one of my very favorite films, and a guiding light, since I first saw it at the [[Nuart Theatre|Nuart (Theatre)]] in Santa Monica in the 1970s."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Anders |first1=Allison |title=Alice in the Cities: A Girl's Story |url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/4085-alice-in-the-cities-a-girls-story |access-date=2 December 2022 |publisher=Criterion.com |date=31 May 2016}}</ref> In 1986, Anders got her B.A. in Motion Picture-Television from [[University of California, Los Angeles|UCLA]].<ref name=UCSB-ProfessorProfile />

== Career ==

=== Film ===
In 1986, Anders won a [[Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards|Samuel Goldwyn Writing Award]] for a script called ''Lost Highway'' that she wrote about her father.<ref name=SamuelGoldwynWritingAwards-Notable-1986>{{cite web|title=Notable Winners: Allison Anders. First Place, 1986|url=http://legacy.tft.ucla.edu/goldwyn/nwinners.cfm|website=[[Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304120832/http://legacy.tft.ucla.edu/goldwyn/nwinners.cfm|archive-date=March 4, 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> She said that after writing the script she shared it with her father, and was able to have a relationship with him again.<ref name=PhillyInquirer-GasFood-1992 />

Anders' first film, the [[punk music]]-heavy ''[[Border Radio]]'', was co-written and co-directed with [[Kurt Voss]] and Dean Lent and was made while they were at UCLA. It was nominated for Best Feature of 1988 by the [[Independent Feature Project]] for Best First Feature.<ref name=Criterion-BorderRadio-2007>{{cite web|last1=Morris|first1=Chris|title=Border Radio: Where Punk Lived|url=https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/461-border-radio-where-punk-lived|website=[[The Criterion Collection]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|date=January 15, 2007}}</ref> The film told the story of three musicians who stole money owed to them from a job and then fled to Mexico. The story is set amid the Los Angeles punk-rock scene of the 1980s.<ref name=Criterion-BorderRadio-2007 /> With a $2,000 contribution from actor [[Vic Tayback]] and loans from Voss's parents to fund the film, the filmmakers made up for the small budget by using local locations and casting performers they knew. For the starring role, they cast Anders' sister, Luanna Anders, and musician [[Chris D.]], as the leading man, as well as Anders' daughter, Devon Anders, who played Luanna's daughter in the film. Violating UCLA policy, the filmmakers cut the film at night in the school's editing bays, while Anders' two young daughters slept on the floor.<ref name=Criterion-BorderRadio-2007 /> In 2007, ''[[Border Radio]]'' was given a special release on DVD as part of the [[Criterion Collection]]<ref name=Criterion-BorderRadio-2007 /> and was lauded as groundbreaking independent cinema.<ref name=LATimes-BorderRadio-2007>{{cite news|last1=Lim|first1=Dennis|title=The fade-out of L.A.'s punk rock scene: 'Border Radio,' a time capsule of underdog mythology, deserves its spot in the history of independent film.|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2007-jan-19-et-border19-story.html|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=January 19, 2007}}</ref>

Anders' second feature, the 1992 film ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]'', earned her a [[New York Film Critics Circle Award]] and [[National Society of Film Critics]] honors for Best New Director; and nominations from the [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for Best Screenplay and Best Director. Actress [[Fairuza Balk]] won a Spirit Award for her role in the film. The film also won the Deauville Film Festival Critics Award and was also nominated for the [[Golden Bear]] at the [[42nd Berlin International Film Festival]].<ref name=Berlinale-GasFood-1992>{{cite web|url=http://www.berlinale.de/en/archiv/jahresarchive/1992/02_programm_1992/02_Programm_1992.html|title=Berlinale: 1992 Programme|access-date=May 24, 2011|work=[[Berlinale 1992]]|year=1992}}</ref> ''Gas Food Lodging'' is a coming-of-age story about a truck stop waitress and her two daughters, three vibrant, restless women in an isolated Western town.<ref name=NYTimes-GasFood-Review-1992>{{cite news|last1=Maslin|first1=Janet|title=Review/Film -- Gas Food Lodging; Rueful Women, Rootless Men In a Dreary Western Town|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1992/07/31/movies/review-film-gas-food-lodging-rueful-women-rootless-men-in-a-dreary-western-town.html|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=July 31, 1992}}</ref> The screenplay was loosely adapted by Anders from the novel ''Don't Look and It Won't Hurt'' by [[Richard Peck (writer)|Richard Peck]].<ref name=PhillyInquirer-GasFood-1992 />

Her next film, ''[[Mi Vida Loca]]'' (''My Crazy Life''), was about girl gangs in the poor Hispanic [[Echo Park, Los Angeles|Echo Park]] neighborhood of Los Angeles, where Anders lived. It premiered at the [[Cannes Film Festival]] in 1993, and saw wide release in 1994. The story features a female perspective on growing up in the inner city.

Anders' 1996 film, ''[[Grace of My Heart]]'', was a musical drama executive produced by [[Martin Scorsese]], about a songwriter (played by [[Illeana Douglas]]) and her career over several years, including work in the early 1960s in music publishing and production offices, a setting based on the [[Brill Building]]. This marriage to a songwriting partner and her emergence as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s are among elements paralleling the career of [[Carole King]], but the film is neither a biography nor entirely fiction. The original soundtrack features new songs written in various styles of the era.<ref name=CreativeScreenwriting-Interview-1996 /><ref name=NYTimes-GraceHeart-Review-1996>{{cite news|last1=Maslin|first1=Janet|title=One Fine Day at the Brill Building|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/13/movies/one-fine-day-at-the-brill-building.html|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 13, 1996}}</ref> [[Elvis Costello]] and [[Burt Bacharach]] had their first collaboration composing a song for the film, "God Give Me Strength," and were nominated for a [[Grammy Award]].

In the late 1980s, Anders had become friends with members of pop group [[Duran Duran]], and frequently inserted small references to the band in her films (character names, posters on walls, and so on). In 1999, after bassist [[John Taylor (bass guitarist)|John Taylor]] had left Duran Duran and was beginning to launch an acting career, she and Voss co-wrote and co-directed ''[[Sugar Town (film)|Sugar Town]]'', about the Los Angeles film and music industry. The film starred several musical friends of Anders', including Taylor, [[X (U.S. band)|X]] singer [[John Doe (musician)|John Doe]], [[Spandau Ballet]] bassist [[Martin Kemp (actor)|Martin Kemp]], and singer/actor [[Michael Des Barres]]. ''Sugar Town'' followed the interconnected lives of a handful of power brokers, wanna-bes and has-beens. Gwen (played by Jade Gordon), a self-centered would-be rock star, is working as an assistant to production designer Liz ([[Ally Sheedy]]); when Gwen discovers Liz has a date with a music producer ([[Larry Klein]]), any loyalty she has to her boss disappears.<ref name=NYTimes-SugarTown-Review-1999>{{cite news|last1=Maslin|first1=Janet|title=Film Review; A Los Angeles Snapshot Of Ashrams and Ambition|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/09/17/movies/film-review-a-los-angeles-snapshot-of-ashrams-and-ambition.html|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=September 17, 1999}}</ref> The film received two [[Independent Spirit Award]] nominations, for Best Film and Best Newcomer (Jade Gordon). The film also won Anders and Voss the [[Fantasporto]] award for Best Screenplay.{{Citation needed|date=May 2013}}

Her 2001 autobiographical film, ''[[Things Behind the Sun]]'',<ref name=Variety-ThingsBehind-Review-2001>{{cite news|last1=Rooney|first1=David|title=Review: 'Things Behind The Sun'|url=https://variety.com/2001/film/markets-festivals/things-behind-the-sun-1200466168/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=January 28, 2001}}</ref> deals with the long-term aftermath of rape.<ref name=People-ThingsBehindSun-2001>{{cite news|last1=Espinoza|first1=Galina|last2=Wang|first2=Cynthia|title=Nightmare Revisited: Filming in the House Where She Was Raped Helped Allison Anders Heal|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20135183,00.html|access-date=September 7, 2015|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|issue=9|date=August 27, 2001|volume=56}}</ref> It was released on the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] cable TV network. The film earned an [[Emmy Award|Emmy]] nomination for actor [[Don Cheadle]] as Best Supporting Actor; and three [[Independent Spirit Award]] nominations: Cheadle for Best Supporting Actor, [[Kim Dickens]] for Best Actress, and Best Film. Anders and co-writer Kurt Voss also received a nomination for an [[Edgar Award]]. The film was awarded the [[SHINE Award]] as well as the [[Peabody Award]]. ''Things Behind the Sun'' was inspired by an experience Anders had in 1967 when she was raped by a group of boys.<ref name=NYTimes-ThingsBehindSun-2001>{{cite news|last1=Weintraub|first1=Bernard|title=Assault as Autobiography; A Filmmaker Draws on Her Memories of Being Raped at 12|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2001/08/07/movies/assault-as-autobiography-a-filmmaker-draws-on-her-memories-of-being-raped-at-12.html|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=August 7, 2001}}</ref> Anders actually shot some of the film in the same location in [[Cocoa Beach, Florida|Cocoa Beach]], [[Florida]], where the gang rape occurred.<ref name=People-ThingsBehindSun-2001 />

Anders' 2012 film, ''Strutter'', co-directed with Voss, completed a loose trilogy of films about Southern California musicians that began with ''Border Radio'' and ''Sugar Town.'' A black-and-white road picture, the film featured Luanna Anders from ''Border Radio'', a scene in the motel room where [[Gram Parsons]] died, and a score with music by [[Ariel Pink]] and [[J Mascis]].<ref name=Variety-Strutter-Review-2012>{{cite news|last1=Harvey|first1=Dennis|title=Review: 'Strutter'|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/reviews/strutter-1117948600/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=October 18, 2012}}</ref> The film was funded by a [[Kickstarter]] campaign.<ref name=Kickstarter-Strutter>{{cite web|last1=Anders|first1=Allison|title="Strutter" a film by Allison Anders & Kurt Voss|url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/strutter/strutter-a-film-by-allison-anders-and-kurt-voss|website=[[Kickstarter]]|date=April 14, 2013 |access-date=September 8, 2015}}</ref>

In 2013, Anders released the [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]]-produced TV movie ''Ring of Fire'', a [[June Carter Cash]] biopic that featured the musician [[Jewel (singer)|Jewel]]. The film was inspired by [[John Carter Cash]]'s book, ''[[Anchored in Love: A Tribute to June Carter Cash]]''.<ref name=Variety-RingofFire-2013>{{cite news|last1=Morris|first1=Christopher|title=Allison Anders, Jewel Sing June Carter Cash's Praises|url=https://variety.com/2013/music/news/allison-anders-jewel-sing-june-carter-cashs-praises-1200486129/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=May 22, 2013}}</ref>

=== Television ===
Anders began directing shows for broadcast and cable television in 1999, including several episodes in the second and third seasons of ''[[Sex and the City]]'', as well as episodes of ''[[Grosse Pointe (TV series)|Grosse Pointe]]'', ''[[Cold Case]]'', ''[[The L Word]]'', ''[[Men In Trees]]'', ''[[The Mentalist]]'', and ''[[What About Brian?]]''

In 2011, she directed an episode of the [[John Wells (filmmaker)|John Wells]] production, ''[[Southland (TV series)|Southland]]'', which involved a car chase scene.<ref name=SouthLAndFirst-Fallout-2012>{{cite web|last1=SouthLAnd First|title=Exclusive interview with "Fallout" director Allison Anders|url=http://www.southlandfirst.com/2012/03/exclusive-interview-with-fallout.html|website=SouthLAnd First|access-date=September 14, 2015|date=March 5, 2012}}</ref> Anders directed an episode of ''[[Turn: Washington's Spies]]'', which was especially interesting to her because she has distant relatives on both sides of her family who were spies for [[George Washington]].<ref name=BlitterBaroque-Dad-2015 />

=== Other work ===
In 2013, Anders interviewed 94-year-old actress and Hollywood legend [[Marge Champion]], who appeared at a 2013 [[Hollywood, California|Hollywood]] film festival screening of 1968 cult film ''[[The Swimmer (1968 film)|The Swimmer]]'', which starred [[Burt Lancaster]]. The interview was featured among [[Making-of|behind-the-scenes]] supplementary material on a 2014 Blu-ray/DVD release of the film by [[Grindhouse Releasing]]/Box Office Spectaculars Blu-ray/DVD restoration of the film.<ref name=FilmScoreMonthly-MargeChampionInterview-2014>{{cite web|last1=Dursin |first1=Andy |title=Aisle Seat 3-25: The Swimmer, Wolf of Wall Street |url=http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/daily/article.cfm/articleID/7067/Aisle-Seat-3-25--The-Swimmer-Wolf-of-Wall-Street/ |website=[[Film Score Monthly]] |access-date=September 7, 2015 |date=March 24, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713151526/http://www.filmscoremonthly.com/daily/article.cfm/articleID/7067/Aisle-Seat-3-25--The-Swimmer-Wolf-of-Wall-Street/ |archive-date=July 13, 2015 }}</ref>

Anders and her musician daughter, Tiffany Anders, started the Don't Knock the Rock Film and Music Festival in 2003 in Los Angeles.<ref name=Musicfilmweb-DontKnockRock-2013>{{cite news|last1=Markowitz|first1=Andy|title=Allison and Tiffany Anders: Don't Knock the Rock, Around the Clock|url=http://www.musicfilmweb.com/2013/08/allison-anders-tiffany-anders-music-documentary-festival/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Musicfilmweb]]|date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>

In 2006, she appeared in the road-trip documentary ''[[Wanderlust (2006 film)|Wanderlust]]''. Anders has also contributed to the [[web series]] ''[[Trailers from Hell]].''

In 2013, Anders bid on and won a rock and roll record collection formerly owned by the actress [[Greta Garbo]]. She created a website called "Greta's Records" to curate and share the collection of 50 records.<ref name=GretasRecords-2013>{{cite web|title=Greta's Records By Allison Anders|url=http://gretasrecords.tumblr.com/post/41091307875/gretas-records-by-allison-anders|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127105906/http://gretasrecords.tumblr.com/post/41091307875/gretas-records-by-allison-anders|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 27, 2013|website=Greta's Records By Allison Anders|access-date=September 8, 2015|date=January 21, 2013}}</ref>

=== In development / past projects ===
* [[Quanah Parker]] project at [[AMC Networks]] with writer Terry Graham<ref name=HistoryNet-QuanahQuest-2008>{{cite web|last1=Graham|first1=Terry|title=Letters From Readers – April 2008 – Wild West: Quanah Quest|url=http://www.historynet.com/letters-from-readers-april-2008-wild-west.htm|website=HistoryNet|access-date=September 8, 2015|date=January 29, 2008}}</ref><ref name=Variety-AMCQuanah-2007>{{cite news|last1=Schneider|first1=Michael|last2=Adalian|first2=Josef|title=Cabler AMC to build on drama success|url=https://variety.com/2007/scene/markets-festivals/cabler-amc-to-build-on-drama-success-1117977994/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=December 19, 2007}}</ref>

=== Long-term associations ===
Anders counts filmmaker [[Wim Wenders]] as a mentor. She started as a fan, sending him letters and music, and Wenders eventually responded. Anders said that she created a faux grant that she "won" so that she and at least one other friend could study under Wenders on location for his film ''[[Paris, Texas (film)|Paris, Texas]].'' They have been friends for over 30 years.<ref name=Talkhouse-Anders-Wenders-SkypePodcast-2015>{{cite news|last1=Anders|first1=Allison|last2=Wenders|first2=Wim|title=Allison Anders (Grace of My Heart) Talks with Wim Wenders (Paris, Texas) for The Talkhouse Film Podcast|url=http://thetalkhouse.com/film/talks/allison-anders-grace-of-my-heart-talks-with-wim-wenders-paris-texas-for-the-talkhouse-film-podcast/|access-date=September 10, 2015|work=The Talkhouse|date=September 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150917071521/http://thetalkhouse.com/film/talks/allison-anders-grace-of-my-heart-talks-with-wim-wenders-paris-texas-for-the-talkhouse-film-podcast/|archive-date=September 17, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Teaching ==
In 2003, Anders became a Distinguished Professor at the [[University of California Santa Barbara]], where she teaches in the Film And Media Studies Department one quarter each year. She has taught courses on topics including autobiographic writing, rock and roll films, and music supervision.<ref name=UCSB-ProfessorProfile />

== Awards ==
* 1986: [[Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting]] – ''Lost Highway''
* 1986: [[Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards]] – ''Lost Highway''<ref name=SamuelGoldwynWritingAwards-Notable-1986 /><ref name=SamuelGoldwynWritingAwards-Letter-1986>{{cite web|last1=Anders|first1=Allison|title=Alison Anders' Letter|url=http://legacy.tft.ucla.edu/goldwyn/anders.cfm|website=[[Samuel Goldwyn Writing Awards]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180930000936/http://legacy.tft.ucla.edu/goldwyn/anders.cfm|archive-date=September 30, 2018|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* 1988: [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature|Best First Feature]] – ''[[Border Radio]]''<ref name=Criterion-BorderRadio-2007 />
* 1992: [[New York Film Critics Circle]] for Best New Director – ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''
* 1992: [[National Society of Film Critics]] for Best New Director – ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''
* 1992: [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] nomination – ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''
* 1992: [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Director|Best Director]] nomination – ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''
* 1995: [[MacArthur Fellows Program]]<ref name=MacArthurFoundation-Fellow-1995>{{cite web|title=MacArthur Fellows: Meet the Class of 1995: Allison Anders, Filmmaker, Los Angeles, California|url=https://www.macfound.org/fellows/503/|website=[[MacArthur Foundation]]|access-date=September 7, 2015|date=July 1, 1995}}</ref>
* 2001: [[Independent Spirit Award]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Film|Best Film]] nomination – ''[[Things Behind the Sun]]''
* 2002: Spirit of Silver Lake Award from the [[Silver Lake Film Festival]]
* 2002: [[Peabody Award]] for distinguished achievement and meritorious service – ''[[Things Behind the Sun]]''
* 2013: [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special|Outstanding Directing of a Drama]] nomination – ''Ring of Fire''<ref name=Variety-RingofFire-Snippet-2013>{{cite news|last1=Variety Staff|title='Ring of Fire': Emmy Nominee Allison Anders on a Jewel of a Composition|url=https://variety.com/2013/tv/awards/ring-of-fire-alison-anders-on-a-jewel-of-a-composition-1200576690/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 16, 2013|archive-date=October 3, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151003034440/http://variety.com/2013/tv/awards/ring-of-fire-alison-anders-on-a-jewel-of-a-composition-1200576690/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Personal life ==
Anders has three children. Her two daughters are Tiffany Anders, a musician and music supervisor, and Devon Anders. Her son, Ruben Goodbear Anders, was fostered (and eventually adopted) by the Anders family for three years after the death of his mother, Nica Rogers,<ref name=LATimes-MiVidaLoca-1994>{{cite news|last1=Cobo-Hanlon|first1=Leila|title=Another Side of the 'Crazy Life' : Although flattered to see themselves on screen, for many Echo Park youths, the depiction of their lives in 'Mi Vida Loca' may be true but it misses the untold stories of compassion and understanding|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-07-21-ca-18190-story.html|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|date=July 21, 1994}}</ref> who appeared in ''Mi Vida Loca.''<ref name=People-ThingsBehindSun-2001 /><ref name=Variety-ArmyArcherd-RubenGoodbear->{{cite news|last1=Archerd|first1=Army|title=Pols vie for spots on 'Murphy Brown'|url=https://variety.com/1995/voices/columns/pols-vie-for-spots-on-murphy-brown-1117862773/|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=September 12, 1995}}</ref><ref name=Independent-MiVidaLoca-1995>{{cite news|last1=Brett|first1=Anwar|title=Making Life Into Movies: Anwar Brett meets a rare film director who downplays the violence of her characters' lives|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/making-life-into-movies-1612735.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907234531/http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/making-life-into-movies-1612735.html |archive-date=September 7, 2015 |url-access=limited |url-status=live|access-date=September 8, 2015|work=[[The Independent]]|date=March 25, 1995}}</ref> Tiffany was named after the film ''[[Breakfast at Tiffany's (film)|Breakfast at Tiffany's]].''<ref name=PhillyInquirer-GasFood-1992 />

== Filmography ==

=== Film ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left"
! rowspan="2" width="33"|Year
! rowspan="2"|Film
! colspan="3"|Credited as
! rowspan="2"|Notes
|-
! width=65 | Director
! width=65 | Writer
! width=65 | Producer
|-
| 1984
| align="left" | ''[[Paris, Texas (film)|Paris, Texas]]''
|
|
|
| align="left"| Production Assistant
|-
| 1987
| align="left" | ''[[Border Radio]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| align="left"|Nominated – [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature|Best First Feature]] 1988
|-
| 1992
| align="left" | ''[[Gas Food Lodging]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| align="left"| Screenplay<br />Won – [[New York Film Critics Circle]] for Best New Director 1992<br />Won – [[National Society of Film Critics]] for Best New Director 1992<br />Nominated – [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay|Best Screenplay]] 1992<br />Nominated – [[Independent Spirit Awards]] for [[Independent Spirit Award for Best Director|Best Director]] 1992
|-
| 1993
| align="left" | ''[[Mi Vida Loca]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1995
| align="left" | ''[[Four Rooms]]'' – Segment: "The Missing Ingredient"
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1996
| align="left" | ''[[Grace of My Heart]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 1997
| align="left" | ''Lover Girl''
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Executive Producer
|-
| 1999
| align="left" | ''[[Sugar Town (film)|Sugar Town]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
| align="left"| Written by; Co-directed with [[Kurt Voss]]
|-
| 2001
| align="left" | ''[[Things Behind the Sun]]''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
|
|
|-
| 2002
| align="left" | ''In the Echo'' (TV movie)
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Written by; Producer; Costume designer
|-
| 2007
| align="left" | ''The Pacific and Eddy''
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Executive Producer
|-
| 2009
| align="left" | ''Until the Very Last Moment''
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Short; Executive Producer
|-
| rowspan="2"|2011
| align="left" | ''[[A Crush on You]]'' (TV movie)
| {{yes}}
|
|
| align="left"|
|-
| align="left" | ''[[The Lie (2011 film)|The Lie]]''
|
|
|
| align="left"| Acted, playing Allison
|-
| 2012
| align="left" | ''Strutter''
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Written by; Producer
|-
| rowspan="3"|2013
| align="left" | ''[[Ring of Fire (2013 film)|Ring of Fire]]'' (TV movie)
| {{yes}}
|
|
| align="left"| Nominated – [[Primetime Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special|Outstanding Directing of a Drama]] 2013
|-
| align="left" | ''Fireflies''
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Executive Producer
|-
| align="left" | ''Rock N Roll Mamas'' (documentary)
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Executive Producer
|-
| 2014
| align="left" | ''I Believe in Unicorns''
|
|
| {{yes}}
| align="left"| Executive Producer
|}

=== Television ===
* 1999: ''[[Sex and the City]]'' – director, 4 episodes: "The Caste System", "La Donleur Exquise", "Drama Queen", "The Big Time"
* 2000: ''[[Grosse Pointe (TV series)|Grosse Pointe]]'' – director, 2 episodes: "Boys on the Side", "Star Wars"
* 2004: ''[[Cold Case]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Volunteers"
* 2006: ''[[The L Word]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Last Dance"
* 2006: ''[[Men in Trees]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Power Shift"
* 2006: ''[[What About Brian]]'' – director, 2 episodes: "What About First Steps", "What About the True Confessions?"
* 2011: ''[[Southland (TV series)|Southland]]'' – director, 2 episodes: "Sideways", "Fallout"
* 2013: ''[[The Mentalist]]'' – director, 1 episode: "The Red Barn"
* 2014: ''[[Orange Is the New Black]]'' – director, 1 episode: "You Also Have a Pizza"
* 2014: ''[[Gang Related (TV series)|Gang Related]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Invierno Cayó"
* 2014: ''[[The Divide (TV series)|The Divide]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Facts Are the Enemy"
* 2014–2015: ''[[Murder in the First (TV series)|Murder in the First]]'' – director, 4 episodes: "Pants on Fire", "Blue on Blue", "The McCormack Mulligan", "Nothing But the Truth"
* 2015: ''[[Turn: Washington's Spies]]'' – director, 1 episode: "False Flag"
* 2015: ''[[Proof (2015 TV series)|Proof]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Memento Vivere"
* 2017: ''[[Time After Time (American TV series)|Time After Time]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Suitcases of Memories"
* 2017: ''[[Riverdale (2017 TV series)|Riverdale]]'' – director, 2 episodes: "Chapter Seven: In a Lonely Place", "Chapter Fifteen: Nighthawks"
* 2017: ''[[Graves (TV series)|Graves]]'' – director, 1 episode "The Opposite of People"
* 2018: ''[[Sorry for Your Loss]]'' – director, 1 episode: "Visitor"
* 2019–2023: ''[[Mayans MC]]'' – director, 2 episodes: "Kukuklan" and "My Eyes Closed and Then Filled on the Last of Childhood Tears"

== Works and publications ==
* Anders, Allison. "On Claudia Weill's film 'Girlfriends.'" ''[[Sight & Sound]].'' Vol. 25 (10). London: British Film Institute, October 2015. {{ISSN|0037-4806}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==

=== Printed material ===
* Anders, Allison, [[Alexandre Rockwell]], [[Robert Rodriguez]], [[Quentin Tarantino]]. "Strange Brew." ''Four Rooms: Four Friends Telling Four Stories Making One Film.'' London: Faber and Faber, 1996. {{ISBN|978-0-571-17684-7}} {{OCLC|797629367}}
* Roman, Shari. "Allison Anders." ''Digital Babylon: Hollywood, Indiewood & Dogme 95.'' Hollywood: Lone Eagle, 2001. pp.&nbsp;142–144. {{ISBN|978-1-580-65036-6}} {{OCLC|464743610}}
* White-Stanley, Debra. 2003. ""God Give Me Strength": The Melodramatic Sound Tracks of Director Allison Anders". ''[[Velvet Light Trap]].'' 51, no. 1: pp.&nbsp;54–66. {{ISSN|0149-1830}} {{doi|10.1353/vlt.2003.0012}} {{OCLC|704028308}}
* Murphy, J. J. "Shifting Goals and Plotlines in Gas Food Lodging." ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=v9wbAQAAIAAJ Me and You and Memento and Fargo How Independent Screenplays Work.]'' New York: Continuum, 2007. {{ISBN|978-0-826-42804-2}} {{OCLC|651772634}}
* Campbell, Neil. "The Idioms of Living: Donna Deitch and Allison Anders." ''[https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/856584709 Post-Westerns Cinema, Region, West.]'' Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. pp.&nbsp;272–304. {{ISBN|978-1-461-93720-3}} {{OCLC|856584709}}
* Silverstein, Melissa. "On 'Gas Food Lodging.'" ''[[Sight & Sound]].'' Vol. 25 (10). London: British Film Institute, October 2015. {{ISSN|0037-4806}}

=== Audio visual material ===
* Mori, Mark, and [[Alec Baldwin]]. "Allison Anders; David O Russell." ''Raw Footage.'' Pt. 6. Santa Monica, CA: Direct Cinema Ltd, 2008. Video. Original air date: 1996. {{ISBN|978-1-559-74798-1}} {{OCLC|651047709}}
* Calabrese, Peter, Tamara Gould, Jack Walsh, Xandra Castleton, Alexis Lezin, Danny L. McGuire, [[Gregory Nava]], Allison Anders, and Michael Fox. ''Independent View.'' San Francisco, CA: KQED, 2001. Video. {{OCLC|55072014}}
* DiPersio, Vince, Adam Bardach, [[Alan Smithee]], Tony Kahn, William Hooke, Michael H. Amundson, Steve Audette, and Michael Bloecher. "[https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/hollywood/ The Monster That Ate Hollywood.]" ''[[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]].'' [[PBS]]. Season 19, Episode 18. 2015. Video. Original air date: November 22, 2001. {{OCLC|891699575}}
* [[Janet Maslin|Maslin, Janet]], [[John Waters]], Allison Anders, [[Hal Hartley]], [[David O. Russell]]. ''Four Independents That Turned the Tide.'' 2006. Video. Videotaped at the BAMcafe, Brooklyn, NY, as part of the Sundance Institute at BAM season, May 21, 2006. {{OCLC|123421251}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb name|name=Allison Anders|id=0025978}}
* {{Tumblr|msallisonanders}} – Blitter Baroque: workbook and public diary of Allison Anders
* {{Tumblr|GretasRecords}} – Gretas Records by Allison Anders

{{Allison Anders}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best New Director}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Anders, Allison}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:American women film directors]]
[[Category:American women screenwriters]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from California]]
[[Category:American television directors]]
[[Category:American women television directors]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:MacArthur Fellows]]
[[Category:People from Boyd County, Kentucky]]
[[Category:People from Cocoa Beach, Florida]]
[[Category:People from Echo Park, Los Angeles]]
[[Category:UCLA Film School alumni]]
[[Category:University of California, Santa Barbara faculty]]
[[Category:Film directors from Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Film directors from Florida]]
[[Category:Film directors from Kentucky]]
[[Category:21st-century American women]]