Allison Anders, Independent Filmmaker
Born in Ashland, Kentucky in 1954

Watching a film by Allison Anders and knowing her background one can not help but notice the strength of her characters despite the often cruel swipes that life takes at them. It is an inner belief they must rely on and survival comes in several forms, dark humour, pursuits of false love, friends and family bonds and in the sanctuary of the film world itself.

Born in Ashland, Kentucky in 1954 Allison, along with her mother and four sisters, were abandoned by her father when she was five. At age 12 she was sexually assaulted and up until the age of 15 she was abused by her stepfather. At 15 her mother scooped up the entire family sans stepfather and escaped to Los Angeles to avoid any further abuses.

In the next five years Allison packed in a lot of living, a wide variety of experiences. From life on a commune, then to London (where incidentally she had her first child) and back to L.A. to attend Junior College and then she began working odd jobs as she enrolled herself in UCLA. During her time spent there she gave birth to her second child which was followed with her graduation from the university's highly touted film programme augmented by an industry fellowship award. To some that would be enough, to have endured and succeeded, fade to black,

happy ending.

That's Hollywood though, not Anders. Anders followed up on a devoted correspondence she had begun back in film school with her favourite director, Wim Wenders looking to get a film job. He relented and she started as an assistant on his 1984 film Paris, Texas. Another three years pass before Allison makes her writing/directorial debut alongside film school classmate Dean Lent and Kurt Voss with Border Radio. An offbeat rock and roll drama about a rock star who steals a wad of money and takes off for Mexico with three thugs hot on his heels.

It would be another five years before Anders would make her solo debut with the poignant trailer park drama Gas Food Lodging. This was closely followed by Mi Vida Loca - My Crazy Life, an eyes wide open look at the girl gangs of Echo Park, the L.A. neighbourhood where Anders lives. It is said of Anders work that she holds a mirror up to the life around her and these two films are the clearest example of the vision and intent behind Anders work.

At the time Leonard Maltin wrote of Mi Vida Loca, "writer-director Anders ultimately succeeds in capturing the frustrations of the characters' world and the cycle of social rituals and violence affecting them daily."

Both films garnered a lot of critical attention, especially from her peers. Her next project was a reteaming with Ione Skye from Gas Food Lodging. Anders directed one of the four tales in Four Rooms, a story of a coven of witches on New Years Eve with a cast list that includes Madonna and Lili Taylor. Though this was one of the weaker segments of the film Anders kept moving onwards and upwards.

Grace Of My Heart, a fictional autobiography of Carole King starring Illeana Douglas (Denise Waverly) and John Turtorro came in 1996. The script displays all of Anders earmarks. Undependable men, women seeking to overcome their fears, seeking (literally) to find her own voice, and a career high performance by Douglas. Perhaps that is why women seem so eager to work with Anders, a selection of great roles not normally available in the typical Hollywood genre.

This fall will see the release of her latest film Sugar Town. Anders has joined forces once more with Kurt Voss from the old Border Radio days. Again the duo explore the L.A. Rock scene and the buzz is if you're an Anders fan, this is another one not to miss. A strong return to form after a three year hiatus.


-----Entertainment Industry Information Knowledge Automation Allison Anders, Independent Filmmaker Watching a film by Allison Anders and knowing her background one can not help but notice the strength of her characters despite the often cruel swipes that life takes at them. It is an inner belief they must rely on and survival comes in several forms, dark humour, pursuits of false love, friends and family bonds and in the sanctuary of the film world itself. Born in Ashland, Kentucky in 1954 Allison, along with her mother and four sisters, were abandoned by her father when she was five. At age 12 she was sexually assaulted and up until the age of 15 she was abused by her stepfather. At 15 her mother scooped up the entire family sans stepfather and escaped to Los Angeles to avoid any further abuses. In the next five years Allison packed in a lot of living, a wide variety of experiences. From life on a commune, then to London (where incidentally she had her first child) and back to L.A. to attend Junior College and then she began working odd jobs as she enrolled herself in UCLA. During her time spent there she gave birth to her second child which was followed with her graduation from the university's highly touted film programme augmented by an industry fellowship award. To some that would be enough, to have endured and succeeded, fade to black, happy ending. That's Hollywood though, not Anders. Anders followed up on a devoted correspondence she had begun back in film school with her favourite director, Wim Wenders looking to get a film job. He relented and she started as an assistant on his 1984 film Paris, Texas. Another three years pass before Allison makes her writing/directorial debut alongside film school classmate Dean Lent and Kurt Voss with Border Radio. An offbeat rock and roll drama about a rock star who steals a wad of money and takes off for Mexico with three thugs hot on his heels. It would be another five years before Anders would make her solo debut with the poignant trailer park drama Gas Food Lodging. This was closely followed by Mi Vida Loca - My Crazy Life, an eyes wide open look at the girl gangs of Echo Park, the L.A. neighbourhood where Anders lives. It is said of Anders work that she holds a mirror up to the life around her and these two films are the clearest example of the vision and intent behind Anders work. At the time Leonard Maltin wrote of Mi Vida Loca, "writer-director Anders ultimately succeeds in capturing the frustrations of the characters' world and the cycle of social rituals and violence affecting them daily." Both films garnered a lot of critical attention, especially from her peers. Her next project was a reteaming with Ione Skye from Gas Food Lodging. Anders directed one of the four tales in Four Rooms, a story of a coven of witches on New Years Eve with a cast list that includes Madonna and Lili Taylor. Though this was one of the weaker segments of the film Anders kept moving onwards and upwards. Grace Of My Heart, a fictional autobiography of Carole King starring Illeana Douglas (Denise Waverly) and John Turtorro came in 1996. The script displays all of Anders earmarks. Undependable men, women seeking to overcome their fears, seeking (literally) to find her own voice, and a career high performance by Douglas. Perhaps that is why women seem so eager to work with Anders, a selection of great roles not normally available in the typical Hollywood genre. This fall will see the release of her latest film Sugar Town. Anders has joined forces once more with Kurt Voss from the old Border Radio days. Again the duo explore the L.A. Rock scene and the buzz is if you're an Anders fan, this is another one not to miss. A strong return to form after a three year hiatus.		SUNDANCE CHANNEL PRESENTS CLASSIC WORLD CINEMA FROM THE CRITERION COLLECTION Classics You Have Always Wanted To Watch