Join or Sign In

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Todd Haynes Biography

Birth Name:Todd Haynes

Birth Place:Los Angeles, California, United States

Profession Director, Producer, Writer, Actor, Editor

Fast Facts

Founded the non-profit organization Apparatus Productions to provide funding and production services to aspiring filmmakers
Awarded the Filmmaker On the Edge Award at the Provincetown International Film Festival
Received the Locarno Film Festival's Pardo d'Onore Manor Prize in 2017
Graduated from Brown University in 1985
Made his first film "The Suicide" while in high school
Quote: "I always loved theater and acting in plays and directing, writing little plays and directing friends in plays․ And I think when I was about 6 or 7, I would have said I wanted to be an actor and an artist․ And that just kind of kept honing itself around film and getting closer to film․"
Quote: "Making a film is so scary and there's such a kind of void that you're working from initially․ I mean, you can have all the ideas and be as prepared as possible, but you're also still bringing people together and saying, 'Trust me,' even when you don't necessarily trust every element․"
Best known for making independent films
Meticulously creates an image book for all of his films

Awards

1991Teddy-Best Feature Film: winner
1991Golden Leopard-: nominated
1991Best Film-: nominated
1991Special Prize of the Jury-: winner
1991Grand Jury Prize-Dramatic: winner
1992Critics' Award-: winner
1992International Fantasy Film Award-Best Film: nominated
1992Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
1992Independent Spirit Award-Best First Feature: nominated
1992Best Film-: nominated
1994Grand Prize-: winner
1995SACD Prize-Directors' Fortnight: nominated
1995NYFCC Award-Best Director: nominated
1995American Independent Award-: winner
1995Best Film-: nominated
1996Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
1996Independent Spirit Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1996FIPRESCI Prize - Special Mention-: winner
1996NSFC Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
1996NSFC Award-Best Director: nominated
1998Top 10 Film Award-Best Film: nominated
1998Best Artistic Contribution-: winner
1998Palme d'Or-: nominated
1998Channel 4 Director's Award-: winner
1999Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
2002ACCA-Best Original Screenplay: nominated
2002Screen International Award-: nominated
2002Sierra Award-Best Director: nominated
2002Sierra Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
2002LAFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2002NYFCC Award-Best Director: winner
2002NYFCO Award-Best Screenplay: winner
2002NYFCO Award-Best Director: winner
2002SFFCC Award-Best Director: winner
2002Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Director: winner
2002Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Screenplay, Original: winner
2002SEFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2002SEFCA Award-Best Original Screenplay: winner
2002TFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2002Golden Lion-: nominated
2002SIGNIS Award - Honorable Mention-: winner
2002VVFP Award-Best Director: winner
2002VVFP Award-Best Original Screenplay: winner
2003Oscar-Best Writing, Original Screenplay: nominated
2003COFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2003COFCA Award-Best Screenplay, Original: nominated
2003CFCA Award-Best Screenplay: nominated
2003CFCA Award-Best Director: winner
2003Chlotrudis Award-Best Director: winner
2003Chlotrudis Award-Best Original Screenplay: nominated
2003Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: winner
2003Glitter Award-Best Picture: winner
2003Glitter Award-Best Feature - US Film Festivals: winner
2003Glitter Award-Best Feature - Gay Press: winner
2003Gold Derby Film Award-Director: nominated
2003Gold Derby Film Award-Original Screenplay: winner
2003Golden Globe-Best Screenplay - Motion Picture: nominated
2003INOCA-Best Director: nominated
2003INOCA-Best Original Screenplay: winner
2003OFTA Film Award-Best Director: nominated
2003OFTA Film Award-Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen: winner
2003OFCS Award-Best Director: nominated
2003OFCS Award-Best Original Screenplay: winner
2003PFCS Award-Best Director: winner
2003PFCS Award-Best Screenplay - Original: winner
2003Golden Satellite Award-Best Screenplay, Original: nominated
2003Golden Satellite Award-Best Director: winner
2003WGA Award (Screen)-Best Original Screenplay: nominated
2004Bodil-Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film): nominated
2004ALFS Award-Director of the Year: nominated
2004ALFS Award-Screenwriter of the Year: nominated
2007DFCC-Best Director: nominated
2007Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Feature: nominated
2007ICP Award-Best Director: nominated
2007NYFCC Award-Best Director: nominated
2007'CinemAvvenire' Award-Best Film: winner
2007Queer Lion Award-: nominated
2007Golden Lion-Best Film: nominated
2007Special Jury Prize-: winner
2007VVFP Award-Best Film: nominated
2008Bodil-Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film): nominated
2008Robert Altman Award-: winner
2008Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
2008Silver Ribbon-Best Non-European Director (Regista del Miglior Film Non-Europeo): nominated
2011OFTA Television Award-Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries: winner
2011Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Miniseries or Movie: nominated
2011Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: nominated
2011Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special: nominated
2012PGA Award-Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television: nominated
2012WGA Award (TV)-Long Form - Adapted: nominated
2013INOCA TV-Best Directing for a Comedy Series: nominated
2015International Feature Award-Best Feature: nominated
2015AFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015ACCA-Best Director: nominated
2015BSFC Award-Best Director: winner
2015Queer Palm-: winner
2015Palme d'Or-: nominated
2015CFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015Q Hugo Award-Best Feature: winner
2015DFWFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015DFCC-Best Director: nominated
2015FFCC Award-Best Director: nominated
2015Canvas Audience Award-: winner
2015Gotham Independent Film Award-Best Feature: nominated
2015Audience Award-: nominated
2015ICP Award-Best Director: nominated
2015ICS Cannes Award-Grand Prix: winner
2015LAFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015NYFCC Award-Best Director: winner
2015OFCS Award-Best Director: nominated
2015SFFCC Award-Best Director: nominated
2015SLFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015TFCA Award-Best Director: winner
2015VFCC Award-Best Director: nominated
2015VVFP Award-Best Director: nominated
2015WAFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2015Audience Award-Audience Award: winner
2016AACTA International Award-Best Direction: nominated
2016EDA Award-Best Director: nominated
2016David Lean Award for Direction-: nominated
2016Golden Eagle-Narrative Content: Feature - Live Action: nominated
2016Top 10 Film Award-Best Film: nominated
2016COFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2016Chlotrudis Award-Best Director: winner
2016Cinema for Peace Award-Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year: nominated
2016Critics Choice Award-Best Director: nominated
2016David-Best Foreign Film (Miglior Film Straniero): nominated
2016Dorian Award-Director of the Year: winner
2016Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
2016Gold Derby Film Award-Director: nominated
2016Golden Globe-Best Director - Motion Picture: nominated
2016Guldbagge-Best Foreign Film (Bästa utländska film): nominated
2016ICS Award-Best Director: winner
2016INOCA-Best Director: nominated
2016ALFS Award-Director of the Year: nominated
2016NSFC Award-Best Director: winner
2016NCFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2016OFTA Film Award-Best Director: nominated
2016Seattle Film Critics Award-Best Director: nominated
2017Silver Condor-Best Foreign Film, Not in the Spanish Language (Mejor Película Extranjera): winner
2017Bodil-Best American Film (Bedste amerikanske film): nominated
2017Palme d'Or-: nominated
2017Robert-Best American Film (Årets amerikanske film): nominated
2017Días de Cine Award-Best Foreign Film: nominated
2017Girona Film Critics Award-Best Picture: winner
2017ICS Cannes Award-Best Director: winner
2017Kinema Junpo Award-Best Foreign Language Film: nominated
2017Readers' Choice Award-Best Foreign Language Film: nominated
2017Audience Award-City of Donostia Audience Award: nominated
2017Rosa de Sant Jordi Audience Award-Best Foreign Film (Millor pel·lícula estrangera): winner
2021Golden Eye-: nominated
2021Critics' Choice Documentary Award-Best First Documentary Feature: nominated
2021César-Best Foreign Film (Meilleur film étranger): nominated
2021Sebastiane Award-Best Film: nominated
2022Cinema Eye Honors Award-Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking: nominated
2022Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize-: nominated
2022Gold Derby Film Award-Documentary Feature: nominated
2022IDA Award-Best Music Documentary: nominated
2023Palme d'Or-: nominated
2023CFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2023Golden Star-Feature Narrative Competition: nominated
2023Film Comment's Year-End Critics' Poll-Best Film: winner
2023FFCC Award-Best Director: winner
2023GWNYFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2023IFJA Award-Best Director: nominated
2023ICP Award-Best Director: nominated
2023Visionary Director Award-: winner
2023Mill Valley Film Festival Award-Lifetime Achievement: Collaboration: winner
2023Director Award-: winner
2023SLFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2024BOFA-Best Director: nominated
2024Top 10 Film Award-Best Film: nominated
2024DFCA Award-Best Director: nominated
2024Dorian Award-Director of the Year: nominated
2024Independent Spirit Award-Best Director: nominated
2024Oglethorpe Award for Excellence in Georgia Cinema-: winner
2024Audience Award-Best Film: nominated
2024NSFC Award-Best Director: nominated