# Derek Cianfrance

Derek M. Cianfrance (/ˈsiːənfræns/; born January 23, 1974) is an American film director, cinematographer, screenwriter, and editor. He is best known for writing and directing the films Blue Valentine (2010), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012) and The Light Between Oceans (2017) as well as the HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True (2020). For his contributions to the story of Sound of Metal (2020), he received a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with its director Darius Marder and Abraham Marder.

## Early life and education

Cianfrance grew up in Lakewood, Colorado, and graduated Green Mountain High School, and then attended the University of Colorado Boulder, studying film production under avant-garde filmmakers Stan Brakhage and Phil Solomon.

## Career
### 1998–2017: Breakthrough and acclaim

At 23, he wrote, directed, and edited his first feature film, Brother Tied, which premiered and was awarded at the International Filmfestival Mannheim-Heidelberg and was well received at festivals including Sundance.
His second feature, Blue Valentine, starred Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams. The two actors became familiar with their roles several years before filming but never met in person. The project was originally slated to shoot in California, but Cianfrance relocated to Brooklyn so that Williams could be with her daughter. There were no rehearsals and Cianfrance rarely shot more than one take per shot. The film was originally given an NC-17 rating, despite having little nudity and no violence. It has since been changed to an R-rating after an appeal was filed by The Weinstein Company.
Blue Valentine star Gosling worked with Cianfrance again on The Place Beyond the Pines (2013), which followed a motorcycle stunt rider (Gosling) who becomes a bank robber to support his newborn son. Bradley Cooper also stars in the film. Principal photography was done in the summer of 2011. Location filming was done in upstate New York – Schenectady, Niskayuna, and Glenville areas in 2011. Next, Cianfrance wrote and directed The Light Between Oceans (2016) a romantic drama based on the 2012 novel of the same name by M. L. Stedman. An international co-production between the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom, and New Zealand, the film stars Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Rachel Weisz, Bryan Brown, and Jack Thompson. The film tells the story of a lighthouse keeper and his wife who rescue and adopt an infant girl adrift at sea. Years later, the couple discover the child's true parentage and are faced with the moral dilemma of their actions.

### 2020–present: Television work

Since the early 2010s, Cianfrance had been working on a fictional documentary called Metalhead, which centered on a metal drummer who becomes deaf. The film featured the members of the band Jucifer portraying themselves. The project was developed for years with Cianfrance eventually passing the reigns over to his friend and The Place Beyond the Pines co-writer Darius Marder resulting in Sound of Metal (2019). Starring Riz Ahmed, the film premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival and was released by Amazon Studios in 2020. Cianfrance, Marder, and his brother Abraham Marder, received an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay nomination for the film.
Cianfrance wrote and directed the HBO miniseries I Know This Much Is True, an adaptation of Wally Lamb's novel of the same name. The series premiered in spring 2020.
In October 2021, he was set to write and direct Wolfman, replacing Leigh Whannell as director, along with screenwriters Rebecca Angelo and Lauren Shuker Blum. The film tapped Gosling to star, marking their third collaboration. In December 2023, Cianfrance and Gosling were reported to have exited the project, with Whannell returning to directing duties and Christopher Abbott replacing Gosling in the lead role.
Cianfrance is also known for his TV documentary work, which includes portraits of musicians Sean Combs and Run DMC and the Battleground basketball series. He is currently working on a television series called Muscle, for HBO, which he says will be a comedy series with a unique take on "character development."

## Personal life

Cianfrance is married to actress and film director Shannon Plumb. Together, they have two children.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1998 | Brother Tied | Yes | Yes | Feature directorial debut Also cinematographer and editor |
| 2010 | Blue Valentine | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Joey Curtis and Cami Delavigne |
| 2012 | The Place Beyond the Pines | Yes | Yes | Co-screenplay writer with Ben Coccio and Darius Marder Co-story writer with Darius Marder |
| 2016 | The Light Between Oceans | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | Sound of Metal | No | Story | Co-story writer with Darius Marder Also executive producer |
| 2025 | Roofman | Yes | Yes | Co-writer with Kirt Gunn |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 2020 | I Know This Much Is True | Yes | Yes | Executive | HBO Miniseries |

### Documentary

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 2002 | Run-D.M.C. and Jam Master Jay: The Last Interview | Also cinematographer |
| 2004 | Battlegrounds: King of the World | |
| 2005 | Battlegrounds: King of the Court | |
| 2006 | Black and White: A Portrait of Sean Combs | TV movie |
| 2008 | The Power of Dreams - Dream the Impossible | |
| 2021 | His Name Is Ray | as Executive Producer |
Actor
* Towheads (2013) (as "Matt")

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Association | Category | Project | Result |
| 2020 | Academy Award | Best Original Screenplay | Sound of Metal | Nominated |
| 2016 | Directors Guild of America | Outstanding Directing – Commercials | Nike Golf's "Chase", Squarespace's "Manifesto" Powerade's "Doubts" and "Expectations" | Won |
| 2003 | Independent Spirit Award | Best Cinematography | Streets of Legend | Nominated |
| 2003 | Sundance Film Festival | Cinematography Prize | Streets of Legend | Won |
| 2010 | Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Blue Valentine | Nominated |
| 2016 | Venice International Film Festival | Golden Lion | The Light Between Oceans | Nominated |
| 2020 | Writers Guild of America | Best Original Screenplay | Sound of Metal | Nominated |