Shane Carruth
American film producer, actor, screenwriter (born 1972)
title: "Shane Carruth" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1972-births", "living-people", "american-male-film-actors", "film-producers-from-south-carolina", "american-male-screenwriters", "american-science-fiction-film-directors", "people-from-myrtle-beach,-south-carolina", "sundance-film-festival-award-winners", "alfred-p.-sloan-prize-winners", "stephen-f.-austin-state-university-alumni", "film-directors-from-south-carolina", "screenwriters-from-south-carolina"] description: "American film producer, actor, screenwriter (born 1972)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shane_Carruth" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary American film producer, actor, screenwriter (born 1972) ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Shane Carruth |
| image | Shane Carruth (8748841070).jpg |
| caption | Carruth at South by Southwest 2013 |
| birth_date | |
| birth_place | Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. |
| alma_mater | Stephen F. Austin State University |
| years_active | 2004–present |
| occupation | {{flatlist |
| partner | Amy Seimetz (2011–2018) |
| :: |
| name = Shane Carruth | image = Shane Carruth (8748841070).jpg | caption = Carruth at South by Southwest 2013 | birth_name = | birth_date = | birth_place = Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, U.S. | alma_mater = Stephen F. Austin State University | years_active = 2004–present | occupation = {{flatlist|
- Filmmaker
- actor
- composer}} | partner = Amy Seimetz (2011–2018) Shane Carruth (born 1972) is an American filmmaker, known for science-fiction features in which he has filled numerous jobs, including producer, director, screenwriter, composer, and actor. These include his prize-winning debut Primer (2004) and Upstream Color (2013). In reference to Carruth's unusual filmmaking technique, director Steven Soderbergh described him as "the illegitimate offspring of David Lynch and James Cameron."
Early life
Carruth was born in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 1972. He attended Stephen F. Austin State University as a mathematics major. Before becoming a filmmaker, he worked as a developer of flight-simulation software.
Career
''Primer''
Main article: Primer (film)
For his independent film Primer, Carruth wrote, directed, produced, and performed one of the two main roles; he also composed the score. The film was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival with the Grand Jury Prize and the Alfred P. Sloan Award. Carruth, a former software engineer with an undergraduate degree in mathematics, used his technical knowledge extensively on the project.
''Upstream Color''
Unrealized or upcoming work
In 2009, David Sullivan, one of the leads in Primer, tweeted that "Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production". Filmmaker Rian Johnson tweeted that it would feature a "mind-blowing sci-fi script." In 2010, several news sources reported that A Topiary was in the works and that the script had been written. There was already a website for the movie which, according to Carruth in an interview to io9, "The website for now is just a place mark as financing has yet to be completed. I'm cautiously optimistic that this can happen soon and couldn't be happier with the filmmakers that have committed to the project so far." However, the film (which Entertainment Weekly described as "a sci-fi epic about a group of kids who build a giant, animal-like creature") stalled, and in early 2013, Carruth told EW that it was "the thing I basically wasted my whole life on." Carruth no longer pursues the project; some VFX test footage of the film is visible in Upstream Color in a scene when a character is examining the video for technical flaws.
In 2014, Carruth announced a new film, The Modern Ocean, based on international shipping and the lives of those involved. On August 12, 2015, it was reported that the film was in pre-production, and its ensemble cast was announced in November 2015; it would include Jeff Goldblum, Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Tom Holland, Daniel Radcliffe, Chloë Grace Moretz, Asa Butterfield, and Abraham Attah. In an interview in 2018, Carruth noted that the film is "not gonna happen anytime soon". Irrfan Khan was also scheduled to star as the lead captain of the ship, before his death on April 29, 2020. On June 17, 2020, Carruth posted the entire script for The Modern Ocean on Twitter, along with some of the original score.
In 2019, in an interview Carruth claimed he was working on "a massive thing" and would leave the film industry once that project concludes.
Consulting
Carruth was rumored to have consulted on time-travel sequences for filmmaker Rian Johnson's Looper, though it was later revealed that those sequences were deemed too expensive to shoot.
Acting
In 2018, Carruth starred in the psychological thriller The Dead Center about a hospital psychiatrist whose own sanity is pushed to the edge when a frightened amnesiac patient insists that he has died and brought something terrible back from the other side.
Personal life
In 2019, when asked about his religious beliefs, he stated that he was raised Christian, but fell away from it, before later saying that he still prays from time to time and finds some comfort from the Bible.
Legal issues
From 2011 to 2018, Carruth was in a relationship with Amy Seimetz. The couple became engaged in 2013. Seimetz obtained temporary restraining orders against Carruth in 2018 and a permanent restraining order in 2020, citing years of domestic and emotional abuse and harassment. Carruth has denied these allegations.
On January 13, 2022, Carruth was arrested at the home of another ex-girlfriend on allegations of domestic assault and vandalism. He was released four days later on a $50,000 bond. Variety reported that the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office would not file felony charges.
Filmography
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Composer | Editor | Actor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Primer | Also production designer, sound designer and casting director | ||||||
| 2013 | Upstream Color | Also cinematographer and camera operator | ||||||
| 2018 | The Dead Center | |||||||
| :: |
Television
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Director | Composer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Girlfriend Experience | 13 episodes | ||
| 2017 | Breakthrough | Episode "Predicting the Future" | ||
| :: |
Acting roles
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Primer | Aaron | |
| 2013 | Upstream Color | Jeff | |
| 2014 | Everything & Everything & Everything | Morgan | Short film |
| 2015 | We'll Find Something | Steve | Short film |
| Memory Box | The Man | Short film | |
| 2016 | The Girlfriend Experience | Sam | TV series (1 episode) |
| Swiss Army Man | Coroner | Cameo | |
| 2018 | The Dead Center | Daniel Forrester | |
| 2020 | Tales from the Loop | Cole | TV series (2 episodes) |
| :: |
Other credits
::data[format=table]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Divergent Series: Allegiant | Consultant |
| 2017 | A Ghost Story | Additional editor |
| 2020 | The Wanting Mare | Carruth was removed as executive producer after allegations of domestic violence surfaced. |
| :: |
Awards and nominations
Awards
::data[format=table]
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Sundance Film Festival | Grand Jury Prize | Primer | |
| Alfred P. Sloan Prize | ||||
| Nantucket Film Festival | Best Writer/Director | |||
| Gotham Awards | Best Feature | |||
| Sitges Film Festival | Best Film | |||
| 2005 | London International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film | Best Feature | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Feature | |||
| Best Director | ||||
| Best First Screenplay | ||||
| Best Actor in a Debut Performance (David Sullivan) | ||||
| Fantasporto | International Fantasy Film Award | |||
| 2013 | Sundance Film Festival | U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Sound Design | Upstream Color | |
| Grand Jury Prize – Dramatic | ||||
| Sitges Film Festival | Best Directorial Revelation | |||
| Best Motion Picture | ||||
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association | Best Editing | Second place | ||
| Independent Spirit Awards | Best Director | |||
| Best Editing | ||||
| Gotham Awards | Best Film | |||
| Best Actress (Amy Seimetz) | ||||
| Camerimage | Best Cinematography Debut | |||
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Editing | |||
| Dublin Film Critics' Circle | Best Director | |||
| Village Voice Film Poll | Best Film | |||
| Best Director | ||||
| SXSW Film Festival | Festival Favorites | |||
| 2014 | Australian Film Critics Association | Best International Film (English Language) | ||
| Central Ohio Film Critics Association | Best Picture | |||
| Best Cinematography | ||||
| Chlotrudis Award | Best Cinematography | |||
| Lost Weekend | Best Visuals | |||
| Georgia Film Critics Association | Breakthrough (Amy Seimetz) | |||
| Best Picture | ||||
| Best Original Score | ||||
| Best Director | ||||
| Best Actress (Amy Seimetz) | ||||
| Best Original Screenplay | ||||
| Best Cinematography | ||||
| London Film Critics' Circle | Technical Achievement of the Year (Johnny Marshall) | |||
| :: |
References
References
- Murray, Rebecca. (October 22, 2004). "Interview with Shane Carruth". New York Times.
- Moring, Mark. (October 22, 2004). "A Primer on Filmmaking". [[Christianity Today]].
- Maerz, Melissa. (April 5, 2013). "A Mysterious Director Returns, in Living ''Color''".
- "New Math: A Conversation with Shane Carruth".
- "Upstream Color – Movie Trailers – iTunes".
- (January 26, 2013). "2013 Sundance Film Festival Announces Feature Film Awards". sundance.org.
- Kimbell, Keith. (January 28, 2013). "2013 Sundance Film Festival Recap". [[Metacritic]].
- Sullivan, David. (May 12, 2009). "Shane Carruth's next project, A Topiary, is in the early stages of pre-production. Let's hope that I can be a part of that one too!".
- (September 16, 2009). "to all who asked: Shane is alive and well and has a mind-blowing sci-fi script. Let's all pray to the movie-gods that he gets it made soon.".
- (March 11, 2010). "A Topiary".
- Anders, Charlie Jane. (June 22, 2010). "More details about Shane Carruth's next mind-bending film!".
- (April 11, 2013). "UPSTREAM COLOR w/ Shane Carruth of PRIMER (B-Movies Interview".
- Wise, Damon. (January 5, 2014). "Shane Carruth Interview: Upstream Color".
- Nguyen, Clinton. (August 12, 2015). "We Talked to Shane Carruth About the Human Drama Behind 'The Modern Ocean'". [[Vice Media]].
- Borys Kit, Pamela. (November 3, 2015). "Anne Hathaway, Keanu Reeves, Daniel Radcliffe to Star in 'The Modern Ocean'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
- Nordine, Michael. (October 1, 2018). "Shane Carruth on Why He Won't Direct a Superhero Movie and Acting in 'The Dead Center'".
- Raup, Jordan. (June 17, 2020). "Shane Carruth Shares Full Script & Concept Trailer for The Modern Ocean".
- (June 17, 2020). "[link] That's the script for The Modern Ocean. I kept it quiet for a long time because...I don't like scripts because they are not movies and movies are not film and I just didn't want to be embarrassed. But now I think it might be fun. It's all good, now.".
- (October 10, 2019). "Shane Carruth on The Dead Center – and why he's quitting film for good".
- Pape, Stefan. (October 10, 2019). "EXCLUSIVE – Shane Carruth on The Dead Center and why he's quitting film for good".
- Bettinger, Brendan. (January 18, 2011). "PRIMER Director Shane Carruth Working on the Time Travel Effects in Rian Johnson's LOOPER".
- Raftery, Brian. (April 17, 2013). "Buckle Your Brainpan: The Primer Director Is Back With a New Film". Wired.com.
- (October 10, 2019). "Shane Carruth on The Dead Center – and why he's quitting film for good".
- (July 28, 2020). "Amy Seimetz Accuses Ex Shane Carruth of Strangling, Threatening Her".
- Erbland, Kate. (January 26, 2016). "Sundance: Amy Seimetz Explains the Most Feminist Decision She Made When Crafting 'The Girlfriend Experience'".
- Kohn, Eric. (April 13, 2019). "Amy Seimetz Conquers Hollywood By Saying No to Marvel and Yes to 'Pet Sematary'".
- Maddaus, Gene. (July 27, 2020). "'Upstream Color' Director Shane Carruth Accused of Abusing Ex-Girlfriend".
- Fernández, Alexia. (July 28, 2020). "''Alien: Covenant'' and ''Pet Sematary'''s Amy Seimetz Accuses Director Ex of Mental, Physical Abuse".
- Brody, Richard. (August 7, 2020). ""She Dies Tomorrow," Reviewed: An Apocalyptic Drama of Emotional Crises".
- (January 19, 2022). "Shane Carruth, 'Primer' and 'Upstream Color' Director, Arrested on Domestic Violence Allegations".
- Feldberg, Isaac. (August 24, 2020). "Nine Film Festival Favorites That Deserve a Home | Festivals & Awards | Roger Ebert".
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