Todd Haynes

American gay filmmaker whose films are controversial and often criticized, often praised for the erotic themes and graphic content. Haynes produced his first film while he was a teenager, "The Suicide" (1978). As a student at Brown University, he made his directorial debut with Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud" (1985). Armed with his BA in Arts and Semiotics, Haynes pursued his career in New York. There he founded a non-profit organization, Apparatus Productions, whose aim was to support independent films. "Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987)" earned him sharp criticism and critical acclaim both. The film dealt with the sensitive story of the singer's life, battle with anorexia and death with satire, compassion both. The singer's brother, Richard Carpenter, sued Haynes and the movie was taken out of circulation. In 1991 "Poison" was equally unsettling in its explicit portrayal of homosexuality. The fact that he had received funding from the National Endowment for the Arts of $25,000 caught the attention of the conservative, right-wing movement. Nevertheless, the film won the 1991 1991 Sundance Festival's Grand Jury Prize. Haynes continued to make controversial films that were critical of social mores, graphic in sexual content, creative. His films inspired a loyal following. In 2002, his "Far From Heaven" won mainstream approval and Oscar nominations. Link to Wikipedia biography