Celine Held Explained
Celine Held |
Birth Date: | [1] |
Birth Place: | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
Occupation: | Director, writer, actress |
Celine Held is an American and British film director, writer, and actress. Her debut feature film Topside, co-directed with her partner Logan George, premiered at the 77th Venice International Film Festival.[2] Her short film Caroline that she co-wrote, co-directed and starred in, was nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.[3] Her additional short film work has premiered at Sundance Film Festival and at South by Southwest.[4]
Early life and education
Held was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is a US and UK citizen.[5]
Career
Short films
Held and George's first short film, Mouse, premiered at South by Southwest in 2017.[6] Held was then named among the "25 New Faces of Independent Film" in Filmmaker Magazine's annual list with her partner Logan George in 2017.[7] Their second short film Lockdown premiered at Sundance Film Festival.[8]
Held and George's short film Caroline was nominated for the Short Film Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and South by Southwest.[9] Caroline was also short-listed for the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 91st Academy Awards.[10] Held also played the mother of the titular character in Caroline, a role that she reprised for Held and George's feature film debut Topside.
Topside
Held and George's first feature film Topside premiered at 77th Venice International Film Festival.[11] Topside won the Mario Serandrei Award for Best Technical Achievement at Venice,[12] and the jury award for Best Director at South by Southwest.[13] Topside has been praised by critics, landing on The Hollywood Reporter's list of the 20 Best Films From the Toronto and Venice Festivals.[14] Sheri Linden of The Hollywood Reporter said the film is "a striking debut, cinematic and affecting."[15] Eric Kohn of Indiewire called the debut film "riveting," saying, "Logan George and Celine Held's debut is a taut mother-daughter survivor story with a breakthrough performance [at] its center."[16]
Held has also been praised for her pivotal role in Topside, with critics calling her performance "harrowing," "unnerving," and "gutwrenching."[17]
Held & George's research for their feature film debut Topside has been extensive. The pair created a documentary on homelessness 50 Moments, which premiered at South by Southwest.[18] Held & George spent time in the tunnels before filming on Topside, and credit the inspiration for the film to books The Mole People: Life in the Tunnels Beneath New York City by Jennifer Toth and The Tunnel: the Underground Homeless of New York City by Margaret Morton.[19]
Notes and References
- News: SXSW 2020 Film Awards. New York University. April 15, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Web site: Venice Critics' Week Lineup to Include 'The Rossellinis,' U.S. drama 'Topside. Nick Vivarelli. Variety. July 21, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Cannes announces short films selection for 2018 Competition and Cinéfondation. Ben Dalton. Screen Daily . April 11, 2018. October 29, 2020.
- Venice 2020 Women Directors: Meet Celine Held – "Topside". Cody Corrall. Women and Hollywood . September 3, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- News: Butler native and Vincentian alum to premiere movie at Venice Film Festival. Maria Sciullo. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. August 28, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Web site: 2017 SXSW Film Festival Selections: Midnight Shorts [Video]]. Claudette Godfrey. South by Southwest. October 25, 2017. October 29, 2020.
- Celine Held and Logan George. Scott Macaulay. Filmmaker Magazine. October 25, 2018. October 29, 2020.
- News: 2019 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL: INDIE EPISODIC, SHORTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS ANNOUNCED. Sundance Film Festival. December 3, 2018. October 30, 2020.
- Web site: 2018 SXSW Film Festival Selections: Narrative Shorts [Video]]. Claudette Godfrey. South by Southwest. November 26, 2018. October 29, 2020.
- Short Film: Caroline, Directed by Celine Held and Logan George. Sarah Salovaara . Filmmaker Magazine. December 20, 2018. October 29, 2020.
- News: 'Topside' to launch at Venice. Eric Freehling. Butler Eagle. July 22, 2020. October 30, 2020.
- News: 'Nomadland' Wins Golden Lion Award at Venice Film Festival. Steve Pond. The Wrap. September 12, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- News: SXSW Film Festival Unveils 2020 Winners After Cancellation. Dave McNary. Variety. March 24, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- 'Hollywood Reporter Critics' Picks: 20 Best Films From the Toronto and Venice Festivals'. David Rooney, Jordan Mintzer, Deborah Young, Stephen Dalton, Sheri Linden, Boyd van Hoeij. The Hollywood Reporter. September 19, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Topside Film Review, Venice 2020. Sheri Linden. The Hollywood Reporter. September 8, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- 'Topside' Review: A Child Raised Beneath the NYC Subways Sees the Light in Riveting Debut. Eric Kohn. Indiewire. September 8, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Web site: 'Topside': A Mother & Daughter Struggle To Survive New York's Underground Tunnels In A Wrenching Drama [Venice Review]]. Rodrigo Perez. The Playlist. September 9, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- News: Announcing SXSW 2020 Art Program Installations. Hailey Hess. SXSW. February 5, 2020. October 29, 2020.
- Logan George and Celine Held Discuss Their Drama Topside – SXSW Filmmaker In Focus. Neha Aziz. South by Southwest. March 2, 2020. October 30, 2020.