Celine Song Explained

Birth Name:Song Ha-Young
Birth Date:19 September 1988
Birth Place:South Korea

Celine Song (born Song Ha-Young; ;[1] born September 19, 1988) is a Canadian director, playwright, and screenwriter based in the United States. Among her plays are Endlings and The Seagull on The Sims 4. Her directorial film debut Past Lives received critical acclaim, and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards.

Early life and education

Song was born in South Korea.[2] Her parents, both artists, moved the family to Markham, Ontario, Canada when she was 12.[3] Her father, Song Neung-han, is a filmmaker.[4] Her mother is an illustrator and graphic designer.[5] She has hinted at her Western name being a reference to the character in the 1974 film Celine and Julie Go Boating, directed by Jacques Rivette.[6]

Song wrote her first play, an adaptation of Prometheus, at a classics conference she attended (the Ontario Student Classics Conference) with the Markham District Classics Club.[7]

Song attended Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario for her undergraduate degree where she studied psychology with a minor in philosophy, before receiving her MFA in playwriting from Columbia University in New York in 2014.[8] [9]

Career

2019–2020: Off-Broadway works

Song's play Endlings premiered in 2019 at the American Repertory Theater. The show's off-Broadway run opened in March 2020 at New York Theatre Workshop, but was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The show tells the story of three older Korean women haenyeos and a Korean-Canadian writer living in New York.[10] In a mixed review, Alexandra Schwartz of The New Yorker described Endlings as "two works spliced roughly together: a traditional play that seeks to depict people’s lives, and a metafictional examination of the playwright’s own motivations, which flirts with honesty before traipsing down a solipsistic path of no return."[11] The play was chosen for the 2018 O'Neill Playwrights Conference and was a finalist for the 2020 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize.[12]

In November 2020, Song directed a live production of Chekhov's The Seagull using The Sims 4 on Twitch for New York Theatre Workshop, called The Seagull on The Sims 4.[13] In a review for Vulture, Helen Shaw praised the experimental play: "I think Song’s game-play/play-game managed the trick by capturing the experience not of going to a show but of working on one. At her urging, viewers brought the quality of attention that comes with collaboration, and that felt like a churning motor under everything, trying to propel the show into being."[14]

Song's other plays include Tom and Eliza, which was named a semifinalist for the American Playwriting Foundation's 2016 Relentless Award, Family, and The Feast.[15] According to her biography on The Playwright's Realm, "she has been awarded residences, fellowships, and commissions from MTC/Sloan, Sundance, the Millay Colony for the Arts, the MacDowell Colony, Yaddo, and the Edward F. Albee Foundation."

2021–present: Breakthrough with Past Lives

See main article: Past Lives (film). Song wrote the screenplay for Past Lives, her directorial film debut, about two childhood friends who later reunite as adults (portrayed by Greta Lee and Teo Yoo).[16] The film is partly inspired by Song's life, specifically a dinner she had with her English-speaking husband and her Korean-speaking friend visiting New York. In an interview with Scott Feinberg for The Hollywood Reporter's Awards Chatter podcast, she reflects on the experience: "at one point, I realized that I wasn't just translating between their languages and cultures, but also translating between these two parts of myself as well." The film was produced by A24 and premiered at Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2023.[17] Past Lives received critical acclaim and has been compared to the work of Richard Linklater, Woody Allen, and Noah Baumbach.[18] [19] The Guardian's Benjamin Lee rated it 4/5 stars and praised Song's work: "as writer, Song manages to keep her dialogue believably light-footed and spare while as director, she confidently and evocatively captures both cities with a breadth that belies her inexperience. It's a beautiful, transporting film but one made with both feet firmly on the ground."[20] Richard Lawson of Vanity Fair hailed the film as "understated and yet vast in its consideration of the slow changes of life, of the past ever whispering to the present. The film is as auspicious a debut as one can hope to see at Sundance, the announcement of a filmmaker confident in her craft and generous with her heart." Alissa Wilkinson of Vox said Past Lives should be "one of 2023’s most talked-about films".[21] The film received many accolades including nominations for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards.[22]

Song's first television screenwriting job was as a staff writer for the first season of Amazon's The Wheel of Time.[23] Her next film project, Materialists, is in production with A24 as of December 2023. Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans are in talks to star, with Sony Pictures acquiring select international distribution rights at the European Film Market in February 2024.[24] [25] [26] On April 11th, 2024, the music video for pop artist Laufey's song "Goddess" was released, with Celine Song directing.[27] [28] This marks her music video directorial debut.

Personal life

Song resides in New York City with her husband, writer Justin Kuritzkes, whom she met at an artist residency hosted by the Edward F. Albee Foundation.[29] [30] Song says that he is always the first person to read her scripts.[31]

Filmography

Film

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotesRef.
2023Past Lives
MaterialistsPost-production

Television

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotesRef.
2020 Endlings Playwright NYTW
February–March, 2020
[32]
2020 The Seagull on The Sims 4. Playwright NYTW
October 27–28, 2020
[33]

Accolades

YearAssociationCategoryProjectResultRef
2023 Alliance of Women Film JournalistsBest DirectorPast Lives [34]
Best Original Screenplay
Best Woman Director
Best Woman Screenwriter
Asia Pacific Screen AwardsBest Director
Boston Society of Film CriticsBest New Filmmaker
British Independent Film AwardsBest International Independent Film
Chicago Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay
Milos Stehlik Award for Breakthrough Filmmaker
Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics AssociationBest Director[35]
Dublin Film Critics' CircleBest Director
Florida Film Critics CircleBest Director
Best First Film
Best Original Screenplay
Pauline Kael Breakout Award
Gotham AwardsBest Feature[36]
Breakthrough Director
Los Angeles Film Critics AssociationNew Generation Award
National Board of ReviewBest Directorial Debut
New York Film Critics OnlineBest Debut Director
San Diego Film Critics SocietyBest First Feature
Best Original Screenplay
St. Louis Film Critics AssociationBest Director[37]
Best Original Screenplay
Sydney Film FestivalBest Film
Toronto Film Critics AssociationBest Original Screenplay
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics AssociationBest Director
Best Original Screenplay
2024Academy AwardsBest Original Screenplay
Astra Film AwardsBest Director[38]
Best First Feature
Best Original Screenplay
Austin Film Critics AssociationBest Director[39]
Best First Film
Best Original Screenplay
The Robert R. "Bobby" McCurdy Memorial Breakthrough Artist Award
British Academy Film AwardsBest Original Screenplay
Best Film Not in the English Language
Critics' Choice Movie AwardsBest Original Screenplay[40]
Directors Guild of America AwardsOutstanding Directing – First-Time Feature Film
Independent Spirit AwardsBest Director[41]
Best Screenplay
Georgia Film Critics AssociationBest Director[42]
Best Original Screenplay
Breakthrough Award
Golden Globe AwardsBest Motion Picture - Drama[43]
Best Director
Best Screenplay
International Cinephile SocietyBest Debut Film
London Film Critics' CircleScreenwriter of the Year[44]
National Society of Film CriticsBest Screenplay
Online Film Critics SocietyBest Director
Best Original Screenplay
Best Feature Debut
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics CircleBest Director[45]
Best Original Screenplay
Satellite AwardsBest Original Screenplay[46]
Seattle Film Critics SocietyBest Director[47]
Best Screenplay
Sundance Film FestivalVanguard AwardCeline Song
Writers Guild of America AwardsBest Original ScreenplayPast Lives[48]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: '패스트 라이브즈' 셀린 송 감독, 제2의 봉준호 될까. 12 December 2023 . Hankyoreh. 2024-02-13. ko.
  2. Web site: Wong . Curtis M. . May 5, 2021 . With 'Endlings,' Celine Song Dove Deep Into Asian Identity. She Won't Be Stopping There. . Huffington Post.
  3. News: Hertz . Barry . 2023-06-08 . Canada, Korea, and America walk into a bar: The international roots of Celine Song's beguiling Past Lives . en-CA . The Globe and Mail . 2023-06-09.
  4. Web site: Kim . Ji-hye . 2023 . 장률·셀린 송, 베를린영화제 빛낼 반가운 이름…한국계 활약 주목 . Korean . SBS Entertainment News.
  5. Web site: Ford . Rebecca . 2023-12-08 . Celine Song’s Past, Present, and Future . 2024-08-03 . Vanity Fair . en-US.
  6. Web site: Aguilar . Carlos . 2023-06-02 . How a first-time director's own 'Past Lives' inspired one of the year's best films . 2024-03-18 . Los Angeles Times . en-US.
  7. Feinberg, Scott (2024-02-24). "'Awards Chatter' Podcast: Celine Song on True Story Behind 'Past Lives,' Final Draft's Subtitles Problem and the 'In-Yun' in Her Life" The Hollywood Reporter (Podcast). Retrieved 2024-03-17.
  8. Web site: Rao . Mallika . 2023-05-25 . Celine Song Is the One That Got Away . 2023-07-31 . Vulture . en-us.
  9. Web site: 'Endlings' by Alumna Celine Song '14 Playing at New York Theatre Workshop School of the Arts . 2023-01-22 . arts.columbia.edu.
  10. News: Green . Jesse . 2020-03-10 . Review: In 'Endlings,' the Pain of Swimming Between Worlds . en-US . The New York Times . 2023-01-22 . 0362-4331.
  11. Schwartz . Alexandra . 2020-03-11 . "Endlings" Questions the Legitimacy of Storytelling . 2023-01-22 . The New Yorker . en-US.
  12. Web site: 2017-01-01 . Celine Song . 2024-03-18 . The Playwrights Realm . en-US.
  13. Web site: Vanasco . Jennifer . 2020-10-27 . Is It Theater? Chekhov's 'The Seagull' Adaptation For The Sims 4 To Stream On Twitch . .
  14. Web site: Shaw . Helen . 2020-11-15 . The Best Online Staging of Chekhov's The Seagull Is in The Sims. Really. . 2023-01-22 . Vulture . en-us.
  15. Web site: Celine Song New Play Exchange . 2024-03-18 . newplayexchange.org . en.
  16. Web site: Kroll . Justin . 2021-08-02 . Greta Lee & Teo Yoo Set To Star In A24's 'Past Lives' . 2023-01-22 . Deadline . en-US.
  17. Lawson . Richard . 2023-01-21 . 'Past Lives' Is a Note-Perfect Directorial Debut . 2023-01-22 . Vanity Fair . en-US.
  18. Web site: Past Lives: this astonishing debut luminously captures a world-spanning, decades-long love story . May 25, 2023 . British Film Institute. March 2023 .
  19. Web site: 'Past Lives': Celine Song's Sundance breakout . May 25, 2023 . Yahoo News. 22 February 2023 .
  20. Web site: 2023-01-22 . Past Lives review – delicately sad romantic drama is a real achievement . 2023-01-22 . the Guardian . en.
  21. Web site: Past Lives is already one of the year's best films. Vox. 25 January 2023. June 16, 2023.
  22. Web site: Nordyke . Kimberly . Lewis . Hilary . 2024-01-23 . Oscars: Full List of Nominations . 2024-01-23 . The Hollywood Reporter . en-US.
  23. Web site: Celine Song and Julia Cho on Asian American Storytelling . 2023-01-22 . Department of Cultural Affairs . en-US . 2023-01-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230122023008/https://culturela.org/event/celine-song-and-julia-cho-on-asian-american-storytelling/ . dead .
  24. Web site: Ang . Raymond . 2023-12-04 . The Awesome Arrival of 'Past Lives' Director Celine Song . 2024-01-26 . GQ . en-US.
  25. Web site: Past Lives' Director Celine Song's Rom-Com 'Materialists' Set at A24 With Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal and Chris Evans in Talks to Star. 7 February 2024 . variety.
  26. Web site: Celine Song's 'Past Lives' Follow-Up 'Materialists' Sells To Sony For International In Another Big EFM Deal; Dakota Johnson, Pedro Pascal & Chris Evans In Talks To Star. Deadline Hollywood. Andreas. Wiseman. 18 February 2024. 18 February 2024.
  27. Web site: Willman . Chris . 2024-04-11 . Laufey as Screen 'Goddess': How Working With 'Past Lives' Director Celine Song and Co-Star Will Gao on Music Video Gave the Singer Her First Real Acting Gig . 2024-04-18 . Variety . en-US.
  28. Laufey - Goddess (Official Music Video) . en . 2024-04-18 . www.youtube.com.
  29. Web site: Dalton . Ben . February 19, 2023 . Celine Song talks debut feature 'Past Lives': "It's the script that convinced people I can do this". 2023-03-01 . Screen . en.
  30. Web site: Rao. Mallika. May 25, 2023 . Celine Song on Past Lives, Her Debut Movie . June 20, 2023. Vulture . en.
  31. 2023-05-30 . Celine Song's New Love . 2024-03-18 . Vanity Fair . en-US.
  32. Web site: NYTW / ENDLINGS. NYTW. May 25, 2023.
  33. Web site: NYTW / THE SEAGULL ON THE SIMS 4. NYTW. May 25, 2023.
  34. Web site: Merin . Jennifer . December 22, 2023 . 2023 EDA Awards Nominees . December 23, 2023 . . en-US.
  35. Web site: DFW Film Critics Name 'The Holdovers' Best Picture of 2023 . Todd . Jorgenson . . December 18, 2023 . December 18, 2023.
  36. Web site: Gotham Awards Nominations: 'All of Us Strangers' Tops Movie List; Ryan Gosling Gets 'Barbie' Nom With Budget Caps Removed. Goldsmith . Jill. Deadline Hollywood. October 24, 2023. October 25, 2023.
  37. Web site: December 10, 2023 . The 2023 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations . December 10, 2023. Next Best Picture . en-US.
  38. Web site: 'Barbie' and 'Oppenheimer' Lead Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Astra Awards Nominations . Erik . Anderson . AwardsWatch . December 7, 2023 . December 8, 2023.
  39. Web site: The 2023 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Winners . Matt . Neglia . Next Best Picture . January 10, 2024.
  40. Web site: Critics Choice 2024 Nominations: 'Barbie' Breaks All-Time Record With 18 Noms. Variety. Clayton. Davis. December 13, 2023. December 13, 2023.
  41. 'May December', Anne Hathaway, Teyana Taylor, and More Score 2024 Independent Spirit Awards Nominations . McArdle . Tommy . . December 5, 2023 . December 5, 2023 . December 7, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231207071134/https://people.com/2024-film-independent-spirit-awards-nominees-may-december-anne-hathaway-teyana-taylor-among-honorees-8409994 . live.
  42. News: The 2023 Georgia Film Critics Association (GAFCA) Winners. Next Best Picture. Matt. Neglia. January 5, 2024. January 5, 2024.
  43. Web site: The 2024 Nominations. goldenglobes.com. en. 11 December 2023.
  44. Web site: 'All of Us Strangers' and 'Oppenheimer' lead CC Film Awards Nominations . Rich . Cline . . 20 December 2023 . 20 December 2023.
  45. News: The 2023 San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle (SFBAFCC) Winners. Next Best Picture. Matt. Neglia. January 9, 2024. January 10, 2024.
  46. News: The 2023 Satellite Award (IPA) Nominations. Next Best Picture. Matt. Neglia. 18 December 2023. 18 December 2023.
  47. News: The 2023 Seattle Film Critics Society (SFCS) Winners. Next Best Picture. Matt. Neglia. January 8, 2024. January 10, 2024.
  48. Web site: n.a. . 2024 Writers Guild Awards Nominees . Writers Guild of America . 11 March 2024.

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