Ilya Naishuller
 | This article contains translated text and the factual accuracy of the translation should be checked by someone fluent in German and English. |
Ilya Naishuller | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Naishuller at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 | |
| Born | November 19, 1983 |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2008–present |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse |
Darya Charusha (m. 2010) |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | Rock |
| Instruments |
|
Ilya Viktorovich Naishuller (Template:Lang-ru; born November 19, 1983)[1] is a Russian film director and musician. He is known for directing the action films Hardcore Henry (2015) and Nobody (2021). He is also the founder of the film production company Versus Pictures and the indie rock band Biting Elbows.
Life
Naishuller was born in Moscow, the son of a surgeon mother and a businessman father of Jewish background.[2] From the ages of seven to fourteen he lived in London and attended private school.[3][4]
He studied at the New York University Tisch School of the Arts and met several filmmakers he would collaborate with later. Naishuller left school to pursue music. In 2008, he founded the rock band Biting Elbows as lead singer and guitarist. In 2011, he released the EP Dope Fiend Massacre and the debut album Biting Elbows.
In 2013, Naishuller directed and starred in Bad Motherfucker – the music video for a Biting Elbows' hit single. Shot entirely in POV, Bad Mother Fucker became a viral online hit with over 150 million cumulative views[5] The video caught the attention of Hollywood agents, actors and directors and was praised by Darren Aronofsky.[4]
In 2015 Naishuller directed an independent feature Hardcore, later renamed Hardcore Henry. It starred Sharlto Copley and Tim Roth and was produced by Timur Bekmambetov, Inga Vainshtein Smith and Ekaterina Kononenko. Naishuller is also credited as screenwriter, director, producer and acted in the film as well. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015 and won the festival's People's Choice Award. It was released theatrically by STXfilms on April 8, 2016. It went on to gross $14.3 million USD, in the US.[6][7] Simultaneously Naishuller and writers, Brain Philipson and Will Stewart, released the comic book titled 'Hardcore Akan #1', the origin story for Hardcore Henry.[8]
The music video "Kolshchik" that Naishuller directed for the Russian rock band Leningrad won the Berlin Music Video Awards in 2017, while taking the first place for the "Best Concept" category.[9]
In 2021, Naishuller directed Nobody, an American action film written by Derek Kolstad. The Universal Pictures film stars Bob Odenkirk, Connie Nielsen, Aleksey Serebryakov, RZA and Christopher Lloyd. The film premiered as theaters in the United States were starting to reopen, following the initial COVID-19 outbreak. Nobody debuted at #1 at the US Box Office in its opening weekend.[10]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Hardcore Henry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer and actor |
| 2021 | Nobody[11] | Yes | No | No | also actor |
| TBA | Heads of State | Yes | No | No | Filming |
Other works
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 | The Medic | A piece from Saatchi & Saatchi's 25x25 - a collection of 1 minute shorts directed by the participants of the last 25 years of the New Director's Showcase |
| 2018 | I Am Losing Weight | Producer |
| 2020 | Marathon of Wishes | |
| 2022 | Young Man | |
| 2023 | Centaur |
Music videos
| Year | Artist | Title | Director | Producer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Biting Elbows | Dope Fiend Massacre | Yes | No | [12] |
| 2011 | The Stampede | Yes | No | [13] | |
| 2012 | Toothpick | Yes | No | [14] | |
| 2013 | Bad Motherfucker | Yes | No | [15] | |
| 2016 | The Weeknd | False Alarm | Yes | No | [16] |
| 2017 | Leningrad | "Кольщик" (Kolshchik) | Yes | No | [17] |
| "Вояж" (Voyage) | Yes | No | |||
| 2018 | "Жу-Жу" (Ju-Ju) | Yes | No | ||
| "Золото" (Gold) | No | Yes | |||
| 2019 | Biting Elbows | Heartache | Yes | Yes | |
| Control | Yes | Yes | |||
| 2021 | Serj Tankian | Elasticity | No | Yes | |
| Biting Elbows | Boy is Dead | Yes | Yes |
References
- ^ Ilja Naischuller at kp.ru
- ^ Reddit: Ilya Naishuller Ask Me Anything www.reddit.com Published 2015. Accessed 2018.
- ^ Ilja Naischuller at kino-teatr.ua
- ^ a b Ilya Naishuller: Young Russian is the Next Quentin Tarantino at bigthink.com
- ^ Biting Elbows – ‘Bad Motherfucker’ Official Music Video at vimeo.com
- ^ Rapid Round: 'Hardcore Henry' Director Ilya Naishuller on First-Person Filmmaking, His Favorite Video Game at hollywoodreporter.com
- ^ "Hardcore Henry 2 Updates: Why The Sequel Hasn't Happened". ScreenRant. 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2021-09-13.
- ^ Phillipson, Brian; Naishuller, Ilya; Stewart, Will (2016-04-08). Hardcore Akan #1. Bliss On Tap Publishing. ISBN 978-1-68124-466-2.
- ^ "Berlin Music Video Awards Winners 2017". 23 May 2017.
- ^ "Bob Odenkirk's Action Flick 'Nobody' Debuts Atop Domestic Box Office With $6.7 Million As 'Godzilla vs. Kong' Roars Overseas With A $122 Million Bow". 28 March 2021.
- ^ Couch, Aaron (September 19, 2019). "Universal Sets Bob Odenkirk Action Thriller 'Nobody' for August 2020". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ bitingelbows (2010-12-05). "Biting Elbows - 'Dope Fiend Massacre' Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ bitingelbows (2011-09-20). "Biting Elbows - The Stampede (Official Music Video)". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ bitingelbows (2012-04-26). "Biting Elbows - "Toothpick" Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ bitingelbows (2013-03-18). "Biting Elbows - 'Bad Motherfucker' Official Music Video". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ The Weeknd (2016-10-13). "The Weeknd - False Alarm". YouTube. Retrieved 2019-01-13.
- ^ Leningrad (2017-02-14). "Ленинград — Кольщик". YouTube. Retrieved 2021-04-16.
