Nov 14, 2022Alexander Payne Muses About Election Sequel, Tracy Flick ‘I’m Interested in That World’To date, Alexander Payne’s films — Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schmidt, Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska, and Downsizing — have been nominated for 19 Academy Awards and eight Golden Globes. While he would eventually win the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for both Sideways and The Descendants, Election earned him his first…Alexander Payne4 min readAlexander Payne4 min read
Nov 14, 2022Alexander Payne Explains His Editing ProcessSince filming wrapped on The Holdovers in Boston earlier this year, director Alexander Payne has been splitting his time during the editing process between Los Angeles and his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska. …Alexander Payne5 min readAlexander Payne5 min read
Nov 8, 2022Alexander Payne On What Determines if a Movie Gets a SequelHow do directors decide if a movie needs a sequel? Sideways director Alexander Payne says, “Money. It’s obviously about the money.” …Alexander Payne5 min readAlexander Payne5 min read
May 26, 2022Alexander Payne Discuss His Casting Process — I Love Having My Mind Blown!Like many directors, Alexander Payne makes movies on his own terms to realize his vision. He can find the heart in any situation, making for memorable dark comedy. And he has a way of making audiences invest in his average, everyman characters, no matter if the role is being played…Alexander Payne5 min readAlexander Payne5 min read
Dec 23, 2021How Alexander Payne Stays Grounded in HollywoodAlexander Payne has seven feature films under his belt. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for “Sideways” and “The Descendants,” and the Nebraska-born filmmaker still spends most of his time at home in America’s heartland. …Hollywood4 min readHollywood4 min read
Dec 23, 2021Alexander Payne Dishes on His Successful Writing Partnership with Jim TaylorJim Taylor co-wrote five of the seven feature films that Alexander Payne has directed. Their partnership is successful by Hollywood standards and beyond. Both men won the Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award for Sideways in 2005, and their films have grossed nearly $500 million worldwide. Payne, 60, considers himself lucky…Film5 min readFilm5 min read
Dec 21, 2021Alexander Payne Shares his Most Valuable Screenwriting LessonsAccording to Alexander Payne, “Screenwriting is the hardest part of filmmaking.” So, when the Academy Award-winning filmmaker gets a new screenplay, what makes him want to keep reading? “It’s nice when a screenplay is written clearly and succinctly,” shares the 60-year-old director. “It’s arduous to read an overwritten screenplay. …Screenwriting4 min readScreenwriting4 min read
Dec 9, 2021Oscar-Winning Director Alexander Payne to Host Digital Seminar On Making and Watching FilmThe discussion will begin with five ways in which Payne thinks about film, but there’s no telling where it will end. “You’ll see why film lovers seek one another out — to kibitz about film treasures and film technique, about how to look at movies, of course to gossip, and…Seminar2 min readSeminar2 min read
Dec 9, 2021Director Alexander Payne Joins 2021 Tribeca Film Festival Jury PanelSideways Director Alexander Payne will be one of the many jury members at the upcoming 2021 Tribeca Film Festival. Payne will serve on the International Narrative Competition jury. Films in the category include All My Friends Hate Me (directed by Andrew Gaynord), Brighton 4th (directed by Levan Koguashvili), Do Not…Directors2 min readDirectors2 min read
Nov 25, 2021Alexander Payne’s Advice for Moviemaking Hopefuls ‘Just Be on Time’Alexander Payne says that “screenwriting is the hardest part of filmmaking. You’re not just writing; you’re actually imagining and directing a film in your brain, and a screenplay is the written record of that act of imagination.” Yet, he observes that the most crucial aspect of aspiring film crewmembers is…Hollywood4 min readHollywood4 min read
