Andrew Wagner, a talented writer and director, embarked on his creative journey by graduating from Brown University with degrees in Creative Writing and Psychology. He further honed his skills at NYU's Graduate Film School, where his short film, The Hardest Hit, earned the prestigious Francois de Menil Scholarship. Wagner's passion for storytelling led him to relocate to Los Angeles, where he wrote Waccabuc, a screenplay for United Artists. His subsequent appointment as a Directing Fellow at the American Film Institute culminated in a Masters in Fine Arts degree and the recognition of his thesis film, The Last Days of Hope and Time, with the Franklin J. Shaffner Fellowship for excellence in directing.
Wagner's script adaptation of The Man Who Gave Up His Name, inspired by Jim Harrison's collection of novellas, Legends of the Fall, was developed at the Sundance Writer's Lab. He went on to direct several independent shorts, including South Main and Counting, as well as write Splitting, The Halfcourt, Hunting the Vicious, and Southern Man.
Andrew's feature film debut, The Talent Given Us, premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival and received the Jury Prize at the CineVegas Film Festival, as well as the Best First Feature award at Michael Moore's Traverse City Film Festival. The film enjoyed a successful theatrical run in over 30 cities and was included on the New York Times' and other critics' lists of Best Films of 2005. Wagner was also nominated as a Breakthrough Director at the 2005 Gotham Awards.
Wagner's second feature, Starting Out In The Evening, starring Frank Langella, Lili Taylor, and Lauren Ambrose, premiered in competition at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and was released theatrically by Roadside Attractions. Frank Langella received critical acclaim for his performance, earning the title of Best Actor of 2007 from the Boston Critics Association and Runner-Up for Best Actor in voting by critics associations in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Dallas/Ft. Worth. Starting Out In The Evening was named one of the Top 10 Independent Films of 2007 by the National Board of Review and appeared on over 30 critics' lists of Best Films of 2007, including those of A.O. Scott and Stephen Holden of the New York Times, and Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times. The film received two Spirit Award nominations for Best Male Lead and Best Screenplay.
