Joel Coen (b. 1954)

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Biography

Joel Daniel Coen is an American filmmaker. Working alongside his brother Ethan, he has directed, written, edited and produced many feature films, the most acclaimed of which include Blood Simple (1984), Raising Arizona (1987), Miller's Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991), Fargo (1996), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Ladykillers (2004), No Country for Old Men (2007), Burn After Reading (2008), A Serious Man (2009), True Grit (2010), Inside Llewyn Davis (2013), Hail, Caesar! (2016) and The Ballad of Buster Scruggs (2018).

Timeline

The story of Joel Coen, told in moments.

1984 Event

Directed Blood Simple with Ethan producing. Made for $1.5 million, raised partly through a trailer they shot before the film existed. Won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance.

How do you raise money with a trailer for a film that doesn't exist? Did Sundance feel like validation or just a starting line? Was Blood Simple the film you imagined or something better?

1996 Event

Fargo won the Palme d'Or at Cannes and two Academy Awards. Frances McDormand, Joel's wife, took Best Actress. The Coens insisted the "true story" opening title was fiction.

Was the 'true story' title in Fargo mischief or method? How does it feel when your wife wins an Oscar for your script? Did Cannes change how you saw your own work?

2007 Event

No Country for Old Men won four Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director. The brothers accepted the award together. They'd shared every credit on every film.

Is sharing every credit with your brother generosity or honesty? Did four Oscars for No Country feel like a peak or just Tuesday? What does Best Picture mean when you share it with family?

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