“I was always interested in creative writing growing up. From junior high on, I was writing short stories. I also grew up watching movies. My father would take me to everything. Most weeks, I could open the paper having seen every movie listed.”

American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and producer

Jeff Nichols is an American filmmaker, director, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for films set against the backdrop of the Southern United States, with an Americana atmosphere and an interest in rural and working-class life. His work often focuses on everyday struggles, American masculinity, and the tension between traditional ways of life and modern change. He is also noted for his long collaboration with actor Michael Shannon, who has appeared in all of his feature films to date.