Todd Hughes

This article is about the American writer and film producer. For the American judge, see Todd M. Hughes.

Todd Hughes (born August 13, 1963 in Salt Lake City, Utah) is an American screenwriter, author, producer and film director. He is a Columbia University graduate and currently resides in Palm Springs, California and Mérida, Yucatán.

Todd Hughes
Todd Hughes, with company mascot Butchie
Born	Todd Langdon Hughes (1963-08-13) August 13, 1963 (age 60) Salt Lake City, Utah, US
Occupation(s)	Screenwriter, author, film director, producer
Years active	1985–present
Spouse	P. David Ebersole

Career

His short film directing credits include Kaka Ferskur (1988) and Ding Dong (1995). He directed the independent film The New Women (2001) starring Mary Woronov and wrote for the 2007 Fox television series Wicked Wicked Games starring Tatum O'Neal. He produced his first documentary Hit So Hard^[1] with Christina Soletti about drummer Patty Schemel of the seminal grunge band Hole, which premiered at South by Southwest 2011 and was released theatrically in 2012.^[2]

In 2001, he was named one of Filmmaker Magazine's New Faces of Indie Film^[3] and he is half of a long-standing creative partnership with filmmaker P. David Ebersole, his husband.

Together, Ebersole and Hughes executive produced Room 237. a subjective documentary that explores the numerous theories about the hidden meanings within Stanley Kubrick's film The Shining.

In 2013, Todd produced the Lifetime documentary Dear Mom, Love Cher, a insightful look at singer/actress Cher's mother Georgia Holt and their family history, as well as Executive Producer along with Ebersole (also writer and director), Cher, Risa Shapiro and Tanya Lopez.^[4]

His documentary directorial debut, Mansfield 66/67, premiered at the 2017 International Film Festival Rotterdam where Paris-based International sales outfit Stray Dogs picked up worldwide rights.^[5] The film, directed by Hughes with Ebersole, and produced by Ebersole, Hughes and Larra Anderson, follows the last two years of movie goddess Jayne Mansfield’s life and the rumours swirling around her untimely death being caused by a curse after her alleged romantic dalliance with Anton LaVey, head of the Church of Satan. Mansfield 66/67 is "a true story based on rumour and hearsay," celebrating Jayne's life on the 50th anniversary of her death.^[6][7]

The award-winning feature documentary House of Cardin, about the iconic designer Pierre Cardin, directed by Ebersole and Hughes, premiered to a standing ovation at the 2019 Venice Film Festival in the prestigious Giornate degli Autori section, and it is in distribution worldwide, with Utopia taking North American rights.^[8] In 2021, My Name Is Lopez, a concert/documentary feature film about the life and legend of Trini Lopez, one of the first Latino rock and rollers in the U.S., won Best Documentary Feature Film when it premiered at AmDocs in Palm Springs CA and it was picked up for distribution by Cinedigm.^[9]

In September 2022, Pelekinesis Press published Hughes' first book, called "Lunch With Lizabeth" in which his "heartfelt bond with noir actress Lizabeth Scott colors this compelling memoir."^[10]

References

1. Gavin Smith (March 28, 2011). "Hit So Hard". New Directors New Films. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
2. Gregg Kilday (July 13, 2011). "Rights to the Patty Schemel Doc 'Hit So Hard' Go to Well Go USA". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
3. Arnold Salas (Summer 2001). "25 New Faces of Independent Film". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved December 12, 2011.
4. Alison Willmore (April 2, 2013). "Lifetime to Premiere Cher Doc From 'Hit So Hard' Director P. David Ebersole". IndieWire. Retrieved April 5, 2013.
5. Geoffrey Macnab (January 28, 2017). "IFFR: Stray Dogs picks up Jayne Mansfield documentary". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
6. Liz Calvario (January 27, 2017). "'Mansfield 66/67' Trailer Examines Jayne Mansfield's Interest in Satanic Rituals and Her Untimely Death". IndieWire. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
7. Orlando Parfitt (May 24, 2017). "Jayne Mansfield doc heads to America". Screen Daily. Retrieved June 2, 2017.
8. Kay, Jeremy (May 13, 2020). "Utopia acquires North American rights to 'House Of Cardin'". Screen Daily. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
9. Grater, Tom (January 25, 2022). "Cinedigm Takes North American Rights On Music Doc Pair 'The Sound Of Scars' & 'My Name Is Lopez'". Deadline. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
10. Archer, Greg (October 16, 2022). "Heartfelt bond with noir actress Lizabeth Scott colors Todd Hughes' compelling memoir". Desert Sun. Retrieved May 28, 2023.

External links

Todd Hughes at IMDb