Ang Lee, Wang Hui‑ling, Elliot Tiber, Sihung Lung, Ted Hope
Occupation
producer, screenwriter
James schamus screenwriters lecture
James Allan Schamus (born September 7, 1959) is an American award-winning screenwriter, co-founder of Good Machine production company, and the CEO of Focus Features, the motion picture production, financing, and worldwide distribution company, until its merging with FilmDistrict.
Schamus was born in Detroit, Michigan, to a Jewish family. He is the son of Clarita (Gershowitz) Karlin and Julian John Schamus, and was raised in Los Angeles. He is married to writer Nancy Kricorian, with whom he has two children.
Schamus made his feature directorial debut with Indignation, an adaptation of Philip Roth's novel of the same name. Schamus also wrote the script for the film, which stars Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, and Tracy Letts, and is the story of a Jewish student at an Ohio college in 1951. The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, and was theatrically released by Roadside Attractions on July 29, 2016.
Schamus participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a local New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18. He was president of the jury for the 64th Berlin International Film Festival.
Schamus founded Symbolic Exchange, a film development company based in New York City. On May 2015, it was announced that Symbolic Exchange signed a first-look deal with Beijing's Meridian Entertainment.
Grammy Award Nomination, Best Song Written For A Motion Picture, Television, Or Other Media, "A Love Before Time" from "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," 2002
Excellence in Achievement Award, California Alumni Association, 2001
Crystal Apple Award, New York City Mayor's Office, 2001
Cable Ace Award, Best Historical Documentary Special or Series, "Wonderland," (Executive Producer), 1997
IFP Gotham Award, Producer of the Year, 1996
Zanuck Award Nominee, Producers Guild of America, 1996
Nova Award, Producers Guild of America, 1996
The Philip and Ruth Hettleman Award, Columbia University School of General Studies, 1996
Independent Spirit Brian Greenbaum Memorial Award for Producing, 1994
Books
Taking Woodstock. New York: Newmarket Press, 2009. Screenplay and Introduction.
Carl Theodor Dryer’s Gertrud: The Moving Word. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2008.
Lust, Caution. New York: Pantheon, 2007. Screenplay (with Wang Hui-Ling) and Introduction.
The Hulk. New York: Newmarket Press, 2003. Screenplay and Introduction.
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Portrait of the Ang Lee Film. New York: Newmarket Press, 2000. Screenplay (with Wang Hui-Ling) and Notes.
Ride With the Devil. London: Faber & Faber, 1999. Screenplay, Introduction, and Notes.
The Ice Storm. New York: Newmarket Press, 1997. Screenplay, Introduction, and Notes.
Two Films By Ang Lee: "Eat Drink Man Woman" and "The Wedding Banquet". New York: The Overlook Press, 1994. Introduction and Screenplays (with Ang Lee, Neal Peng, and Wang Hui-Ling).
Essays and articles
"23 Fragments on the Future of Cinema", Filmmaker (magazine) , Winter 2015.
"James Schamus Reveals Secrets of the Oscar Voting System", Variety (magazine), January 8, 2014.
"Preface." "Musts, Maybes, and Nevers: A Book About The Movies". By David Picker. Charleston: CreateSpace, 2013.
"See Here Now: Festival Red Carpets and the Cost of Film Culture," in Coming Soon to a Festival Near You: Programming Film Festivals, ed. Jeffrey Ruoff. Scotland, UK: St. Andrews Film Books, 2012.
"Raul Ruiz Remembered by James Schamus", Filmmaker (magazine), August 19, 2011.
"Afterword." A Killer Life. By Christine Vachon. New York: Limelight Editions, 2007.
