Hal Hartley

Hal Hartley was one of the most revered independent filmmakers of the late 1980s and '90s, known for his original style that blended deadpan comedy with impactful drama and social satire. Hartley's directing career began in earnest in the late '80s with "The Unbelievable Truth," an offbeat love story between a Long Island teen and an older mechanic. The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1990 Sundance Film Festival, thus ushering in what would prove to be the most successful decade of Hartley's career. In the ensuing decade, Hartley shot over a dozen short films and features, most notably "Trust" (1990), "Amateur" (1994), "Flirt" (1995), and "Henry Fool" (1997), all of which were independently financed with Hartley wearing multiple hats as director, writer, producer and composer. Hartley continued making films at a prolific rate throughout the 2000s, including "No Such Thing" (2001) and the "Henry Fool" sequel "Fay Grim," thus proving the acclaimed independent filmmaker had shown no signs of slowing down in the 21st century, even though his films were no longer as critically acclaimed as before.