Olivia Newman is an American film director and screenwriter. She is best known for directing First Match (2018), Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) and Remarkably Bright Creatures (2026).
Life and career
Newman was born in Hoboken, New Jersey and graduated from The Hudson School in 1996.Alumni, The Hudson School. Accessed November 15, 2022. "Olivia Newman graduated from the Upper School in 1996, the second ever high school graduating class." She holds an A.B. in French and women's studies from Vassar College and an M.F.A. in film from Columbia University. Her first short film, Blue-Eyed Mary, was shown at the Portland Oregon Women's Film Festival in 2010.
Newman made her feature directorial debut with the drama film First Match starring Elvire Emanuelle, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Colman Domingo and Jharrel Jerome, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival. First Match was released by Netflix in 2018.
She directed the 2022 mystery thriller film Where The Crawdads Sing, an adaptation of the 2018 novel of the same name by Delia Owens. Despite mixed reviews from critics, audience reception was more positive and the film subsequently became a sleeper hit at the box-office, grossing $140 million on a $24 million budget.
She co-wrote and directed the 2026 adaptation of NY Times bestseller Remarkably Bright Creatures written by Shelby Van Pelt. The film was positively received by critics and audiences alike and went on to win two Emmys for Outstanding Movie and Best Actress in a Movie or Limited Series for Sally Field's performance.
Filmography Short film Year Title Director Writer Producer 2009 Blue-Eyed Mary 2010 First Match Storm Up the Sky 2011 The Runner 2012 Lucky Duck
Feature film Year Title Director Writer 2018 First Match 2022 Where the Crawdads Sing 2026 Remarkably Bright Creatures
Television Year Title Notes 2018–2019 Chicago Fire Episodes "What Will Define You", "Move a Wall", "Badlands" and "Mercy" 2020 Dare Me Episode "Parallel Tranches" Chicago P.D. Episode "Mercy" FBI Episode "Broken Promises" 2023 The Last Thing He Told Me Episodes "Protect Her", "The Day After" and "Sanctuary"
Accolades Year Award Category Nominated Work Result Ref.2012New Jersey Film FestivalGrand PrizeAspen ShortsfestJury Award2018SXSW Film FestivalSXSW Gamechanger AwardAudience Award2026Primetime Emmy AwardsOutstanding MovieRemarkably Bright Creatures
References
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