Gabe Polsky
Gabe Polsky speaking at the premiere of Red Army at the 2014 AFI Film Festival
Born (1979-05-03) 3 May 1979
NationalityAmerican
Occupations
  • Film director
  • Writer
  • Producer
Websitegabepolskyproductions.com

Gabe Polsky (born May 3, 1979) is an American film director, writer and producer.

Early life

Polsky was born to Soviet immigrants, and raised in the Chicago area. He attended the Hotchkiss School.[1] After graduating, he went to Yale University, where he played NCAA hockey.[2] He competed on Team USA in hockey at the 1997 Maccabiah Games in Israel, winning a silver medal.[3][4]

Career

Polsky wrote, directed, and produced the feature documentary Red Penguins, which premiered at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was released by Universal Pictures[5] in August 2020. Red Penguins tells the true story of opportunism run amok in Moscow shortly after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was nominated for a Critics' Choice Movie Award and a Writers Guild of America Award.[6]

In 2018 Polsky wrote, directed, and produced In Search of Greatness. The film features interviews with sports icons Wayne Gretzky, Pelé, and Jerry Rice. In April 2018, the film was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award.[7][8]

In 2014, Polsky wrote, directed, and produced Red Army, a documentary film which chronicles the rise and fall of the Soviet Union through its ice hockey team. Red Army was executive produced by Jerry Weintraub and Werner Herzog, and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival.[9] It was released in theaters by Sony Pictures Classics on January 22, 2015.[10]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times called Red Army a "stirring, crazy story—a Russian novel of Tolstoyan sweep and Gogl-esque absurdity."[11] Time magazine said: "this playful, poignant film presents a human story that transcends decades, borders and ideologies."[12]

Red Army was the only documentary included in the official selections at the 2014 Cannes,[13] Telluride,[14] Toronto,[15] New York,[16] and AFI,[17] film festivals. Red Army won audience awards at the 2014 AFI,[18] Chicago[19] and Middleburg[20] film festivals.[21]

In 2017 Polsky was an executive producer on the Genius series on National Geographic. He and his brother Alan acquired the rights to the Einstein estate and the book Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.[22]

Polsky and Alan Polsky, his brother, co-directed and produced The Motel Life (2013), starring Emile Hirsch, Dakota Fanning, and Stephen Dorff. The film was released in November 2013 and was based on the novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin.[23]

Polsky produced Werner Herzog's Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. Roger Ebert named the film as among the top 10 best mainstream films of 2009,[24] and then included it in his list of the best films of the decade. Polsky produced His Way, an Emmy-nominated documentary about Jerry Weintraub released by HBO in 2011. As of 2009, he is adapting the novels Butcher's Crossing by John Edward Williams[25] and Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.[26]

In 2021, it was announced that Polsky is directing his adaptation of the John Williams novel, Butcher’s Crossing, starring Nicolas Cage. The story is about a young Harvard University dropout who seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters.[27][28] The film, starring Cage alongside Fred Hechinger, co-written by Liam Satre Meloy, premiered in 2022 at the Toronto International Film Festival.[29]

References

  1. ↑ Patrick Z. McGavin (November 10, 2014). "CIFF 2014 Interview: Gabe Polsky on 'Red Army'". Roger Ebert. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  2. ↑ Mike Rubin (December 5, 2014). "A Look Behind Hockey's Iron Curtain". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Jewish Post 8 January 1997". newspapers.library.in.gov.
  4. ↑ "July 31, 1997 — Jewish Historical Society of New Jersey Archives". New Jersey Jewish News.
  5. ↑ West, Jenna. "Trailer: 'Red Penguins' Examines a Wild Era of Russian Hockey". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  6. ↑ Hammond, Pete (October 26, 2020). "Critics' Choice Documentary Awards Nominations: 'Mr. Soul', 'Gunda', 'Crip Camp' And 'Totally Under Control' Top List". Deadline. Retrieved October 27, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Oscars: 'In Search of Greatness,' Early Doc Contender, Releases First Trailer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. April 4, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  8. ↑ "WGA Awards: Full List of Nominations". The Hollywood Reporter. December 6, 2018. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  9. ↑ "RED ARMY - Festival de Cannes". www.festival-cannes.com.
  10. ↑ "Sony Pictures Classics". Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  11. ↑ A. O. Scott (November 13, 2014). "Just After Lake Placid, Things Improved". The New York Times. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  12. ↑ Mary Corliss (November 16, 2014). "Review: Red Army: Much More Than Just a Hockey Doc". Time. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  13. ↑ "Red Army". Festival de Cannes. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
  14. ↑ "Telluride Film Festival". Archived from the original on September 5, 2016. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Toronto International Film Festival". Archived from the original on December 4, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Red Army". Film at Lincoln Center.
  17. ↑ "AFI Fest". Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  18. ↑ "AFI Fest". Archived from the original on November 5, 2014. Retrieved December 3, 2014.
  19. ↑ "Chicago International Film Festival" (PDF). Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  20. ↑ "Middleburg Film Festival | Middleburg, Virginia | October 20–23, 2016". middleburgfilm.org. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  21. ↑ "Middleburg Film Festival" (PDF). Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  22. ↑ Michael Fleming (May 16, 2008). "Odd Lot boards Einstein film". Variety. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  23. ↑ Stephanie Merry (November 7, 2013). "'The Motel Life' movie review: Emile Hirsch and Stephen Dorff star as brothers in a bittersweet tale". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  24. ↑ "The best films of 2009". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on August 10, 2010. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
  25. ↑ "Penhall Writing Mendes Film Butcher's Crossing". Comingsoon.net. CraveOnline. December 9, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2017.
  26. ↑ KathrynBaker (June 17, 2014). "In Memoriam - Daniel Keyes 1927-2014". SFWA. Retrieved September 27, 2022.
  27. ↑ Grobar, Matt (November 1, 2021). "'Butcher's Crossing': 'The White Lotus' Actor Fred Hechinger To Star Opposite Nicolas Cage In Gabe Polsky Western". Deadline. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  28. ↑ Kroll, Justin (October 18, 2021). "Nicolas Cage Unveils Wild New Look On His Western 'Butcher's Crossing'". Deadline. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  29. ↑ "Butcher's Crossing". TIFF. Retrieved April 11, 2023. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help)
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