John Sayles is one of the most celebrated independent American directors of the last two decades. His career began as a novelist and short story writer with the publication in 1975 of "Pride of the Bimbos," followed in 1977 by "Union Dues", a National Critics’ Circle and National Book Award nominee. A short story collection, "The Anarchists’ Convention" appeared in 1979, when he began working as a screenwriter for Roger Corman’s New World Pictures. Early screenwriting credits include Piranha, The Howling and Alligator. Using the money he earned writing ‘creature features’, he financed his first feature as writer/director/editor, The Return of the Secaucus Seven, he has also authored novels, short stories, plays and screenplays. His films include Lianna, Baby, It’s You, The Brother from Another Planet, Matewan, City of Hope, Passion Fish, The Secret of Roan Inish, Lone Star, Men With Guns, Limbo, Sunshine State and Silver City and many others. Throughout his career Sayles has continued to function as a screenwriter for hire, working with a “who’s-who” of American and international directors and writing over fifty scripts. He received the John D. MacArthur Award, given to 20 Americans each year for their innovative work in diverse fields. He is also recipient of the Eugene V. Debs Award, the John Steinbeck Award and the John Cassavettes Award. He was recently honored with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Lifetime Achievement by the Writer’s Guild of America.
Maggie Renzi has been John Sayles’ creative partner since 1978 and she has produced nearly all of his movies. She has also acted in many of them. Renzi and Sayles were students together at Williams College in the early 1970s, and have been together since 1973. Renzi began her professional association with Sayles when she played a leading role in his first film, The Return of the Secaucus Seven, where she was also Unit Manager and Assistant Editor. Renzi produced Karyn Kusama’s Girlfight and is Executive Producer with Sayles on the new Jewish/Mexican movie by Alejandro Springall, entitled Se Habla Yiddish or My Mexican Shivah.
