American Splendor

Background:

“We're used to coming from the most obscure world and trying to make it accessible to people, so something that's already accessible made us nervous.” Shari Springer Berman

Shari Springer Berman works as a writer and director with her husband Robert Pulcini. Initiating their collaboration at Columbia University Graduate Film School, they first attracted attention with the documentary “Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's” (1997), which won Best Documentary Feature at the 1997 Hamptons International Film Festival and a Special Jury Award at the 1998 Newport International Film Festival. They did not acquire extensive praise and prominence until they directed and wrote “American Splendor” (2003), their first feature film. The film won a number of awards and nominations, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, a Writers Guild of America Award, the FIPRESCI Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Berman and her husband also wrote and directed the feature films “The Nanny Diaries” (2007) and “The Extra Man” (2010) and the 2006 documentary “Wanderlust.”

Berman currently resides in New York City with her husband and their adopted son, Antonio.

Mrs. Pulcini

Childhood and Family:

Shari Springer Berman was born on July 1, 1964, in New York, New York. She has been married to her husband and professional partner, Robert Pulcini (born August 24, 1964), since 1994. They have an adopted son named Antonio.

The Extra Man

Career:

Shari Springer Berman got her start as a producer on “Miss Ruby's House” (1993), a short written and directed by Lisa Collins. Her collaboration with Robert Pulcini, whom she married in 1994, began at Columbia University Graduate Film School.

In 1997, Berman and her husband co-directed a musical documentary titled “B.B. King,” which aired in September 1997 as part of the television series “VH1 Legends.” The pair, however, did not really gain notice until they co-helmed the award winning documentary “Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's.” The documentary premiered at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 1997, where it picked up an award for Best Documentary Feature. It went on to receive a Special Jury Award in the category of Documentary Competition at the 1998 Newport International Film Festival.

In 2000, Berman co-directed (with Pulcini) “The Young and the Dead,” a documentary about the Hollywood Memorial Park cemetery. It was shown at various festivals, including the Venice Film Festival (September 7, 2000), the Los Angeles Film Festival (April 22, 2001), the Seattle International Film Festival (June 6, 2001) and the Newport International Film Festival (June 8, 2001). Two years later, she returned to television for the documentary “Hello, He Lied & Other Truths from the Hollywood Trenches,” which was based on the book of the same name by Lynda Obst, who also hosted the film. The documentary originally aired on the American Movie Classics (AMC) cable channel on January 8, 2002.

In 2003, the husband and wife team enjoyed massive success with their major motion picture debut “American Splendor,” a biopic about Harvey Pekar, the author of the “American Splendor” comic book series. The film, starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar and Hope Davis as his wife Joyce Brabner, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2003, and won the Grand Jury Prize in the Dramatic category. It went on to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (Davis). The film also received five Independent Spirit nominations, including one for Best Feature, Best Director and Best Screenplay, and various other awards and nominations, including the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, a Writers Guild of America for Best Adapted Screenplay, a Toronto Film Critics Association for Best First Feature, and a Seattle Film Critics for Best Screenplay, Adapted, to name a few. At the box office, “American Splendor” grossed over $7 million against its budget of $2 million.

After the success of the film, Berman and her husband wrote and directed the documentary “Wanderlust,” which was released on July 12, 2006. The couple's second feature film was titled “The Nanny Diaries,” which they wrote and directed and based on the novel of the same name by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus. Starring Scarlett Johansson, Chris Evans, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Nicholas Art, Donna Murphy and Alicia Keys, the dramatic comedy earned positive reviews from critics and opened at No. 6 at the America's box office. Since its release, the movie has grossed over $44 million worldwide against a budget of $20 million.

Berman and her husband resurfaced with their next motion picture, “The Extra Man,” an adaptation of a 1998 novel by Jonathan Ames. The movie debuted at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2010, and had a limited release in the U.S. on July 30, 2010, and starred Kevin Kline, Katie Holmes, John C. Reilly and Paul Dano. In addition to directing and scripting the film, the couple also served as executive producers.

Berman and Pulcini have signed on to direct “Cinema Verite,” which tells the story of the filming of “An American Family,” a 1973 PBS documentary television series that followed the lives of the Loud Family. Produced by HBO Films, the drama is set to be released in 2012 and will star Tim Robbins (as Bill Loud), Diane Lane (as Pat Loud), Thomas Dekker (as Lance Loud) and James Gandolfini (as Craig Gilbert).

Awards:

• Chicago Film Critics Association (CFCA): Most Promising Filmmaker, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA): Best Screenplay, Adapted, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Chlotrudis: Best Screenplay - Adapted, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association: Russell Smith Award, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Florida Film Critics Circle: Pauline Kael Breakout Award, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA): Best Screenplay, “American Splendor,” 2004

• National Society of Film Critics (NSFC): Best Screenplay, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Online Film Critics Society (OFCS): Best Breakthrough Filmmaker, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Writers Guild of America (WGA): Best Adapted Screenplay, “American Splendor,” 2004

• Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC): Best Screenplay, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Cannes Film Festival: FIPRESCI Prize, Un Certain Regard, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Deauville Film Festival: Critics Award, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Edinburgh International Film Festival: New Director's Award, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Gotham: Open Palm Award, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Montréal Comedy Festival 'Just for Laughs': Festival Prize, “American Splendor,” 2003

• New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC): Best First Film, “American Splendor,” 2003

• San Diego Film Critics Society (SDFCS): Best Screenplay, Adapted, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Seattle Film Critics: Best Screenplay, Adapted, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Sundance Film Festival: Grand Jury Prize, Dramatic, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Toronto Film Critics Association (TFCA): Best First Feature, “American Splendor,” 2003

• Hamptons International Film Festival: Best Documentary Feature, “Off the Menu: The Last Days of Chasen's,” 1997