Background:

Zoe R. Cassavetes is an American director, screenwriter and actress. She is best recognized for her film “Broken English” (2007), which garnered her an Independent Spirit nomination for Best First Screenplay and Grand Jury Prize nomination for Dramatic at the Sundance Film festival, among other nominations, plus the Jury Award at the Philadelphia Film Festival.     

Cassavetes has been called a muse to fashion designer Marc Jacobs along with fellow actress and director Sofia Coppola.    


Daughter of Celebrities

Childhood and Family:

Zoe Rowlands Cassavetes was born on June 29, 1970, in Los Angeles County, California. She is the daughter of actor/director/screenwriter John Cassavetes (December 9, 1929-February 3, 1989) and actress Gena Rowlands. She has two older siblings, Nick Cassavetes (born May 21, 1959) and Alexandra Cassavetes (born September 21 , 1965), both are also actors and directors. Zoe is the granddaughter of actress Katherine Cassavetes. She is the aunt of Sasha and Virginia Cassavetes, the children of Nick.


Hi Octane

Career:

Coming from a family of filmmakers, Zoe R. Cassavetes had her first taste in front of the film cameras at the age of one when she had an uncredited role as a baby girl in her late father John Cassavete's film, “Minnie and Moskowitz” (1971), starring her mother Gena Rowlands. However, she did not appear in another film until two decades later when she landed a small part as a waitress in “Ted & Venus” (1991), a comedy/drama directed and written by and starring Bud Cort. She went on to have minor roles in Peter Bogdanovich's films “Noises Off...” (1992), starring Michael Caine, Carol Burnett and Denholm Elliottand, and “The Thing Called Love” (1993), starring River Phoenix, Samantha Mathis and Dermot Mulroney.    

Along with her filmmaking friend Sofia Coppola, Cassavetes created and hosted the Comedy Central television series “Hi Octane” in 1994. Though the show only ran for a season, it is remembered as one of the first series to be completely shot in digital video. Cassavetes also produced and starred in a skit on “Hi Octane” called “Ciao L.A.” (1994).

In 1998, Cassavetes appeared as P.E. Teacher on the 14 minute length drama “Lick the Star,” which was directed and co-written by Sofia Coppola.

Cassavetes made her directorial debut with “Men Make Women Crazy Theory” (2000), a short starring Alexia Landeau, Donovan Leitch and Ione Skye. It was screened at the Sundance Film Festival.

Cassavetes' big break came seven years later when she directed and wrote the comedy/romance film “Broken English” (2007).  Starring Parker Posey and Gena Rowlands, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2007 and was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize for Dramatic at the event. It went on to receive the Jury Award for Best First Film at the 2007 Philadelphia Film Festival, a Golden St. George nomination at the 2007 Moscow International Film Festival, a Golden Trailer nomination for Best Independent Trailer, and two Independent Spirit nominations for Best First Screenplay and Best Female Lead (Posey) in 2008. “Broken English” grossed $1,944,150 worldwide.

Cassavetes directed and wrote “Samedi soir” (aka. “Saturday Night”), which aired as part of the season 2 of the French TV series “X Femmes” on June 27, 2009. It starred Alexandre Marouani and Laëtizia Venezia Tarnowska.

In 2011, Cassavetes directed a French television short called  “Ma plus belle histoire,” starring Eliette Abecassis, Marisa Berenson and François Berléand.    


Awards:

Philadelphia Film Festival: Jury Award, Best First Film, “Broken English,” 2007 Show Less