September 15, 2015

Alison Bagnall, an acclaimed independent film writer and director, joins the Film & Video program as a Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor. After graduating from Yale University, she studied directing at American Film Institute under Dan Petrie Sr. (Raisin in the Sun, Fort Apache the Bronx, Sybil). Professor Bagnall burst onto the indie film scene with BUFFALO ‘66, which she co-wrote with Vincent Gallo. The film, which premiered in competition at Sundance and went on to an award-winning run at dozens of international festivals, developed an avid cult following that has made a lasting impression on the landscape of independent film. More recently, Bagnall directed THE DISH AND THE SPOON, a New York Times Critics Pick that premiered at SXSW and was acquired for North American distribution by Screen Media.

THE DISH AND THE SPOON stars a veritable roster of rising stars and indie veterans, including Greta Gerwig, Olly Alexander and Amy Seimetz.  Bagnall’s directorial debut was the refreshingly off-kilter one way love story, PIGGIE, which has been described as “x-ray(ing) the psyches of characters obsessed with the essence of things” (Joshua Land, Village Voice). Bagnall’s current film FUNNY BUNNY was crowdfunded through Kickstarter and is currently touring the international film festival circuit, following its premiere at SXSW 2015. FUNNY BUNNY was recently acquired by Film Buff and will be released concurrently with a weeklong NYC run at the IFP Screen Forward Series in November of 2015.

Alison is currently developing a project for television called THE MENDICANTS, a serious comedy that explores the subjects of wealth disparity and white racial blindness in America. She is also co-writing a screenplay for hire based on the life of anti-racism educator Jane Elliott, creator of the Blue Eyes Brown Eyes experiment.