Josh Appignanesi (born 1975) is a British film director, producer, and screenwriter. Appignanesi is best known for the feature filmSong of Songs (2006), starringNatalie Press, which he directed, co-wrote and co-produced. The film won several awards including a special commendation for Best British Film at theEdinburgh Film Festival. Made on a tiny budget, the film is a dark study of the intense relationship between a brother and highly religious sister in London'sOrthodox Jewish community. The film had a small, arthouse UK release but received critical acclaim;The Observer said it "reveals a distinctive and bold new voice in British cinema."[1] He has written and directed several short films, most notablyEx Memoria (2006) which also starsNatalie Press as well asSara Kestelman in a study of a woman withAlzheimer's disease, funded by theWellcome Trust; andNine 1/2 Minutes (2003), a romantic comedy starringDavid Tennant.
In 2006, Appignanesi directed his first feature film,Song of Songs.[2]
In 2010, he directed and script edited the comedy feature filmThe Infidel, written byDavid Baddiel and starringOmid Djalili,Richard Schiff,Archie Panjabi,Amit Shah andYigal Naor. Produced by Arvind David at Slingshot, the film follows the adventures of a British Muslim everyman (Djalili) who discovers he was born Jewish. The film was released internationally in Spring 2010, and in the UK with distributor Revolver Entertainment.
He lives in London and studiedanthropology atKing's College, Cambridge, where he was a contemporary and close friend of the novelistZadie Smith. Appignanesi is married to academic Devorah Baum.[3] The couple have two sons together.[4] Appignanesi co-directed 2016 documentary filmThe New Man with Baum about their experience as expectant parents. The film was described inThe Observer as "a profoundly moving and revealing study of a life-changing event."[5]
In 2023, he and Baum produced and directedHusband, a documentary about their marriage through the lens of a trip to New York City for Baum's book launch.[6] In a positive review,The Guardian called it "a complex, subtle kind of guided reality show, like Made in Chelsea with a hint of Curb Your Enthusiasm."[7]
Appignanesi describes his mid‑2023 filmMy Extinction and the accompanying personal journey toclimate activism inThe Guardian.[8][9]
He is the son of writersLisa andRichard Appignanesi and brother ofKatrina Forrester.[10]
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