Nicole Holofcener
Holofcener in July 2024
Born	(1960-03-22)March 22, 1960 (age 65) New York City, U.S.
Education	New York University(BFA) Columbia University(MFA)
Occupations	Film director screenwriter
Years active	1982–present
Spouse	Benjamin Allanoff ​ ​ (m. 1993; div. 2002)​
Children	2
Parents	Lawrence Holofcener (father) Carol Holofcener (mother)
Relatives	Charles H. Joffe (stepfather)

Nicole Holofcener (/ˈhɒləfsɛnər/HALL-əf-senn-ər;^[1] born March 22, 1960) is an American film and televisiondirector andscreenwriter. She has directed seven feature films, includingWalking and Talking,Friends with Money andEnough Said, as well as various television series. Along withJeff Whitty, Holofcener received a2019 Academy Award nomination forAdapted Screenplay,^[2] aBAFTA nomination forBest Adapted Screenplay,^[3] and won theWriters Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the filmCan You Ever Forgive Me? (2018).^[4]

Holofcener was born to aculturally-Jewish family^[5] in New York City, the younger of two daughters of artistLawrence Holofcener andset decoratorCarol Joffe (née Shapiro).^[6][7] Her elder sister is Suzanne Holofcener.^[6] Nicole's parents divorced when she was a year old.^[8] When she was eight, her mother married film producerCharles H. Joffe, who moved the family to Hollywood.

Since her stepfather producedWoody Allen's films, Holofcener spent enough time on Allen's sets to be an extra inTake the Money and Run andSleeper.^[9] Joffe was responsible for Holofcener's first "real" job in the movie industry: a production assistant on Woody Allen'sA Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy in 1982. She moved up to apprentice editor forHannah and Her Sisters (1986).

Holofcener's first experiences with film as a child left her either frightened or sad; she recalled her fright atJerry Lewis'sThe Nutty Professor. Holofcener originally wanted to become an artist like her father, but felt she wasn't as talented as others in her classes atSonoma State University.^[10] From there, she gravitated into taking film courses.^[9] She studied film at theTisch School of the Arts atNew York University and atColumbia University, and made two shorts titledAngry,^[11] which received critical praise at theSundance Film Festival,^[9][12] andIt's Richard I Love.^[13] While at Columbia, she was taught byMartin Scorsese.^[14]

After viewing one of her NYU films, her stepfather wondered aloud if she should make a career change. Disappointed, she became a clerk at a video store for a while, then enteredColumbia's graduate film program.^[9][15] At the time of his death in 2008,^[16] Joffe had become one of the most ardent fans of his stepdaughter's work.^[9]

Holofcener made her feature film writing and directing debut in 1996 withWalking and Talking, which starredCatherine Keener,Anne Heche,Todd Field,Liev Schreiber, andKevin Corrigan.^[13][17] The film was critically acclaimed.^[18] Her understanding of modern, professional women made her an ideal choice to direct female-centric television shows likeSex and the City,Leap of Faith andGilmore Girls.^[13] Holofcener also worked on an episode of the U.S. adaptation ofCold Feet.^[19]

She followed in 2001 with her second feature,Lovely and Amazing.^[20] Featuring performances by Catherine Keener,Brenda Blethyn,Emily Mortimer and newcomerRaven Goodwin, the film was not only critically acclaimed^[13] but did well at the box office.^{[citation needed]}

After directing two episodes of the seriesSix Feet Under, Holofcener began work on her third film,Friends with Money, which featuredJennifer Aniston,Joan Cusack,Frances McDormand, and Catherine Keener. The film opened the 2006Sundance Film Festival, and its screenplay was nominated for the 2006Independent Spirit Award, while McDormand won the award for Best Supporting Female.^[21] The film received a limited release on April 7, 2006.

Holofcener's fourth feature,Please Give, premiered at Sundance and was screened at theBerlin International Film Festival and theTribeca Film Festival. The film also won Holofcener theRobert Altman Award.^[22] The film also gained Holofcener a nomination with theWriters Guild of America Awards for Best Original Screenplay.^[23] It stars Keener in the duo's fourth collaboration and was released in 2010.^[9][14] The film also featuresOliver Platt,Rebecca Hall,Amanda Peet, andSarah Steele.^[24]

Holofcener followed this up withEnough Said starringJulia Louis-Dreyfus,James Gandolfini, and Catherine Keener. The film premiered at the2013 Toronto International Film Festival. The romantic comedy follows the character Eva, a recent divorcée.^[25] Eva falls in love unexpectedly and discovers her new love interest is the ex-husband of her friend.^[25] To date,Enough Said is Holofcener's most financially successful film.^[26] The film was officially released on September 20, 2013, a few months after Gandolfini's death.

In 2015, it was announced that Holofcener was set to direct an adaptation ofLee Israel's memoirCan You Ever Forgive Me?, withJulianne Moore in the lead role.^[27] However, later that year, Moore was fired by Holofcener, who would later leave her directing role.^[28] EventuallyMelissa McCarthy was selected for the lead role.^[28] The film, ultimately directed byMarielle Heller, was well-received by critics and garnered Holofcener a nomination for theAcademy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, and aWriters Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.^[28]

Holofcener directed the 2015 pilot of Amazon'sOne Mississippi.^[26][29] The series was written byTig Notaro and Diablo Cody.^[26] Notaro also starred in the series, which was produced byLouis C.K.^[26]

Holofcener's 2023 filmYou Hurt My Feelings starsJulia Louis-Dreyfus andTobias Menzies. It premiered at the2023 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed byA24.^[30]

Holofcener has been viewed as an indie filmmaker despite the financial and critical success of her feature-length films.^[19] Many of the conventions of independent film are found in her movies.^[19] Many of Holofcener's films are shot on location during their production.^[31] Much of her work has a realistic style,^[32] but her films do not always have a typical plot structure and are sometimes obscure.^[33] Holofcener portrays typical, "everyday" middle-class people and their actions, like the characters inPlease Give.^[31] Holofcener's films almost always feature a female character in the lead.^[19]

Actress

Writer

Director

Actress

• Nicole Holofcener atIMDb
• Avni, Sheerli (April 6, 2006)."Nicole Holofcener: The Truthdig Interview".Truthdig web magazine.
• Rochlin, Margy (June 23, 2002)."FILM; Just Like Her Family: Complicated".The New York Times. Article about Holofcener.
• "Nicole Holofcener Biography".Yahoo! Movies.

• 1960 births
• American television directors
• American television writers
• American women film directors
• American women television directors
• Columbia University School of the Arts alumni
• Living people
• Screenwriters from New York City
• American women screenwriters
• American women television writers
• 20th-century American Jews
• Film directors from New York City
• Writers Guild of America Award winners
• 21st-century American Jews
• 20th-century American women writers
• 21st-century American women writers
• 20th-century American screenwriters
• 21st-century American screenwriters
• Best Screenplay Independent Spirit Award winners

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