{{short description|American film director and screenwriter}} {{Infobox person | name = Joel Potrykus | image = Joel Potrykus at the 2012 Belfort Entrevues Film Festival.jpg | caption = Joel Potrykus at the 2012 Belfort Entrevues Film Festival | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1977|7|10}} | birth_place = Ossineke, Michigan, U.S. | occupation = Film director, screenwriter | website = {{URL|joelpotrykus.com}} }} '''Joel Potrykus''' (born July 10, 1977) is an American film director and screenwriter. His feature film debut ''Ape'' won the Best New Director prize at the 2012 Locarno Film Festival,<ref>{{cite web|title=AFI Fest: J. Potrykus|url=http://afifest.afi.com/sections/APE#.UaLoAuCAz-k|work=American Film Institute|accessdate=November 1, 2012|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130628092648/http://afifest.afi.com/sections/APE%23.Uc1Wzn3LfK5#.UaLoAuCAz-k|archive-date=June 28, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> while his follow-up feature ''Buzzard'' won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 2014 Ljubljana International Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|title=FIPRESCI: Joel Potrykus|url=http://www.fipresci.org/people/joel-potrykus|work=International Federation of Film Critics|accessdate=December 1, 2014}}</ref>
==Early life== Potrykus was born and raised in Ossineke, Michigan,<ref>{{cite web|first=Andrew|last=Westrope|title=J. Potrykus Alpena News interview|url=http://www.thealpenanews.com/page/content.detail/id/522676/Award-winnng-filmmaker.html?nav=5004|work=Alpena News|date=September 14, 2012|accessdate=May 28, 2013}}</ref> then moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan to study film at Grand Valley State University. Later, he earned his MFA in screenwriting from Emerson College.<ref>{{cite web|first=Erin|last=Clossey|title=Low-Res MFA Student Makes Off-Beat Film with Unusual Business Model|url=http://www.emerson.edu/news-events/emerson-college-today/low-res-mfa-student-makes-off-beat-film-unusual-business-model#.Wu9oQSOZOAw|work=Alpena News|date=October 12, 2016|accessdate=October 12, 2016}}</ref>
==Career== A stint as a stand-up comedian in New York City led to the inspiration for his first feature film, ''Ape''.<ref>{{cite web|first=John|last=Serba|title=Grand Rapids filmmaker overwhelmed|url=http://www.mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/09/grand_rapids_filmmaker_overwhe.html|work=MLive.com|accessdate=September 5, 2012}}</ref> While spending a year as a temp at a Michigan mortgage company led to the inspiration of his second feature film, ''Buzzard''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Ben|last=Kenigsberg|title=Joel Potrykus’s Film ‘Buzzard’ Is Inspired by Dead-End Jobs|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/01/movies/joel-potrykuss-film-buzzard-is-inspired-by-dead-end-jobs.html?_r=0|work=The New York Times|accessdate=February 27, 2015}}</ref> The book ''Walden'' by Henry David Thoreau was the influence for Potrykus' 2016 feature ''The Alchemist Cookbook'', which builds on his themes of slackers and loneliness.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://modernhorrors.com/sxsw-qa-writerdirector-joel-potrykus-talks-alchemist-cookbook/|title=SXSW Q&A: Writer/Director Joel Potrykus talks ‘The Alchemist Cookbook’|date=2016-03-18|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://vaguevisages.com/2016/08/17/joel-potrykus-and-slacker-cinema/|title=Joel Potrykus and Slacker Cinema|date=2016-08-16|language=en-US|work=Vague Visages|first=Justine|last=Smith|access-date=2016-08-16}}</ref> His fourth feature film ''Relaxer'', is a modern interpretation of Luis Buñuel's ''The Exterminating Angel''.<ref>{{cite web|first=Eric|last=Kohn|title= Milk Vomit and ‘Pac Man’: Joel Potrykus’ ‘Relaxer’ Is a Masterpiece of Depraved ’90s Nostalgia|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2018/03/relaxer-review-joel-potrykus-sxsw-2018-1201937176/|work=IndieWire|accessdate=March 9, 2018}}</ref> He's been the subject of retrospectives at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in 2015<ref>{{cite web|title=The Animal Trilogy: Buzzard, Ape, Coyote|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150218145103/https://www.bam.org/film/2015/the-animal-trilogy|archivedate=February 18, 2015|date=2015|url=http://www.bam.org/film/2015/the-animal-trilogy|accessdate=March 4, 2015|publisher=Brooklyn Academy of Music}}</ref> and at the 2016 Valdivia Film Festival.<ref>{{cite web|first=Filipe|last=Blanco|title=Joel Potrykus: An Observer of the American pathology|url=http://www.ficvaldivia.cl/en/news/joel-potrykus-observer-american-pathology/|work=Ficvaldivia|date=October 14, 2016|accessdate=October 14, 2016}}</ref>
In 2024, his fifth feature film, ''Vulcanizadora'', premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, taking home a Special Jury Prize for actor Joshua Burge.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jill|last=Goldsmith|title=‘Griffin In Summer’, ‘Bikechess’, ‘Hacking Hate’ Take Top Awards At Tribeca Festival|url=https://deadline.com/2024/06/2024-tribeca-festival-winners-list-1235972795/|work=Deadline|accessdate=June 13, 2024}}</ref> Chase Hutchinson of Collider said of the film, "There is no film you’ll ever see like it as it patiently builds to a terrifying explosion and then keeps going from where most would stop, leaving us to pick up the pieces that are forever shattered."<ref>{{cite web|first=Chase|last=Hutchinson|title='Vulcanizadora' Review: Joel Potrykus’ Horror Film Will Melt Your Face Off|url=https://collider.com/vulcanizadora-movie-review/|work=Collider|accessdate=June 9, 2024}}</ref> The film had its International premiere at the 28th Fantasia International Film Festival on July 19, 2024.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://fantasiafestival.com/en/news/fantasia-2024-third-wave |title=Fantasia's 28th Edition Awards Filmmaker Mike Flanagan, Closes with the World Premiere of André Forcier's Ababouiné |website=Fantasia International Film Festival |access-date=July 3, 2024}}</ref>
He is currently an Associate Professor of filmmaking at Grand Valley State University.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.gvsu.edu/vma/joel-potrykus-256.htm|title=Joel Potrykus Department of Visual Media Arts|date=2018-08-17}}</ref>
==Style and influences== In 2016, Vimooz called Potrykus "The New King of Underground Cinema".<ref>{{cite web|first=Josef|last=Rodriguez|work=Sound on Sight|title=INTERVIEW: Joel Potrykus – The New King of Underground Cinema|url=https://www.vimooz.com/2016/11/08/joel-potrykus-interview/|accessdate=October 15, 2016}}</ref> Vague Visages credits him as the originator of the new genre, "metal slackerism".<ref>{{cite web|first=Justine|last=Smith|work=Vague Visages|title=Joel Potrykus and Slacker Cinema|url=https://vaguevisages.com/2016/08/17/joel-potrykus-and-slacker-cinema/|accessdate=October 30, 2012}}</ref> While Filmofilia called him, "indie cinema's patron saint of misfits".<ref>{{cite web|first=Liam|last=Sterling|work=Filmofilia|title=Vulcanizadora Trailer: A Bold Descent into Absurdity, Dread & the Human Condition|url=https://www.filmofilia.com/vulcanizadora-trailer-202556/|accessdate=April 11, 2025}}</ref>
Potrykus has cited the following directors and films as having an influence on his work; Alan Clarke's ''Made in Britain'', Lindsay Anderson's ''O Lucky Man''!, Martin Scorsese's ''Taxi Driver'', Vincent Gallo's ''Buffalo ’66'', Rick Alverson's ''The Comedy'', Luis Buñuel's ''The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie'', Jim Jarmusch's ''Down by Law'', Sam Raimi's <nowiki/>''Evil Dead''<nowiki/>, F. W. Murnau's ''Faust''<nowiki/> and James Nguyen's ''Birdemic''<nowiki/>;<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.indiewire.com/2014/11/meet-the-2014-afi-filmmakers-2-buzzard-director-on-why-its-good-to-steal-from-your-inspirations-68229/|title=Meet the 2014 AFI Filmmakers #2: ‘Buzzard’ Director On Why It’s Good to Steal From Your Inspirations|work=IndieWire|date=2014-11-09|language=en-US|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref> as well as the films of Michael Haneke, Kelly Reichardt, Jean-Luc Godard and Quentin Tarantino.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rapidgrowthmedia.com/features/08082013potreykus.aspx|title=Coyote, Ape, Buzzard: Joel Potrykus on Film|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://blog.afi.com/the-afi-interview-joel-potrykus-on-sxsw-premiere-the-alchemist-cookbook/|title=The AFI Interview: Joel Potrykus on SXSW Premiere THE ALCHEMIST COOKBOOK|language=en-us|access-date=2016-06-30}}</ref>
==Filmography==
===Feature films=== * ''Ape'' (2012) * ''Buzzard'' (2014) * ''The Alchemist Cookbook'' (2016) * ''Relaxer'' (2018) * ''Vulcanizadora'' (2024)
===Short films=== * ''Birthday Boy'' (1999) * ''Peter Knows Kelly's the Cool One'' (1999) * ''The Ludovico Treatment'' (1999) * ''Mice & Milk'' (2001) * ''Gordon'' (2007) * ''Coyote'' (2010) * ''Thing from the Factory by the Field'' (2022) * ''Unemployees'' (2023)
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|1811127|Joel Potrykus}}
{{Joel Potrykus}} {{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Potrykus, Joel}} Category:American male screenwriters Category:People from Alpena County, Michigan Category:Living people Category:Film directors from Michigan Category:Screenwriters from Michigan Category:1977 births