# Damien Chazelle
**Damien Chazelle** (born 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer whose films center on music and artistic ambition. He won the [Academy Award for Best Director](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-director) for *La La Land* (2016), becoming the youngest winner of that award at 32 years and 38 days of age.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/awards/) His other directing credits include *Whiplash* (2014), *First Man* (2018), and *Babylon* (2022).[2](https://www.fandango.com/people/damien-chazelle-117634/film-credits)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1985, Providence, Rhode Island; grew up in Princeton, New Jersey[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) |
| Education | Harvard University, Visual and Environmental Studies, graduated 2007[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) |
| Feature debut | *Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench* (2009), a black-and-white jazz musical[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) |
| Signature film | *La La Land* (2016): 14 Oscar nominations, 6 wins, including Best Director[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) |
| Oscar record | Youngest Best Director winner, at 32 years and 38 days[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/awards/) |
| Frequent collaborator | Composer Justin Hurwitz, his Harvard roommate and bandmate[5](https://time.com/4587682/la-la-land-review/) |
| Latest project | Untitled prison-set film starring Cillian Murphy and Daniel Craig; filmed in Greece and wrapped in June 2026[6](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/6/3/damien-chazelles-first-film-since-babylon-wraps-shooting-in-greece-heads-to-post-production) |
## Background and education
Chazelle was born in [Providence, Rhode Island](https://www.edgepedia.org/providence-rhode-island), in 1985, the child of university professors, and grew up in [Princeton, New Jersey](https://www.edgepedia.org/princeton-new-jersey), where he was a skilled jazz drummer in his high school band.[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) Celia Sayre (Martin) Chazelle, his mother, writes and teaches history as a professor at The College of New Jersey, and holds American-Canadian nationality.[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/) He grew up in both France and America, and his comfort with two cultures informed his film work.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle)
At Harvard he focused on film within the Department of Visual and Environmental Studies and graduated in 2007 after taking time off.[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) There he roomed with [Justin Hurwitz](https://www.edgepedia.org/justin-hurwitz), who would compose the scores for his features; the two were in a band together as undergraduates before turning to filmmaking and orchestration.[5](https://time.com/4587682/la-la-land-review/)
## Early career
Chazelle began *Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench* as his thesis for his master's at Harvard in Visual and Environmental Studies and developed it over two years into a full-length feature, shot on 16mm with friends, about a woman and a jazz musician.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) The black-and-white musical, released in 2009, marked his feature debut; he served as its director, screenwriter, producer, cinematographer, and editor.[3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle) • [2](https://www.fandango.com/people/damien-chazelle-117634/film-credits)
After graduating he moved to Los Angeles and worked as a screenwriter for hire, writing *Grand Piano* (2013) and *The Last Exorcism Part II* (2013), and later the screenplay for *10 Cloverfield Lane* (2016).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) • [2](https://www.fandango.com/people/damien-chazelle-117634/film-credits)
## Breakthrough with Whiplash
The *Whiplash* screenplay appeared on the 2012 Black List, and Chazelle first made it as a short film in 2013, which won the Short Film Jury Award; the following year he wrote and directed the feature, expanding the story and delving deeper into the intense and complex dynamic between a music teacher and student.[8](https://screencraft.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Whiplash.pdf) • [9](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/damien-chazelle/45852/) He drew on his own experience learning drums in high school for the master-student dynamic.[10](https://deneb.philharmoniedeparis.fr/uploads/documents/NPSC-30-31-01-24-20H00-Whiplash-web.pdf) The feature received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Chazelle.[11](https://www.silverscreencinemastudios.com/assets/silver-screen-cinema-studio-business-plan.pdf)
## La La Land and the Oscars
*La La Land* began as an idea Chazelle and Hurwitz hatched at Harvard: a big, full-fledged MGM-style musical in a completely modern, grounded setting. After moving to Hollywood in 2007, the two honed the script and score for more than five years.[5](https://time.com/4587682/la-la-land-review/) The film, starring [Ryan Gosling](https://www.edgepedia.org/ryan-gosling) and [Emma Stone](https://www.edgepedia.org/emma-stone) as a jazz pianist and a struggling actress who did their own singing and dancing, pays homage to old-school Hollywood musicals and to the French director [Jacques Demy](https://www.edgepedia.org/jacques-demy), particularly *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg* (1964) and *The Young Girls of Rochefort* (1967).[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) • [3](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle)
The film received 14 Academy Award nominations, tying the record set by *All About Eve* (1951) and *Titanic* (1997), and won six, including Best Original Score, Best Original Song for "City of Stars," Best Director, and Best Actress.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) At the 89th Academy Awards on February 26, 2017, Chazelle won Best Director for *La La Land*; at 32 years and 38 days of age he became the youngest winner in that category.[12](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/awards/) The ceremony also produced one of the most famous errors in Oscar history: presenters announced *La La Land* as Best Picture before the true winner, *Moonlight*, was revealed.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle)
## First Man and Babylon
*First Man* (2018) starred Ryan Gosling as [Neil Armstrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-armstrong), portraying the taciturn astronaut's interior life against the backdrop of the [Apollo program](https://www.edgepedia.org/apollo-program).[13](https://time.com/5421573/first-man-damien-chazelle/)
*Babylon* (2022), which Chazelle wrote and directed, is a period Hollywood drama mixing real and fictional characters, with a cast including [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt), Margot Robbie, and [Li Jun Li](https://www.edgepedia.org/li-jun-li); it references early figures such as [Anna May Wong](https://www.edgepedia.org/anna-may-wong) and early female directors like Lois Weber, Dorothy Davenport, and Dorothy Arzner.[14](https://www.productionlist.com/production/babylon) • [15](https://time.com/6241419/babylon-true-story/) Reviewers were divided: the film scored 57 percent with critics on Rotten Tomatoes, and a Time review argued that the film, for all its research into the last days of the silent era, failed to capture the world it depicted.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) • [16](https://time.com/6241717/babylon-review/)
## Later work
In 2024 Paramount announced a new Chazelle film, reportedly a biopic of stunt performer [Evel Knievel](https://www.edgepedia.org/evel-knievel) to star [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://www.edgepedia.org/leonardo-dicaprio); after DiCaprio dropped out, Chazelle pivoted to an untitled project for the studio, with [Daniel Craig](https://www.edgepedia.org/daniel-craig) and Cillian Murphy eyed to star.[17](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/global/daniel-craig-cillian-murphy-damien-chazelle-film-22811/) The prison-set film, described as a 1940s psychological duel between a warden (Craig) and a defiant inmate (Murphy), began production in Athens on March 17, 2026, and wrapped filming in June 2026, moving into post-production.[6](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/6/3/damien-chazelles-first-film-since-babylon-wraps-shooting-in-greece-heads-to-post-production) Chazelle is also credited as executive producer on *Heart of the Beast* (2026).[2](https://www.fandango.com/people/damien-chazelle-117634/film-credits)
## Style and themes
Music is the backbone of Chazelle's filmography, from the jazz of *Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench* through *Whiplash* and *La La Land*.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle) His visual style, including long takes, has been the subject of formal analysis in films such as *La La Land* and *Babylon*.[18](https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84076) In *La La Land* his stated aim was to recreate Hollywood's classical film style while emphasizing its contemporaneity through a confident, exciting shooting style and stylized art direction.[19](https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstreams/1695a999-748d-4ba8-84bd-b7a0ff30c348/download)
## References
1. [Damien Chazelle – Awards, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/awards/)
2. [Damien Chazelle Filmography, Fandango](https://www.fandango.com/people/damien-chazelle-117634/film-credits)
3. [Damien Chazelle: Biography, Director, Screenwriter, Biography.com](https://www.biography.com/movies-tv/a45975191/damien-chazelle)
4. [Damien Chazelle Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/damien_chazelle)
5. [Haters Shall Be Lovers In La La Land, Time](https://time.com/4587682/la-la-land-review/)
6. [Damien Chazelle's First Film Since 'Babylon' Wraps Shooting in Greece, World of Reel](https://www.worldofreel.com/blog/2026/6/3/damien-chazelles-first-film-since-babylon-wraps-shooting-in-greece-heads-to-post-production)
7. [Damien Chazelle, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3227090/)
8. [Whiplash press materials, Screencraft/Mongrel Media](https://screencraft.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Whiplash.pdf)
9. [Damien Chazelle Biography, Tribute.ca](https://www.tribute.ca/people/biography/damien-chazelle/45852/)
10. [Le réalisateur, Philharmonie de Paris program notes](https://deneb.philharmoniedeparis.fr/uploads/documents/NPSC-30-31-01-24-20H00-Whiplash-web.pdf)
11. [Silver Screen Cinema Studios business plan](https://www.silverscreencinemastudios.com/assets/silver-screen-cinema-studio-business-plan.pdf)
12. [The 89th Academy Awards | 2017, Oscars.org](https://www.oscars.org/oscars/ceremonies/2017)
13. [Space Is Terrifying. Ryan Gosling and Damien Chazelle Prove It in Their New Movie, Time](https://time.com/5421573/first-man-damien-chazelle/)
14. [Babylon Production List, Film & Television Industry Alliance](https://www.productionlist.com/production/babylon)
15. [The Real History Behind Babylon's Outrageous Hollywood Tale, Time](https://time.com/6241419/babylon-true-story/)
16. [Babylon Doesn't Capture the Magic of Early Hollywood—It Butchers It, Time](https://time.com/6241717/babylon-review/)
17. [Daniel Craig, Cillian Murphy Eyed to Star in Damien Chazelle's Next Film, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2025/film/global/daniel-craig-cillian-murphy-damien-chazelle-film-22811/)
18. [Análisis compositivo y formal del uso del plano secuencia en la obra de Damien Chazelle, Universidad de Valladolid](https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84076)
19. [The graphic language, RCAAP thesis](https://comum.rcaap.pt/bitstreams/1695a999-748d-4ba8-84bd-b7a0ff30c348/download)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Directors, producers, and screenwriters › Film directors by country and region › North and South American directors › Contemporary American directors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license