# Todd Haynes

**Todd Haynes** is an American film director and screenwriter known for melodramas modeled on classic Hollywood's "woman's picture," for films about musicians and celebrity, and for his role as a pioneer of the New Queer Cinema movement that emerged in the late 1980s and early 1990s.<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> His features include *Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story* (1987), *Poison* (1991), *Safe* (1995), *Velvet Goldmine* (1998), *Far from Heaven* (2002), *I'm Not There* (2007), *Carol* (2015), *Wonderstruck* (2017), *Dark Waters* (2019), *The Velvet Underground* (2021), and *May December* (2023).<sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001331/)</sup>

| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Field | American independent film director and screenwriter, associated with New Queer Cinema<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> |
| Education | Specialized in semiotics at Brown University, where he made his first short film, *Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud* (1985)<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> |
| Breakthrough | *Poison* (1991), one of the films named by critic B. Ruby Rich when she defined New Queer Cinema<sup>[3](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvxcrw2f)</sup> |
| Cannes award | *Velvet Goldmine* (1998) won the 1998 Prix de la meilleure contribution artistique (Best Artistic Contribution)<sup>[4](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/todd-haynes/)</sup> |
| First Oscar nomination | Best original screenplay for *Far from Heaven* (2002)<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> |
| Critics' sweep | *Carol* (2015) won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematographer, and Best Screenplay from the New York Film Critics Circle<sup>[5](https://time.com/4132996/carol-new-york-film-critics-circle-awards/)</sup> |
| Latest project | *De Noche*, a 1930s gay romance starring Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez, financed by MK2 Films; filming completed April 2026<sup>[6](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/pedro-pascal-todd-haynes-de-noche-financing-revived/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[7](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/13/todd-haynes-at-lumiere-festival-it-is-a-time-to-remember-how-important-it-is-to-protect-ou)</sup> |

## Early work and New Queer Cinema

Haynes drew on semiotics, the study of how meaning is produced through signs, during his studies at [Brown University](https://www.edgepedia.org/brown-university), and his first short film, *Assassins: A Film Concerning Rimbaud* (1985), already dealt with artifice, celebrity, and queerness.<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> He arrived in New York in 1986, during the height of the AIDS epidemic, a context he has cited as formative.<sup>[8](https://www.festival-lumiere.org/en/news/todd-haynes-1)</sup>

His directorial debut, *Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story* (1987), told the pop star's rise and early death entirely with Barbie and Ken dolls. The film earned cult status as a banned but bootlegged underground hit; a lawsuit by Richard Carpenter over musical rights has made it very hard to see through official channels.<sup>[9](https://bampfa.org/sites/default/files/BAMPFA_Spring_2025_lo_single.pdf)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001331/)</sup>

**Poison and the movement.** *Poison* (1991), which drew on documentary and horror genres, appeared in cinemas alongside [Derek Jarman](https://www.edgepedia.org/derek-jarman)'s *Edward II* and Tom Kalin's *Swoon* among the first films identified with New Queer Cinema, a label coined by the film scholar B. Ruby Rich.<sup>[3](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvxcrw2f)</sup> Rich, who named the movement in her early-1990s criticism, acknowledged that its filmmakers, including Haynes, Cheryl Dunye, Isaac Julien, Gus Van Sant, and [Gregg Araki](https://www.edgepedia.org/gregg-araki), did not share a single aesthetic vocabulary or strategy; they were unified by the ways they queered existing narratives and foregrounded queerness where it had been only implicit.<sup>[10](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-new-queer-cinema)</sup> Haynes himself drew a line between his work and contemporaneous gay-themed films that stuck completely to conventional narrative forms, remarking that films like *Longtime Companion* and *An Early Frost* were, in his view, "really heterosexual."<sup>[11](https://transreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-12_6208076c60e96_EncyclopediaofGayHistoriesandCulturesVolume2Special-ReferencebyG.Haggertyz-lib.org_.pdf)</sup>

## Melodrama, musicians, and method

The BFI's survey of his career divides Haynes's features into two modes: loving appropriations of the "woman's picture" that use melodrama as a feminist form, and explorations of artists, mainly musicians, who push against the confines of society.<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> His influences include [Jean Genet](https://www.edgepedia.org/jean-genet), Oscar Wilde, Douglas Sirk, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and [Chantal Akerman](https://www.edgepedia.org/chantal-akerman).<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup>

*Safe* (1995) cast [Julianne Moore](https://www.edgepedia.org/julianne-moore) as a housewife retreating from contemporary life because of a mysterious quasi-psychosomatic illness, an environmental thriller built on a controlled, removed camera.<sup>[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/may-december-todd-hayness-dark-comedy-explores-thin-line-between-truth-self-delusion)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[13](https://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews-todd-haynes)</sup> Moore became his recurring lead: Haynes has said that during auditions for *Safe* the other actresses overacted the suffering, while Moore "changed the idea I had for the character."<sup>[14](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2025/01/17/julianne-moore-almodovar-s-new-chica-in-the-room-next-door_6737154_117.html)</sup> The film would not exist, he has said, without the producer Christine Vachon, his longtime collaborator at Killer Films.<sup>[8](https://www.festival-lumiere.org/en/news/todd-haynes-1)</sup>

*Velvet Goldmine* (1998) borrowed the structure of *Citizen Kane* to chart the rise of glam rock and a Bowie-like star, and it won the 1998 Cannes prize for Best Artistic Contribution.<sup>[15](https://movingimage.org/programs/todd-haynes/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[4](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/todd-haynes/)</sup> Haynes described its method as incorporating "the language and material of Glam Rock into a narrative context."<sup>[13](https://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews-todd-haynes)</sup> [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie) declined permission for his music, and Haynes has spoken publicly about the rejection.<sup>[16](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/todd-haynes-may-december-film-director-b2446425.html)</sup> *I'm Not There* (2007) took a different approach to musical biography, casting actors as varied as [Richard Gere](https://www.edgepedia.org/richard-gere), Cate Blanchett, Marcus Carl Franklin, and [Heath Ledger](https://www.edgepedia.org/heath-ledger) all as Bob Dylan.<sup>[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/todd-haynes-all-my-movies-are-critical-and-financial-disappointments-initially-1.4176420)</sup> His documentary *The Velvet Underground* (2021) covered not just the band's history but a broad swath of the cultural history around it.<sup>[18](https://time.com/6281566/may-december-review/)</sup>

**Far from Heaven and Carol.** *Far from Heaven* (2002), set in small-town [Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/connecticut) in 1957, modeled itself on Sirk's *All That Heaven Allows* while cross-examining race and sexuality in ways that recall Fassbinder's *Fear Eats the Soul*; it won Haynes his first Oscar nomination, for best original screenplay.<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup> *Carol* (2015), adapted from [Patricia Highsmith](https://www.edgepedia.org/patricia-highsmith)'s 1952 novel *The Price of Salt*, opened at Cannes and later led the New York Film Critics Circle awards with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematographer for Edward Lachman, and Best Screenplay for Phyllis Nagy.<sup>[5](https://time.com/4132996/carol-new-york-film-critics-circle-awards/)</sup> The two films share Eisenhower-era settings but different visual references: Sirkian [Technicolor](https://www.edgepedia.org/technicolor) in the first, muted tones inspired by photojournalists such as Saul Leiter and Vivien Maier in the second.<sup>[1](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)</sup>

## Later career: Dark Waters, May December, and De Noche

Haynes's later features include the family film *Wonderstruck* (2017), based on Brian Selznick's book and made partly as a silent film, and the whistleblower drama *Dark Waters* (2019).<sup>[19](https://wnyc.org/story/evolution-queer-cinema/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[20](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/11/todd-haynes-rewrites-the-hollywood-playbook)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/todd-haynes-all-my-movies-are-critical-and-financial-disappointments-initially-1.4176420)</sup> He has also worked in television, collaborating with the novelist and screenwriter Jon Raymond on the screenplay for the HBO miniseries *Mildred Pierce*.<sup>[20](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/11/todd-haynes-rewrites-the-hollywood-playbook)</sup>

*May December* (2023), starring Julianne Moore and [Natalie Portman](https://www.edgepedia.org/natalie-portman), premiered in competition at Cannes and opened the [New York Film Festival](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-film-festival).<sup>[4](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/todd-haynes/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[21](https://apnews.com/article/be32ee2b3e610b7209873152127d5171)</sup> Portman plays an actress researching the woman she will portray, a figure whose sexual relationship with a seventh grader two decades earlier caused a tabloid scandal; the story echoes the [Mary Kay Letourneau](https://www.edgepedia.org/mary-kay-letourneau) case.<sup>[18](https://time.com/6281566/may-december-review/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[22](https://uproxx.com/movies/todd-haynes-may-december-julianne-moore-natalie-portman/)</sup> Sight and Sound's review described it as a dark comedy probing the line between truth and self-delusion, with comparisons invited to Bergman's *Persona*.<sup>[12](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/may-december-todd-hayness-dark-comedy-explores-thin-line-between-truth-self-delusion)</sup> The film earned an Oscar nomination for best screenplay.<sup>[23](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/todd-haynes-de-noche-pedro-pascal-mk2-32753/)</sup>

**De Noche.** His next film, *De Noche*, is a 1930s-set love story between a hard-boiled detective and a boarding school teacher who flee corrupt Los Angeles for Mexico, echoing classic noirs such as *Chinatown*. The project collapsed in 2024 when Joaquin Phoenix, who had developed the screenplay with Haynes and Jon Raymond, pulled out five days before production; it was revived with Pedro Pascal and Danny Ramirez in the leads, financed by France's MK2 Films and produced by Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler through Killer Films.<sup>[6](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/pedro-pascal-todd-haynes-de-noche-financing-revived/)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[23](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/todd-haynes-de-noche-pedro-pascal-mk2-32753/)</sup> Filming, done entirely in Mexico, finished in April 2026, and Haynes has said the film will most likely be rated R.<sup>[7](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/13/todd-haynes-at-lumiere-festival-it-is-a-time-to-remember-how-important-it-is-to-protect-ou)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[24](https://morningbeat.net/article/entertainment/4232248/todd-haynes-zhang-ziyi-and-daniel-bruhl-lead-a-star-studded-lumiere-fest-opening-with-haynes-teasing-de-noche-starring-pedro-pascal)</sup> No release date has been announced.<sup>[7](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/13/todd-haynes-at-lumiere-festival-it-is-a-time-to-remember-how-important-it-is-to-protect-ou)</sup>

## Reception and working habits

Haynes has characterized his commercial record bluntly, saying that "all my movies are critical and financial disappointments initially" and, at a 2026 Paris screening, that none of his films had made money.<sup>[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/todd-haynes-all-my-movies-are-critical-and-financial-disappointments-initially-1.4176420)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[25](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D1000228260.html)</sup> He lives in Portland, Oregon.<sup>[17](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/todd-haynes-all-my-movies-are-critical-and-financial-disappointments-initially-1.4176420)</sup> When preparing a shoot, he gathers films on shared themes from all eras and genres, then assembles a picture book that he shares with his team to communicate his visual intentions.<sup>[8](https://www.festival-lumiere.org/en/news/todd-haynes-1)</sup> In 2026 he was a guest of honor at Lyon's Lumière Film Festival, where restored versions of *Poison* and *Safe* screened in French cinemas for the first time since their original releases.<sup>[7](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/13/todd-haynes-at-lumiere-festival-it-is-a-time-to-remember-how-important-it-is-to-protect-ou)</sup>

## References

1. [Where to begin with Todd Haynes, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-todd-haynes)
2. [Todd Haynes, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001331/)
3. [New Queer Cinema: A Critical Reader, JSTOR](https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.3366/j.ctvxcrw2f)
4. [Todd HAYNES, Festival de Cannes](https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/p/todd-haynes/)
5. [Carol Wins Big at the New York Film Critics Circle Awards, Time](https://time.com/4132996/carol-new-york-film-critics-circle-awards/)
6. [Todd Haynes' Gay Romance De Noche Revived With Pedro Pascal, TheWrap](https://www.thewrap.com/creative-content/movies/pedro-pascal-todd-haynes-de-noche-financing-revived/)
7. [Todd Haynes at Lumière Festival, Euronews](https://www.euronews.com/2026/10/13/todd-haynes-at-lumiere-festival-it-is-a-time-to-remember-how-important-it-is-to-protect-ou)
8. [Master Class: Todd Haynes, Lumière Festival 2026](https://www.festival-lumiere.org/en/news/todd-haynes-1)
9. [Drawn to cinema, BAMPFA Spring 2025](https://bampfa.org/sites/default/files/BAMPFA_Spring_2025_lo_single.pdf)
10. [Where to begin with New Queer Cinema, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/where-begin-with-new-queer-cinema)
11. [Encyclopedia of Gay Histories and Cultures, Volume 2](https://transreads.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022-02-12_6208076c60e96_EncyclopediaofGayHistoriesandCulturesVolume2Special-ReferencebyG.Haggertyz-lib.org_.pdf)
12. [May December review, Sight and Sound, BFI](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/may-december-todd-hayness-dark-comedy-explores-thin-line-between-truth-self-delusion)
13. [Todd Haynes interview, Index Magazine](https://www.indexmagazine.com/interviews-todd-haynes)
14. [Julianne Moore, Almodóvar's new 'chica' in 'The Room Next Door', Le Monde](https://www.lemonde.fr/en/m-le-mag/article/2025/01/17/julianne-moore-almodovar-s-new-chica-in-the-room-next-door_6737154_117.html)
15. [Todd Haynes, Museum of the Moving Image](https://movingimage.org/programs/todd-haynes/)
16. [Todd Haynes on May December and being rejected by Bowie, The Independent](https://www.the-independent.com/arts-entertainment/films/features/todd-haynes-may-december-film-director-b2446425.html)
17. [Todd Haynes: 'All my movies are critical and financial disappointments initially', The Irish Times](https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/todd-haynes-all-my-movies-are-critical-and-financial-disappointments-initially-1.4176420)
18. [May December review, Time](https://time.com/6281566/may-december-review/)
19. [The Evolution of Queer Cinema, WNYC](https://wnyc.org/story/evolution-queer-cinema/)
20. [Todd Haynes Rewrites the Hollywood Playbook, The New Yorker](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2019/11/11/todd-haynes-rewrites-the-hollywood-playbook)
21. [At the New York Film Festival, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/be32ee2b3e610b7209873152127d5171)
22. [Todd Haynes Interview: On The Making Of 'May December', Uproxx](https://uproxx.com/movies/todd-haynes-may-december-julianne-moore-natalie-portman/)
23. [Todd Haynes' Romance 'De Noche' Resurrects With Pedro Pascal, Variety](https://au.variety.com/2026/film/news/todd-haynes-de-noche-pedro-pascal-mk2-32753/)
24. [Todd Haynes teases 'De Noche' at the Lumière Fest, Morningbeat](https://morningbeat.net/article/entertainment/4232248/todd-haynes-zhang-ziyi-and-daniel-bruhl-lead-a-star-studded-lumiere-fest-opening-with-haynes-teasing-de-noche-starring-pedro-pascal)
25. [Ce film américain rare qui a révélé Julianne Moore ressort au cinéma, AlloCiné](https://www.allocine.fr/article/fichearticle_gen_carticle%3D1000228260.html)

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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Film and television directors › Directors of the United States and Canada › Contemporary film directors › Directors debuting in the 1990s and 2000s*

*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*

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