James Schamus
James Schamus is an award-winning screenwriter (The Ice Storm), producer (Brokeback Mountain), and former CEO of Focus Features (Dallas Buyers Club, Lost in Translation, Milk, The Pianist). His feature directorial debut, an adaptation of Philip Roth's Indignation, starring Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon, and Tracy Letts, premiered at the Sundance and Berlin Film Festivals, and was released by Roadside Attractions. He created, executive produced, and was showrunner on the hit Mexican limited series for Netflix, Somos. Works from his New York-based production company, Symbolic Exchange, include Minhal Baig's We Grown Now, starring Jurnee Smollet; Kitty Green’s The Assistant, starring Julia Garner; Andrew Ahn’s Driveways, starring Hong Chau and the late Brian Dennehy; Rhys Ernst’s award-winning trans comedy Adam, starring Margaret Qualley; and Mike Ott’s McVeigh, starring Alfie Allen and Tracy Letts, which premiered last year at the Tribeca Film Festival. Symbolic's latest production is Andrew Ahn’s reboot of Ang Lee’s The Wedding Banquet, starring Bowen Yang, Lily Gladstone, Joan Chen, Kelly Marie Tran, and Youn Yuh-jung, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Schamus is currently collaborating with composer Huang Ruo on an opera for The Met, and is Consulting Producer on the next tv series from the Duffer Brothers (Stranger Things). Schamus is Professor of Professional Practice in Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where he teaches film history and theory. He served on the negotiating committee of the Writers Guild of America during their successful five-month strike.
Sony Pictures Classics and Stage 6 Films have announced the official release date of We Grown Now, a coming-of-age film executive produced by Professor of Professional Practice James Schamus.
We talk with Professor James Schamus about the film industry as a dream factory in need of regulations, how we’re constantly creating usefulness out of the useless, and why everything that is possible demands to exist.
Professor James Schamus is crafting a Spanish-Language series for Netflix Mexico with co-screenwriter Monika Reevlla (The House of Flowers and Someone Has to Die) and author Fernanda Melchor (Hurricane Season).
The Assistant, produced by Professor James Schamus was nominated for Best Feature at The Gotham Awards.
It’s been a successful 35th edition of the Sundance Film Festival for Columbia filmmakers with three films taking home prestigious prizes.