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It has been a whirlwind year for writer/director/producer M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN. The astronomical success of his chilling psychological thriller "The Sixth Sense" quickly turned him into one of the most sought after young filmmakers in Hollywood. Grossing more than $661 million at the box office worldwide to date, "The Sixth Sense" has become the tenth highest grossing film of all time and continues to break records in home video as the highest-earning video rental of all time. The film received a total of six Academy Award® nominations, including one for Best Picture and two for Shyamalan for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay.
Shyamalan began making films at the age of 10 in his hometown of Philadelphia. At 16, he completed his 45th short film. At age 17, he told his parents - both doctors - that instead of attending medical school like the other 12 doctors in the family, he had instead decided to attend NYU to study filmmaking.
In 1992, Shyamalan traveled to India to shoot his script "Praying With Anger" (written during his final year at NYU) on location, serving as the film's writer, director, producer and star. The film earned the distinction of "Debut Film of the Year" from the American Film Institute of Los Angeles the following year.
His second feature film, "Wide Awake," was released in 1997. Shot entirely on location in Philadelphia, the film tells the story of the close relationship between a boy in Catholic school and his grandfather.
Shyamalan's production company, Blinding Edge Pictures, is based in a suburb outside of Philadelphia, where he also currently resides with his wife and two daughters. | |
