Adrienne Shelly was a one-of-kind person. Funny, silly, smart, cool and a naturally gifted actor, writer and director. A kind, generous, beautiful soul whose infectious smile illuminated everything around her.
Adrienne’s film career launched in 1988 with her starring role in director Hal Hartley’s acclaimed The Unbelievable Truth, followed by the classic Trust two years later.
She appeared in over twenty other films, including 2005’s Factotum with Matt Dillon. She wrote, directed and starred in three feature films, Sudden Manhattan, I’ll Take You There and Waitress, which premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, was purchased hours later by Fox Searchlight Films, and went on to critical acclaim and box-office success. It is now being developed as a Broadway musical. Another of her scripts, Serious Moonlight, directed by Cheryl Hines and starring Meg Ryan and Timothy Hutton, was released in theaters December 2009. It is now being adapted for the stage.
Adrienne’s passion in life was to make movies. She lived for her art, and she never compromised her integrity or commitment to her vision. It is in this spirit that The Adrienne Shelly Foundation was established following her tragic death in 2006.
Our mission is simple yet critical: Supporting Women Filmmakers. We’ve partnered with the finest academic and filmmaking institutions, including the Sundance Institute, AFI, IFP, Women in Film, Tribeca Film Institute, Nantucket Film Festival, Boston University, Columbia University and Rooftop Films, to provide scholarships, production grants, finishing funds and living stipends, and have granted over fifty awards to-date. This group includes Cynthia Wade, who won an Academy Award in 2008 for her documentary Freeheld, which ASF helped fund, as well as other notable filmmakers Dee Rees, Maryam Keshevarz, Ana Lily Amirpour, Ondi Timoner, Annie Sundberg/Ricki Stern, Nanette Burstein, Stacie Passon and Lucy Mulloy.
With your generous tax-deductible donation, you can honor Adrienne’s legacy and help other very talented women achieve their filmmaking dreams. We thank you for your support.
