Aneesh Chaganty
Birth date1991 or 1992
Birth placeRedmond, Washington, U.S.
EducationUniversity of Southern California
OccupationFilm director · screenwriter
Years active2011–present

Aneesh Chaganty (/əˈniːʃˈtʃɑːɡənti/;[1]əniːʂ tʃɑːɡəɳʈi born 1991 or 1992) is an American film director and screenwriter. He made his feature film directorial debut with the 2018 thriller Searching, for which he won the Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.

Early life and education

Aneesh Chaganty was born in either 1991 or 1992[2] in a Telugu family in Redmond, Washington,[3] and was raised in San Jose, California.[4] His parents, who originally emigrated from Andhra Pradesh, India, moved to the United States in the 1980s.[4]

His father, who obtained an MS degree in computer engineering from Drexel University, serves as a director and Chief Technology Officer at a software publishing, consultancy and supply company[5] founded by both his parents, AppEnsure Inc.[6] Chaganty attended Valley Christian High School from 2005 to 2009.[7] He graduated from USC School of Cinematic Arts in 2013 with a degree in film and television production.[8]

Career

2014–2017: early career

In 2014, Chaganty's two-minute short film, a Google Glass spot called Seeds, became an internet sensation after garnering more than 1 million YouTube views in 24 hours.[9] Following its success, Chaganty was invited to join the Google 5 team at Google Creative Lab in New York City, where he spent two years writing and directing Google commercials. He also made one for Super Bowl.[3]

2018-2023: Searching film series

After working on over 25 short films and videos, Chaganty directed his first feature film, Searching, which was originally pitched as a short film but was offered a production budget for a feature instead,[3] was released on August 24, 2018, before opening wide on August 31,[10] also premiering at the Sundance Film Festival on January 21, 2018.[11]

Chaganty's second film Run, a thriller starring Sarah Paulson and Kiera Allen, was set to be released on January 24, 2020,[12] then May 8, 2020,[13] but was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic, was released on Hulu on November 20, 2020.[14] Run became Hulu's most watched feature title ever during its opening weekend beating not only all previously watched Hulu Originals Films, but also licensed SVOD film titles, and ranked as the most talked about Hulu Original Film to date on Twitter.[15] It was later released internationally by Netflix on April 2, 2021.[16]

Missing, an anthology sequel to Searching, was premiered at Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2023, and released theatrically on January 20.[17] Chaganty wrote the story with Sev Ohanian and they co-produced it alongside Natalie Qasabian.[18] It was released by Netflix on May 20, 2023, and became number one most streamed movie in the US in just two days, where it dominated the Top 10 chart for a week [19] and was watched for 5.2 million hours during that first week on the platform streaming giant.[20]

2024-present

In 2024, Chaganty collaborated with Meta in partnership with Blumhouse to make a short film using Meta Movie Gen, an AI video generating tool by the tech giant, titled i h8 ai.[21][22] The short film was featured on Meta's Movie Gen site and their YouTube channel.[23]

Recognition

Chaganty was included in the 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Hollywood & Entertainment list.[24]

In 2021, he was featured in the December issue of Vanity Fair, representing Gold House as an AAPI leading member.[25]

Filmography

Short films

YearFilm
DirectorWriterNotes
2007NugAlso film editor and producer
2008The Sound of EvanescenceAlso film editor
2009Starving!Also film editor
2011Alibi
2012MonstersAlso film editor
Microeconomics
Adventure, WisconsinAlso sound editor and producer
2014SeedsSponsored by Google Glass
2024i h8 aipartnered with Blumhouse for Meta Movie Gen

Feature films

YearFilm
DirectorWriterProducerNotes
2018SearchingFeature directorial debut
2020Run[26]
2023Missing

Acting credits

TV roles

YearTitle
RoleNote
2018Made in HollywoodHimself

Season 13

  • Episode: 46

Film roles

YearTitle
RoleNote
2010The LiaisonHimselfShort film
2014Google Glass: SeedsTravellerShort film
2024i h8 aiHimselfShort film

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryFilmResult
2018Locarno Film FestivalVariety Piazza Grande AwardSearching
Sundance Film FestivalBest of Next!
Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize
(shared with Sev Ohanian)
Sydney Film FestivalBest Narrative Feature
Los Angeles Online Film Critics Society AwardsBest First Feature

References

  1. ^ "'Run' | Anatomy of a Scene". The New York Times. November 20, 2020. Retrieved July 27, 2022.
  2. ^ Pedersen, Erik (January 23, 2018). "'Search' Wins Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Film Prize – Sundance". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 9, 2018. Aneesh Chaganty is a 26-year-old writer/director
  3. ^ "Career Lessons From A Creative Who Left A 'Dream' Job For His Dream Career". Forbes. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  4. ^ "Aneesh Chaganty's Mother's Day message is the new viral sensation". The Times of India. Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd.. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  5. ^ "Sri Chaganty : Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg". Bloomberg. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  6. ^ Zack, Jessica (August 16, 2018). "'Google Five' filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty gets smart with thriller 'Searching'". San Francisco Chronicle. Hearst Communications. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  7. ^ "Compelling Movie Thriller Directed & Co-Written by 2009 Alumnus Aneesh Chaganty". AMSE. April 9, 2018. Archived September 12, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  8. ^ "SCA Alumni create viral video, "SEEDS"". USC School of Cinematic Arts. July 3, 2014. Retrieved September 12, 2018.
  9. ^ "Google Glass short film 'Seeds' hits the spot for Mother's Day". Tech Times. 11 May 2014. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  10. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 16, 2018). "Screen Gems Adds John Cho-Debra Messing Thriller 'Searching' To August Schedule". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  11. ^ "2018 Sundance Film Festival: Feature Films Announced". Sundance Film Festival. The Sundance Institute. November 29, 2017. Archived from the original on December 22, 2017. Retrieved September 9, 2018.
  12. ^ Vlessing, Etan (January 31, 2019). "Lionsgate Suspense Thriller 'Run' Sets 2020 Release Date". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2019-01-31.
  13. ^ Couch, Aaron (January 17, 2020). "Lionsgate Thriller 'Run' Release Date Pushed Back 4 Months". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  14. ^ "Aneesh Chaganty's Thriller 'Run' Starring Sarah Paulson Lands Release Date at Hulu". 22 September 2020. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  15. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2020-11-24). "'Run' Races To Hulu Record As Streamer's Most Watched Movie Ever In Its Opening Weekend". Deadline. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  16. ^ "Sarah Paulson, Kiera Allen's thriller Run, directed by Searching helmer Aneesh Chaganty, to stream on Netflix India from 2 April". First Post. March 20, 2021. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  17. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-11-10). "'Missing': Sony Moves 'Searching' Pic Up To January". Deadline. Archived November 10, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-11-10.
  18. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-08-14). "Sony's Stage 6 Films Plots Sequel To Sundance Sleeper 'Searching'". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-02-10.
  19. ^ Graham-Lowery, Nathan (2023-05-30). "An Underrated 2023 Movie Is Dominating The Netflix Charts, & Viewers Are Loving It". Screen Rant. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  20. ^ Squires, John (2023-05-23). "Screenlife Thriller 'Missing' Just Hit Netflix and It's Already a Top 10 Streaming Title". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  21. ^ Welk, Brian (2024-10-17). "Blumhouse Convinced Casey Affleck and Other Filmmakers to Use Meta's New AI Tool". IndieWire. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  22. ^ "Meta enlists horror movie producers, other filmmakers to test AI movie generation model". SCMP. SCMP Publishers. 2024-10-18. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  23. ^ Spangler, Todd (2024-10-17). "Meta Teams With Blumhouse and Filmmakers Like Casey Affleck to Test Movie Gen AI Tool". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 2025-01-31.
  24. ^ "Aneesh Chaganty". Forbes
  25. ^ "Forging a New AAPI Culture". Vanity Fair. 6 December 2021. Retrieved 2025-02-01.
  26. ^ McNary, Dave (June 7, 2018). "Lionsgate to Develop Thriller 'Run' From 'Searching' Filmmakers (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved September 15, 2018.