Darren Arronofsky

Darren Aronofsky
Aronofsky at XVI Guanajuato International Film Festival on July 27, 2013
Born	(1969-02-12) February 12, 1969 (age 48) Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Harvard University American Film Institute
Occupation	Filmmaker, environmentalist
Partner(s)	Rachel Weisz (2001–2010) Brandi-Ann Milbradt (2012–2015) Jennifer Lawrence (2016–present)
Children	1 (with Weisz)

Darren Aronofsky (born February 12, 1969) is an American filmmaker and environmentalist. He has received acclaim, and generated controversy, for his often surreal, disturbing films.

Aronofsky attended Harvard University, where he studied film and social anthropology, and the American Film Institute where he studied directing. He won several film awards after completing his senior thesis film, Supermarket Sweep, which went on to become a National Student Academy Award finalist. Aronofsky's feature debut, the surrealist psychological thriller Pi, was shot in November 1997. The low-budget, $60,000 production, starring Sean Gullette, was sold to Artisan Entertainment for $1 million, and grossed over $3 million; Aronofsky won the Directing Award at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and an Independent Spirit Award for best first screenplay.

Aronofsky's followup, the psychological drama Requiem for a Dream, was based on the novel of the same name by Hubert Selby, Jr. The film garnered strong reviews and received an Academy Award nomination for Ellen Burstyn's performance. The film also generated considerable controversy due to the graphic nature of several scenes, and was eventually released unrated. After writing the World War II horror film Below, Aronofsky began production on his third film, the romantic fantasy sci-fi drama The Fountain. The film received mixed reviews and performed poorly at the box-office, but has since garnered a cult following.