Neil Breen
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Breen in 2017
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United States
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| Nationality | American |
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Neil Breen is an American filmmaker and actor.[1] Since 2005, he has written, directed, independently produced, and starred in six theatrical feature films. Breen's films have garnered a cult following for their low-budget production values, acting, writing, and editing.[1][2]
Breen grew up on the East Coast of the United States and developed an interest in film and filmmaking at an early age. He studied architecture and initially became a licensed architect in California.[3] He gained a small following after releasing his first film, Double Down, which played at the Cinefamily cinematheque in Los Angeles in 2010.[1] In the years that followed, Breen continued working as an architect as a means to finance his next film: I Am Here.... Now, which also played at the Cinefamily in 2011.[4] Since then, he has established a reputation as a cult amateur filmmaker.[3] He has claimed to have recruited his cast from Craigslist ads to go along with directly being involved with theaters for distribution in a limited run starting at 7pm.[5] Sales websites for the older films are usually taken off in preparation for promoting his latest film.
Breen writes, produces, directs, and stars in each of his own films. The characters he portrays hold advanced and often superhuman abilities and use them in grandiose struggles against corrupt forces and institutions.[6] Fateful Findings features Breen as a hacker imbued with supernatural powers by a magical stone he found as a child, who uses his skills to expose government and corporate corruption, while in Double Down he plays a rogue CIA agent.[7]
In other films, his protagonist is a god-like, messianic, or otherwise chosen figure; Pass Thru, for example, has Breen playing a messianic entity who arrives from the future to wipe out 300 million "bad people" to usher in a new era of peace. Breen has said that his films have a "sense of social responsibility" and reflect the "mystical or paranormal side of life."[7]
Some critics have compared Breen's films to outsider art.[8][1] Breen's third film, Fateful Findings, was compared to Tommy Wiseau's The Room by the former film's North American distributor Panorama Entertainment.[6] Breen's fifth feature film, Twisted Pair, was released in October 2018.[9] On December 16, 2022, Breen confirmed his sixth film is a sequel to Twisted Pair, titled Cade: The Tortured Crossing.[10] In February 2023, Cade: The Tortured Crossing won the award for "Best Fantasy Film" and "People's Choice Award" at the Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival,[11] before its world premiere on February 25, 2023, at the Regal Cinemas L.A. Live.[12] After its world premiere, Cade: The Tortured Crossing screened at Alamo Drafthouse locations across the country.[13]
On May 17, 2024, Breen announced via Twitter that he has begun to write a script for his new film, claiming it is "totally different than his previous films."[14]
His first feature film, Double Down, was featured on RedLetterMedia's Best of the Worst online series, whilst Fateful Findings was covered by RedLetterMedia along with other film critics on YouTube. Since then, Breen's films have been picked up by arthouse theaters and film festivals, including the 2012 "Butt-Numb-A-Thon" and the 2013 Seattle International Film Festival.[1] In Jim Vorel's 2014 list of the 100 best B movies for Paste magazine, Breen's film I Am Here.... Now was ranked 21st, with Vorel mentioning that Breen could one day earn a place in the "terrible movie hall of fame" alongside Ed Wood and Wiseau.[15]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Editor | Musical Director | DOP | Actor | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Double Down | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Aaron Brand | Also casting, production designer, production manager, and catering |
| 2009 | I Am Here....Now | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | The Being | Also craft service, special makeup effects artist, and props |
| 2012 | Fateful Findings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Dylan | Also accountant, craft service, special make-up effects, location manager, production designer, sound editor, lighting design, wardrobe and set decorator |
| 2016 | Pass Thru | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | A.I / Thgil |
Also production designer and manager, casting, set design, wardrobe, props, lighting designs, special make-up effects, locations, administration and accounting, craft services, makeup and hair and sound editor |
| 2018 | Twisted Pair | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cade Altair / Cale Altair |
Also casting, make-up and hair, production manager, set designer, wardrobe, props, lighting design, special effects, stunt coordinator, aerial rigging, special makeup effects, legal accounting administration, craft services, locations, and sound editor |
| 2020 | Neil Breen's 5 Film Retrospective | Yes | Yes | Yes | Uncredited | Uncredited | Uncredited | Yes | Himself | Documentary about the making of his 5 first films Also uncredited sound editor and camera operator |
| 2023[16] | Cade: The Tortured Crossing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Cade Altair / Cale Altair |
Also casting, make-up and hair, production manager, set designer, wardrobe, props, lighting design, special effects, stunt coordinator, aerial rigging, special makeup effects, legal accounting administration, craft services, locations, and sound editor |
| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Hollywood Reel Independent Film Festival | People's Choice Award | Cade: The Tortured Crossing | Won | [17] |
| Best Fantasy Film | Won | [11] |
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Films directed by Neil Breen
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