Talia Lugacy
American film director, writer and producer)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Talia Lugacy is an American film director, writer and producer.[1][2] She is best known for her work on the films Descent and This Is Not a War Story.[3][4]
Talia Lugacy | |
|---|---|
| |
| Born | New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Occupations | Director, writer, producer, actress |
| Years active | 2005–present |
| Spouse | |
Life and career
Lugacy was born in New York City, New York to Moroccan Jewish and Greek parents. She graduated from New York University Tisch School of the Arts. She is an assistant professor of Screen Studies at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts at The New School.[1][5]
Lugacy's debut feature film, Descent, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2007 and it was a New York Times Critics' Pick.[6][4] In 2021, her second feature film This Is Not a War Story, premiered at 2021 SF Indie Fest, where it won the Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature.[7] She is also slated to direct the upcoming feature film Dark Days & the Dawn.[8]
Lugacy's upcoming feature film, Ruby Road, was shot in 2025 and is expected for a 2026 premiere.[9] The film stars Frances Fisher, Will Patton, and Lauren Holly. Lugacy and her forthcoming film were selected by U.S. in Progress at their 2025 event in Poland, receiving three awards for VFX and sound post-production.[10][11] The feature was also a recipient of the 2025 SFFILM Rainin Grant in San Francisco[12].
In 2025, she was named one of the Film-Video recipients of the Guggenheim Fellowship.[13]
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director | Writer | Producer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Little Black Dress | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
| 2007 | Descent | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| 2021 | This Is Not a War Story | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| TBA | Ruby Road | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
| TBA | Dark Days & the Dawn | Yes | Yes | Yes | Feature film |
As actress
- 2014 : The Shape of Something Squashed
- 2021 : This Is Not a War Story
Awards and nominations
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Work | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Winner | Atlanta Underground Film Festival | Jury Prize Best Feature Narrative | This Is Not a War Story | [14] |
| Urbanworld Film Festival | [15] | ||||
| Workers Unite Film Festival | [16] | ||||
| Cinelounge Film Festival | [17] | ||||
| Winner | San Francisco Indie Fest | Audience Award, Best Feature Narrative | [18] | ||
| Indie Street Film Festival | [19] | ||||
| Woods Hole Film Festival | [20] | ||||
| Winner | New York Women in Film & Television | Best Director | [21] | ||
| Urbanworld Film Festival | [15] | ||||
| Portland Film Festival | [22] | ||||
| Tallgrass Film Festival | [23] | ||||
| 2022 | Winner | Blackbird Film Festival | Jury Prize Best Feature Narrative | [24] | |
| Nominated | Independent Spirit Awards | John Cassavetes Award | [25] | ||
