Harmony Korine facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harmony Korine
Korine in 2024
Born	(1973-01-04) January 4, 1973 (age 52) Bolinas, California, U.S.
Occupation	Film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, artist
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Rachel Korine ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	3

Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973) is an American filmmaker, artist, and author. He is known for his creative and unusual style of filmmaking. His work often explores unique subjects using experimental methods. Besides movies, he also works in art, music, and fashion.

Korine first became known for writing the movie Kids (1995). He later directed his own films, including Gummo (1997), Mister Lonely (2007), Spring Breakers (2012), and The Beach Bum (2019). His movies often tell stories in unconventional ways.

In 2023, Korine started a creative and technology company called EDGLRD. One of the company's first projects was his film Aggro Dr1ft (2023).

Early life

Harmony Korine was born into a Jewish family in Bolinas, California. His father, Sol Korine, was a documentary producer for PBS in the 1970s. He would often take Harmony to carnivals and circuses and taught him how to use a Bolex movie camera.

As a child, Korine watched many movies with his father. He especially liked films by Buster Keaton and was amazed by Werner Herzog's Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970). Korine later said, "I knew there was a poetry in cinema that I had never seen before that was so powerful."

His family lived on a commune in the San Francisco Bay Area before moving to Nashville, Tennessee. As a teenager, Korine became interested in skateboarding and spent his summers in San Francisco. He also started watching movies by famous directors like John Cassavetes, Jean-Luc Godard, and Rainer Werner Fassbinder. He briefly attended New York University before deciding to become a professional skateboarder.

Career

First Films: Kids and Gummo

While skateboarding in Washington Square Park, Korine met photographer Larry Clark. Clark was impressed with Korine and asked him to write a script about the lives of skaters. In just three weeks, Korine wrote Kids. The film, released in 1995, showed a day in the life of teenagers in New York City.

Kids was seen as very realistic and caused a lot of discussion. It became a well-known cult film and helped start the careers of actors Chloë Sevigny and Rosario Dawson. The movie's success launched Korine's career in the film industry.

In 1997, Korine wrote and directed his first movie, Gummo. The film is set in Xenia, Ohio, a town that had been hit by a tornado. Gummo does not have a traditional story. Instead, it is made up of different scenes and moments. Many of the actors were local people from Tennessee, not professionals. The film is known for its strange, dream-like style and unique soundtrack.

When Gummo was shown at film festivals, it received very different reactions. Some people were confused by it, but famous director Werner Herzog praised it. He was especially impressed by a scene with bacon taped to a bathroom wall. The film won awards at the Venice Film Festival and earned Korine respect from other filmmakers like Gus Van Sant.

Later Films and Projects

In 1999, Korine released Julien Donkey-Boy. The movie tells the story of a young man with a serious mental illness and his difficult family life. The famous director Werner Herzog acted in the film, playing the main character's father. Like Korine's other films, it became a cult classic.

In 2002, director Larry Clark made the movie Ken Park based on a script Korine had written years earlier. Korine was not involved in the making of this film.

The next year, Korine directed a TV documentary called Above the Below. It was about his friend David Blaine's stunt, where Blaine lived in a clear box hanging over the River Thames in London for 44 days.

Mister Lonely and Other Works

Korine's third feature film was Mister Lonely (2007). He wrote it with his brother, Avi. The movie is about a Michael Jackson impersonator living in Paris who meets a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. She invites him to a commune in Scotland where everyone pretends to be a famous person, like Charlie Chaplin or James Dean.

In 2009, Korine directed Trash Humpers. It was a fictional film shot to look like an old home video. Even though it wasn't a real documentary, it won the top prize at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival.

Spring Breakers and The Beach Bum

Korine's 2012 film Spring Breakers became one of his most famous works. It starred James Franco, Selena Gomez, and Vanessa Hudgens. The movie is a crime drama about four college students on spring break in Florida. The film was shown at major festivals in Venice and Toronto.

In 2019, he released The Beach Bum. The film stars Matthew McConaughey as a relaxed poet named Moondog. It also features actors Isla Fisher and Martin Lawrence, as well as the rapper Snoop Dogg.

Recent Work with EDGLRD

In 2023, Korine released Aggro Dr1ft, a film starring actor Jordi Mollà and rapper Travis Scott. It was one of the first projects from his new company, EDGLRD. The company, based in Miami, focuses on creative and technology projects. The following year, Korine directed Baby Invasion, which was also an EDGLRD project.

Other Ventures

Books and Art

Korine has published several books. In 1998, he released A Crack Up at the Race Riots, an experimental book made of different pieces of writing. He has also published collections of his screenplays.

As a visual artist, Korine has had his photographs and paintings shown in galleries around the world. He has worked with artists like Christopher Wool and had many exhibitions at the famous Gagosian gallery. His art often uses bright colors and interesting characters.

Music and Commercials

Korine has directed music videos for bands like Sonic Youth and the Black Keys. He also directed the music video for Rihanna's song "Needed Me" in 2016.

He has worked on commercials for major brands like Dior and Gucci. In 2021, he directed a popular commercial for 7-Eleven.

Personal life

In the 1990s, Korine was friends with actress Chloë Sevigny, who he met in Washington Square Park. He cast her in his first film, Kids.

He is now married to actress Rachel Korine. They have three children together.

Filmography

Feature films

Acting Roles

• Kids (1995) – Fidget
• Good Will Hunting (1997) – Jerve
• Gummo (1997) – Boy on Couch
• Last Days (2005) – Guy in Club
• Trash Humpers (2009) – Hervé
• Stoker (2013) – Mr. Feldman
• Manglehorn (2014) – Gary
• The Girlfriend Experience (2nd season, 2017) - Paul
• Mid90s (2018) – Todd
• Waves (2019) – Mr. Stanley

See also

In Spanish: Harmony Korine para niños

• "Harmony Korine" (song)