Miranda July facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Miranda July
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July at the 2024 National Book Awards finalist reading
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| Born |
Miranda Jennifer Grossinger
February 15, 1974 Barre, Vermont, U.S.
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| Occupation |
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| Spouse(s) |
Mike Mills
(m. 2009; separated 2022) |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Lindy Hough Richard Grossinger |
| Relatives | Skylar Brandt (cousin) |
Miranda July (born Miranda Jennifer Grossinger on February 15, 1974) is an American artist who works as a film director, writer, and actress. She is known for creating movies, books, and live performances.
She has written, directed, and starred in several films, including Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) and The Future (2011). She also wrote and directed the movie Kajillionaire (2020). As an author, she has written a book of short stories called No One Belongs Here More Than You (2007) and the novels The First Bad Man (2015) and All Fours (2024).
Contents
Early Life and Education
July was born in Barre, Vermont. Her parents, Lindy Hough and Richard Grossinger, were both writers who taught at Goddard College. They also started North Atlantic Books, a publishing company.
July grew up in Berkeley. She started creating plays at a local punk rock club called 924 Gilman Street. She went to The College Preparatory School for high school. Later, she studied film at the University of California Santa Cruz but left after her second year to move to Portland, Oregon.
Beginning Her Career
After moving to Portland, July began performing one-woman shows. Her performances were very successful, and she has said that she hasn't needed a day job since she was 23. She enjoyed performing live because it was very different from making movies. It had a live audience and felt more immediate.
While working on her art, July had several different jobs to support herself. She worked as a waitress, a locksmith, and even a taste-tester for Coca-Cola.
When she was 16, she wrote and directed a play called The Lifers. She was inspired by a friendship she had with a man who was in prison. She put on the play in local punk clubs.
Work in Film
Joanie4Jackie
In Portland, July was inspired by the do-it-yourself attitude of the riot grrrl music scene. She started a project to help women filmmakers share their work. It was like a "chainletter tape."
Participants would send their short film to July. She would then create a videotape with their film and nine others and mail it back. This allowed female artists to see each other's work and build a community. The project started in 1995 and was called Joanie4Jackie. July said the project was her "film school." In 2016, she donated the project's archive to the Getty Research Institute.
Me and You and Everyone We Know
In 2004, Filmmaker magazine named her one of the "25 New Faces of Indie Film." She later developed her first full-length movie, Me and You and Everyone We Know, which was released in 2005.
The film was a big success. It won the Caméra d'Or award at the Cannes Film Festival and a Special Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. It also won audience awards at several other film festivals.
The Future
July's second movie was called The Future. She also starred in this film, which came out in 2011. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Kajillionaire
In 2018, July began working on a heist film called Kajillionaire. The movie was produced by Brad Pitt's company, Plan B Entertainment. The cast included Evan Rachel Wood, Richard Jenkins, Debra Winger, and Gina Rodriguez. The movie was released in theaters in September 2020.
Short Films
July has made several short films. In The Amateurist (1998), she plays both a researcher and the "beautiful woman" she is studying on a video screen.
Another short film, Nest of Tens (2000), shows four different situations where ordinary people act in strange ways. This film is now in the online collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Other Film Projects
July has also been involved in other film projects. She helped write the story for the 2001 movie The Center of the World. She appeared as herself in the documentary Turn It Around: The Story of East Bay Punk (2017). She also narrated the documentary Fire of Love.
Music and Acting
In the late 1990s, July recorded music with the independent record label Kill Rock Stars. She released one EP and two full-length albums.
July has acted in many of her own films, including Me and You and Everyone We Know and The Future. She also appeared in the movie Jesus' Son (1998) and an episode of the TV show Portlandia. In 2018, she co-starred in the movie Madeline's Madeline.
Art and Performance
Live Shows
July has created several multimedia performance pieces, which she calls "live movies." In these shows, she often plays multiple characters and uses humor to explore different ideas.
One of her shows, The Swan Tool, was a one-woman performance about a woman searching for her lost body. In 2015, she premiered a new show called New Society. She asked the audience not to share details about it so that future audiences could be surprised.
Other Art Projects
- Learning to Love You More: From 2002 to 2009, July and artist Harrell Fletcher ran an online art project. The website gave assignments to people, and their creations became part of online and real-world art shows. Over 8,000 people participated.
- Eleven Heavy Things: For the 2009 Venice Biennale art exhibition, July created a set of large, playful sculptures. People were encouraged to interact with them.
- Somebody App: In 2014, July created a mobile app called Somebody. It allowed a user to write a message that would be delivered in person by another user who was nearby. The app was a public art project that turned messages into performances.
Writing Career
July is also a successful author. Her stories have been published in magazines like The New Yorker.
No One Belongs Here More Than You
This collection of short stories was published in 2007. It won the Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award. Reviews were mixed, but many praised the book for being smart and original. The book has sold over 200,000 copies.
It Chooses You
Published in 2011, this non-fiction book came from an interesting project. While trying to write a screenplay, July started meeting and interviewing people who were selling items in the PennySaver classifieds newspaper. The book tells the stories of the people she met.
The First Bad Man
July's first novel, The First Bad Man, was published in 2015. The story is about a middle-aged woman whose life is turned upside down when a younger woman moves into her home. The New York Times Book Review called it a "wry, smart" book that is "painfully alive."
All Fours
Her second novel, All Fours, was released in May 2024. The book is about a 45-year-old woman who goes on a journey of self-discovery. It was shortlisted for the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and the Women's Prize for Fiction.
Artistic Style and Themes
July's work is often about "intimacy" and how people connect with each other. Her film titles often use words like "me," "you," and "we." She focuses on ordinary characters and their lives.
Some critics have called her style "quirky" or "twee." July has said that she thinks female filmmakers who make emotional films often get this kind of criticism. She has also said that she is not trying to be like other directors, but is more interested in the rhythm and feeling of her films.
Personal Life
July was married to filmmaker Mike Mills. They have one child, who was born in 2012. July and Mills met at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and married in 2009. They separated in 2022 but continue to raise their child together.
She changed her last name to "July" when she was 15. The name came from a character in a story written by her best friend. She legally changed it in her early 20s.
July has spoken about the importance of feminism. She believes it means being "pro your ability to do what you need to do."
Filmography
Full-Length Films
- Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005) – writer, director, actress
- The Future (2011) – writer, director, actress
- Kajillionaire (2020) – writer, director
Short Films
- Atlanta (1996)
- The Amateurist (1998)
- Nest of Tens (1999)
- Getting Stronger Every Day (2001)
- Are You the Favorite Person of Anybody? (2005)
- Somebody (2014)
See also
In Spanish: Miranda July para niños
