Toby Halbrooks
Toby Halbrooks | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1978 (age 46–47) |
| Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, writer, musician |
| Known for | |
Toby Halbrooks (born 1978) is an American film producer, writer, director, and former musician. He initially gained prominence as a member of the band The Polyphonic Spree, before becoming a noted producer in independent film, frequently collaborating with filmmaker David Lowery and partner James M. Johnston through their production company Sailor Bear.[1]
Early life
[edit]Halbrooks was raised in Dallas, Texas.[2]
Career
[edit]Music
[edit]He toured internationally as a multi-instrumentalist with the symphonic rock band The Polyphonic Spree for six years before transitioning into directing and producing.[3]
Filmmaking
[edit]Halbrooks's first significant film project was producing Lowery's short film Pioneer (2011), which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was also shown at Cannes.[4][5] He subsequently co-produced Shane Carruth’s Upstream Color and produced Ain't Them Bodies Saints, both premiering at Sundance in 2013.[6] For Ain't Them Bodies Saints, Halbrooks and co-producer James M. Johnson won the 2023 Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award.[7] They also received nominations for the 17th annual Piaget Producers Award.[8]
In 2014, Halbrooks directed his debut short film Dig, which premiered at Sundance.[9][10] He co-wrote Disney’s live-action Pete's Dragon (2016) alongside David Lowery.[11][12] Writing for the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips praised Lowery and Halbrooks' writing, and went on to describe the film as "one of the season's most heartening surprises."[13]
In 2017, Halbrooks and Johnston produced Person to Person, a drama which featured an ensemble cast including Michael Cera and Abbi Jacobson.[14]
He co-produced A Ghost Story (2017), for which he also co-wrote a song with Lowery, Andrew Tinker, and Kesha. The song, titled Last One, was performed by Stereo Jane for the film's soundtrack.[15] He also co-produced The Old Man & the Gun (2018), Miss Juneteenth (2020), and The Green Knight (2021).[16] Halbrooks also co-wrote the screenplay for Disney's Peter Pan & Wendy (2023) with Lowery.[17]
In 2023, he began production on Mother Mary, directed by Lowery and starring Anne Hathaway and Michaela Coel, produced by A24.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Toby Halbrooks". Film Independent. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ Pritchard, Caroline. "100 Dallas Creatives: No. 59 Adventurous Filmmaker Toby Halbrooks". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ "The Dallas Filmmakers Heading to Sundance: Toby Halbrooks". D Magazine. 2013-01-14. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Outlaws in love". CultureMap Houston. 2013-02-17. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Former Austinite to be featured at CineBrew". Austin American-Statesman. 2013-08-02. pp. T31. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ "Interview: Producer Toby Halbrooks". PremiumBeat. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ Fernandez, Jay A. (2013-01-20). "Sundance 2013: 'Ain't Them Bodies Saints' Producers Receive the $10K Indian Paintbrush Producer's Award". IndieWire. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ Odam, Matthew (2013-12-06). "Austinites nominated for Spirit awards". Austin American-Statesman. pp. T37. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ "'Chef' premiere and other screenings". Austin American-Statesman. 2014-03-08. pp. B6. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ "Toby Halbrooks Talks 'Dig'". The Moveable Fest. 2014-03-11. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Interview: Producer Toby Halbrooks". PremiumBeat. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ Toppman, Lawrence (2016-08-25). "A tale of a boy and his dragon". The Miami Herald. pp. NV3. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ Phillips, Michael (2016-08-09). "Disney remake a soulful surprise and one of year's best films". Chicago Tribune. pp. A–8. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ ""Person to Person"". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 2017-06-04. pp. D5. Retrieved 2025-04-27.
- ^ Ryan, Patrick (2017-07-06). "Kesha makes a spontaneous 'Ghost Story' cameo". USA Today. p. 27. Retrieved 2025-04-26.
- ^ "The Green Knight". NZ Film. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Interview: Producer Toby Halbrooks". PremiumBeat. 12 July 2018. Retrieved 2025-04-08.
- ^ "Michaela Coel, Anne Hathaway to Star in 'Mother Mary'". The Wrap. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2025-04-08.