Mary Jane Skalski
Mary Jane Skalski, Adjunct Professor
Mary Jane Skalski is a producer based in New York City whose films have consistently been critically acclaimed and commercially successful. She has also been highlighted as one of Variety’s Producers to Watch.
Mary Jane premiered two films at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. Against the Current is the bittersweet tale of a man who takes his friends along on the journey of a lifetime. The film was written and directed by Peter Callahan and stars Joseph Fiennes, Elizabeth Reaser and Justin Kirk. DARE follows three teenagers in the final semester of high school. The film was written by David Brind, directed by Adam Salky, starring Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford and Ashley Springer.
Mary Jane produced Tom McCarthy’s film The Visitor. In the film, a college professor becomes embroiled in the lives of a young immigrant couple living in New York City and stumbles into an unexpected romance as a result. The film premiered at the 2007 Toronto Film Festival and was released in the US by Overture Films. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Deauville Film Festival, and has received two nominations for the Gotham Indpendent Film Awards, two nominations for the Independent Spirit Awards, a WGA nomination and an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Richard Jenkins. It has also been cited on numerous Top Ten lists for 2008 including the National Board of Review.
Skalski’s previous collaboration with director Tom McCarthy is The Station Agent. The film premiered in the Dramatic Competition at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival and received the Audience Award, the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award and a special acting award for Patricia Clarkson. Its European premiere was at the San Sebastian Film Festival where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize. The film was cited on numerous ‘Ten Best’ lists including the National Board of Review. It received three Screen Actors Guild nominations, including a nomination for Best Ensemble. The film also received three Independent Spirit Awards and a BAFTA for Best Screenplay
Among Skalski’s previous films is Gregg Araki’s Mysterious Skin, which premiered at the 2004 Venice Film Festival and screened at the Toronto, Sundance and London film festivals. It was cited on over 70 Ten Best lists in the US (including the New York Times and the LA Times) and received a Gotham Award nomination for Joe Gordon-Levitt’s Breakout Performance and a Spirit Award nomination for Best Director. The film was adapted from the novel by Scott Heim.
Her other credits include The Hawk is Dying, directed by Julian Goldberger. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was immediately invited to screen at the Cannes Film Festival later that year. With Steven Shainberg’s FUR: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus, Mary Jane served as a co-producer. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr. and opened the inaugural Rome Film Festival in 2006. Jem Cohen’s Chain premiered at the Berlin Film Festival (Forum Section) in 2004. The film is a hybrid documentary-narrative, which stars Mira Bilotte and Miho Nikaido. Cohen was awarded the IFP ‘Someone to Watch’ Spirit Award.
The Jimmy Show, directed by Frank Whaley, premiered at the Toronto Film Festival and also screened at the Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Whaley, Ethan Hawke and Carla Gugino.
Bart Freundlich’s The Myth of Fingerprints starring Noah Wyle, Roy Scheider and Julianne Moore, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the audience award at the Deauville Film Festival. Roy Scheider’s performance was also nominated for a IFP Spirit Award.
Wonderland, a non-fiction film directed by John O’Hagan, received the Cable Ace Award for Best Historical Documentary and was nominated for the Directors Guild Award for Best Documentary director. O’Hagan was also nominated for the Open Palm Award.
Mary Jane was an executive producer of Jim Fall’s Trick. The premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and screened at the Berlin Film Festival where it was awarded the Reader’s Jury Prize. She was also an executive producer of David Schisgall’s The Lifestyle.
As an associate producer, Mary Jane was involved with Edward Burns’ The Brothers McMullen, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was awarded the Grand Jury Prize. The film also received an IFP Spirit Award for Best First Feature and a special jury prize at the Deauville Film Festival.
In addition to feature films, Mary Jane has also produced the following short films: Paul Harrill’s Gina, an Actress Age 29 which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize in Short Film at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, Cheryl Dunye’s Greetings from Africa, Sande Zeig’s Central Park, Jackie Turnure’s Up on the Roof and Noah Baumbach’s Conrad and Butler which is currently available as part of the Criterion Collection. In television Mary Jane produced Dear Doughboy, a pilot for the WB created by Hopwood Depree and directed by Penelope Spheeris.
From 1993 to 1999 Skalski was part of the New York production company Good Machine where she acted in various capacities including the VP of Creative Affairs. She also served as a consultant to Fortissimo Film Sales from 2001 to 2007.
Since 1996 Mary Jane has been an assistant adjunct faculty member in Columbia University’s Graduate Film Department. She has served on numerous juries including The Aspen Shorts Film Festival jury, the Sundance short film jury and the NYU Tisch School of the Arts jury. She has also served on panels for the Columbia Business School, Sundance, the Toronto Film Festival, the Vancouver Film Festival, the London Film Festival and at the American Film Institute. She has written articles for FILMMAKER Magazine and The Independent Film and Video Monthly.
In 2004 Mary Jane was awarded the IFP Producer Award.