Joe Swanberg
Biography
Joe Swanberg is an American independent film director, producer, writer, and actor born on August 31, 1981, in Detroit, Michigan. Known for micro-budget films that make extensive use of improvisation, he is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His work often focuses on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. His directing credits and known films include V/H/S, Hannah Takes the Stairs, Win It All, Digging For Fire, Nights and Weekends, Marriage Material, The Kings of Yorktown, You're Next, and Audrey the Trainwreck. He is also recognized as a proponent of Internet-based distribution for independent films, having made his 2011 feature Marriage Material available for free on his Vimeo page.
Career overview
Joe Swanberg is an American independent film director, producer, writer, and actor born on August 31, 1981, in Detroit, Michigan. He is known for micro-budget films that make extensive use of improvisation and is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His cinematic work frequently centers on relationships, sex, technology, and the filmmaking process. Among his known directorial credits and filmography are V/H/S, Hannah Takes the Stairs, Win It All, Digging For Fire, Nights and Weekends, The Kings of Yorktown, You're Next, Audrey the Trainwreck, and the 2011 feature Marriage Material.
His film Nights and Weekends was co-directed by Academy Award nominee Greta Gerwig. In addition to traditional film releases, Swanberg is a noted proponent of Internet-based distribution for independent films. Demonstrating this approach to digital distribution, he made his 2011 feature Marriage Material available for free on his Vimeo page. Across his career in the entertainment industry, Swanberg has accumulated numerous known credits in directing and related creative roles.
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Frequent co-stars
Career timeline
Full Filmography
210 titles- Yellow Eyes (2026) Producer
- The Sun Never Sets (2026) as Keith
- The Sun Never Sets (2026) Director
- The Sun Never Sets (2026) Screenplay
- The Sun Never Sets (2026) Producer
- The Sun Never Sets (2026) Editor
- Thingy (2026) Producer
- Monkey’s Magic Merry Go Round (2026) Producer
- Castration Movie Chapter iii.ii Junior Ghosts—Premorphic Drift; a fragmentary passage (2026) Thanks
- Castration Movie Expansion Pack i. You're Weird, But I Love You! (2026) Thanks
- Loafers (2026) as Cameron's Boss
- Strange Egg (2026) Executive Producer
- The Roast of Caveh Zahedi (2026) as Self
- Invention (2025) as John
- Kenneled (2025) Producer
- Chasing the Party (2025) as Staten
- Prisma (2024) as Joe
- Castration Movie Anthology i. Traps (2024) Thanks
- Invader (2024) as Invader
- Invader (2024) Producer
- Coven of the Black Cube (2024) as Officer Lindley
- The Becomers (2024) Producer
- Blackout (2023) as Stuart
- Offseason (2022) as George Darrow
- Good Guy with a Gun (2022) as Tom Greenwood
- The Rental (2020) Producer
- The Rental (2020) Screenplay
- The Rental (2020) Story
- Build the Wall (2020) Director
- Build the Wall (2020) Screenplay
- Build the Wall (2020) Director of Photography
- Build the Wall (2020) Editor
- Sword of Trust (2019) Executive Producer
- Depraved (2019) Executive Producer
- Nobody Likes You as Much as I Do (2019) as Pauly
- Holy Trinity (2019) Executive Producer
- 90 Years of the Music Box Theatre (2019) as Self
- Madeline's Madeline (2018) Executive Producer
- Golden Exits (2018) Executive Producer
- Win It All (2017) Director
- Win It All (2017) Editor
- Win It All (2017) Writer
- Win It All (2017) Producer
- Person to Person (2017) Executive Producer
- The Show About Sundance (2017) as Self
- Flames (2017) as Joe Swanberg
- Easy (2016) Director
- Easy (2016) Writer
- Easy (2016) Creator
- Joshy (2016) as Aaron
- Little Sister (2016) Executive Producer
- Regional Bloodshed (2016) as self
- Uncle Kent 2 (2016) as Joe
- The Show About the Show (2015)
- Digging for Fire (2015) Director
- Digging for Fire (2015) Writer
- Digging for Fire (2015) Producer
- Queen of Earth (2015) Producer
- Bloomin Mud Shuffle (2015) as Brock
- Bloomin Mud Shuffle (2015) Producer
- Lace Crater (2015) as Dean
- There (2015) as Toth
- Looking (2014) Director
- The Sacrament (2014) as Jake
- Proxy (2014) as Patrick Michaels
- Happy Christmas (2014) as Jeff
- Happy Christmas (2014) Director
- Happy Christmas (2014) Producer
- Happy Christmas (2014) Writer
- Listen Up Philip (2014) Thanks
- Thou Wast Mild and Lovely (2014) as Akin
- You're Next (2013) as Drake Davison
- Drinking Buddies (2013) as Angry Car Guy
- Drinking Buddies (2013) Director
- Drinking Buddies (2013) Writer
- Drinking Buddies (2013) Editor
- Drinking Buddies (2013) Producer
- The Unspeakable Act (2013) Thanks
- All the Light in the Sky (2013) Director
- All the Light in the Sky (2013) Writer
- All the Light in the Sky (2013) Producer
- All the Light in the Sky (2013) Editor
- All the Light in the Sky (2013) Director of Photography
- 24 Exposures (2013) as Literary Agent
- 24 Exposures (2013) Director
- 24 Exposures (2013) Writer
- 24 Exposures (2013) Editor
- White Reindeer (2013) as George
- Detonator (2013) as Sid
- The Kings of Yorktown (2013) as Bartender
- Privacy Settings (2013) Director
- V/H/S (2012) as Sam (segment "Second Honeymoon")
- V/H/S (2012) Director
- V/H/S (2012) Editor
- Be Good (2012) as Joe
- Stage Brother (2012) as Self
- Empire Builder (2012) as The Husband
- Cats and Trees (2012) as Al
- Stray Bullets (2012) Director
- Stray Bullets (2012) Screenplay
- Stray Bullets (2012) Producer
- Marriage Material (2012)
- Marriage Material (2012) Director
- Marriage Material (2012) Producer
- Marriage Material (2012) Writer
- Art History (2011) as Sam
- Art History (2011) Director
- Art History (2011) Editor
- Art History (2011) Writer
- Art History (2011) Producer
- Art History (2011) Director of Photography
- Autoerotic (2011)
- Autoerotic (2011) Director
- Autoerotic (2011) Writer
- Autoerotic (2011) Producer
- Autoerotic (2011) Makeup Effects
- The Zone (2011) as Director
- The Zone (2011) Director
- The Zone (2011) Writer
- The Zone (2011) Producer
- The Zone (2011) Director of Photography
- The Zone (2011) Editor
- Uncle Kent (2011) as Joe
- Uncle Kent (2011) Director
- Uncle Kent (2011) Screenplay
- Silver Bullets (2011) as Ethan
- Silver Bullets (2011) Director
- Silver Bullets (2011) Writer
- Silver Bullets (2011) Producer
- Silver Bullets (2011) Editor
- Silver Bullets (2011) Sound
- Silver Bullets (2011) Director of Photography
- What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape (2011)
- What Fun We Were Having: 4 Stories About Date Rape (2011) Producer
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) as Joe
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) Director
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) Writer
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) Producer
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) Editor
- Caitlin Plays Herself (2011) Director of Photography
- Blackmail Boys (2010)
- Blackmail Boys (2010) Director
- Audrey the Trainwreck (2010) as Jeremy Roth
- A Horrible Way to Die (2010) as Kevin
- Open Five (2010) Director of Photography
- Everyone Says I Look Just Like Her (2010) as Brandon
- Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009) as Hazmat Team
- Wrecked (2009) Director
- Alexander the Last (2009) Director
- Alexander the Last (2009) Producer
- Alexander the Last (2009) Writer
- Alexander the Last (2009) Sound Designer
- Alexander the Last (2009) Director of Photography
- Alexander the Last (2009) Editor
- You Wont Miss Me (2009)
- One Shot (2009) Director
- Birthday Suit (2009)
- Birthday Suit (2009) Director
- Birthday Suit (2009) Writer
- The Mountain, the River and the Road (2009)
- Ginger Sand (2008) Director of Photography
- Paintbrush (2008)
- Nights and Weekends (2008) as James
- Nights and Weekends (2008) Director
- Nights and Weekends (2008) Writer
- Nights and Weekends (2008) Producer
- Nights and Weekends (2008) Editor
- Present Company (2008) as Archibald King
- Swedish Blueballs (2008) Director
- Quiet City (2007) as Adam
- In Search of a Midnight Kiss (2007) Thanks
- Hohokam (2007) as The Jeffery
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) Director
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) Producer
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) Director of Photography
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) Editor
- Hannah Takes the Stairs (2007) Writer
- Grammy's (2007) as Clarence
- The Timebox Twins (2007) as Boy
- Young American Bodies (2006) as Ben
- Young American Bodies (2006) Creator
- LOL (2006) as Tim
- LOL (2006) Director
- LOL (2006) Writer
- LOL (2006) Director of Photography
- Thanks for the Add! (2006) Editor
- Thanks for the Add! (2006) Director
- Thanks for the Add! (2006) Cinematography
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) as Patrick
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Director
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Editor
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Producer
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Director of Photography
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Story
- Kissing on the Mouth (2005) Writer
- Hissy Fits (2005) Director
- Mikey (2003) Director
- Bless Me Father (2001) as Father Sexy
- Bless Me Father (2001) Director
- Bless Me Father (2001) Writer
- Bless Me Father (2001) Producer
- Bless Me Father (2001) Editor
- Untitled Joe Swanberg Rock Comedy
- Untitled Joe Swanberg Rock Comedy Director
- Untitled Joe Swanberg Rock Comedy Screenplay
- Untitled Joe Swanberg Rock Comedy Editor
- Untitled Joe Swanberg Rock Comedy Producer
- Killing the Canary as Chris
- Joe Swanberg's Quiet City as Charlie
- Helldorado Producer
Frequently Asked Questions
What movies or TV shows is Joe Swanberg best known for?
Joe Swanberg is widely recognized for notable roles and projects including Yellow Eyes (2026), The Roast of Caveh Zahedi (2026), The Rental (2020), The Rental (2020).
When and where was Joe Swanberg born?
Joe Swanberg was born on August 31, 1981 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.
How many credits does Joe Swanberg have?
Joe Swanberg has accumulated over 210 film and television credits across a career spanning from 2001 to 2026.
What is Joe Swanberg's background in cinema and television?
Joe Swanberg is an American independent film director, producer, writer, and actor born on August 31, 1981, in Detroit, Michigan. Known for micro-budget films that make extensive use of improvisation, he is considered a major figure in the mumblecore film movement. His work often focuses on relationships, sex, technolo...