Christine Vachon (born November 21, 1962) is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector. Vachon produced Todd Haynes' first feature, Poison (1991), which was awarded the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. Since then, she has gone on to produce many acclaimed independent films, including Far from Heaven (nominated for four Academy Awards), Boys Don't Cry (Academy Award winner), One Hour Photo, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Velvet Goldmine, Safe, Go Fish, Swoon, I'm Not There, and Carol. She also produced the HBO miniseries Mildred Pierce. Vachon also participates as a member of the Jury for the NYICFF, a paramount New York City Film Festival dedicated to screening films for children between the ages of 3 and 18.

Early life

Vachon was born in Manhattan, New York City. She is the daughter of Françoise Fourestier and photographer John Vachon.

Career

She graduated from Brown University in 1983, where she met fellow alums director Todd Haynes and Barry Ellsworth. Together, they created Apparatus Productions in 1987, a non-profit company deeply inspired by the anti-Hollywood New York film scene and oversaw the production of seven films in five years. Most notoriously, Apparatus produced Haynes' controversial Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story, a film depicting the dramatic rise and fall of the anorexic pop star. To make financial ends meet, Vachon became a proofreader by night. She also took on odd jobs in the film industry to learn the trade.

Killer Films

Vachon and fellow New York producer Pamela Koffler currently run Killer Films, which was established in 1996. The company celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2005 and was honored with a retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. Her first feature Poison (written and directed by Academy Award nominee Todd Haynes) won the Grand Jury Prize Dramatic at the Sundance Film Festival in 1991. Since that initial success, Christine has worked on a number of noteworthy films, including I Shot Andy Warhol, Happiness, Kids, One Hour Photo, and Boys Don't Cry. Through her enduring relationship with Haynes, she has worked on every feature film of his to date, including Safe, Velvet Goldmine, Far From Heaven, and I'm Not There, which starred Christian Bale, Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Charlotte Gainsbour, Julianne Moore, and Michelle Williams. Cate Blanchett received both Academy Award and SAG Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress, and the film was also nominated for 4 Independent Spirit Awards, notching a Best Supporting Actress win for Cate Blanchett. In 2008, Vachon won an Emmy for her role as executive producer for the TV adaptation of Ira Glass's This American Life. Killer Films's releases for 2008 include Savage Grace, directed by Tom Kalin and starring Julianne Moore; An American Crime, starring Catherine Keener and Elliot Page, directed by Tommy O'Haver: Then She Found Me, the directorial debut of Helen Hunt, starring herself, Bette Midler, Colin Firth and Matthew Broderick. Vachon continued her long-standing collaboration with Todd Haynes for the 2015 film Carol and the 2023 film May December. Vachon is the artistic director of the MFA Program at Stony Brook Manhattan.

Personal life

Vachon and her partner, artist Marlene McCarty, live in the East Village of New York with their daughter Guthrie. In the fall of 2009, Vachon went into remission after a battle with breast cancer.

Awards and juries

Awards

Juries

Filmography as producer

Director's name in brackets after film title.

Works and publications