Biography
With films such as GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS, LAKEBOAT, PRICE OF GLORY, MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING and CHARM SCHOOL and THE VISIT to his credit, Morris Ruskin has established a successful and esteemed career in the film industry.
Morris' films are routinely featured at prominent film festivals around the world. In 2007, THE SIGNAL premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and WEIRDSVILLE opened the Slamdance Film Festival. Both films enjoyed tremendous buzz and were quickly scooped up by Magnolia Pictures for theatrical release. In 2006, EVERYTHING'S GONE GREEN -- based on the screenplay be renowned author Douglas Coupland -- was an official selection of the Toronto Film Festival, and was theatrically released by First Independent Pictures in 2007.
THE MAN FROM ELYSIAN FIELDS made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and its US premier at the Sundance Film Festival, and was released into theatres by Samuel Goldwyn. Directed by George Hickenlooper, ELYSIAN FIELDS featured a standout cast, including Andy Garcia, Mick Jagger, Juliana Margulies, James Coburn, Olivia Williams and Anjelica Houston.
MARILYN HOTCHKISS BALLROOM DANCING AND CHARM SCHOOL, starring Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman and Danny Devito, premiered at Sundance as well and was subsequently released theatrically by Goldwyn.
As co-producer of GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, Morris was instrumental in developing the stage play into a motion picture, helping package the talent and securing its financing. Written by David Mamet, the movie earned numerable awards, including an Academy Award Nomination for Al Pacino as Best Supporting Actor. Morris went on to produce LAKEBOAT, another adaptation of a Mamet play. The film, which stars Robert Forster, Charles Durning, Denis Leary, Peter Falk, George Wendt and Andy Garcia, opened the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival and marked the directorial debut of Joe Mantegna.
THE VISIT earned four Spirit Award nominations. PRICE OF GLORY, starring Jimmy Smits, was honored as the closing film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and was then released theatrically by New Line Cinema.
In 1992, Morris established production and sales company Shoreline Entertainment. For fifteen years, Morris has ensured that Shoreline remain a stable yet versatile and ever-evolving organization. Through Shoreline, Morris has been helping bring films to the world-wide marketplace. Recent examples include MAN IN THE CHAIR directed by Michael Schroeder, starring Christopher Plummer and TRACEY FRAGMENTS directed by Bruce McDonald, starring Ellen Page. Both films will be released theatrically.
Currently Morris is producing HIGH LIFE starring Timothy Olyphant (HITMAN) and Joe Anderson (ACROSS THE UNIVERSE) and A GOTHIC TALE which is based on short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne and Robert Louis Stevenson.
Amongst his many activities and honors, Morris has served as a Final Judge for the Cable Ace Awards, a panelist at the Hollywood Film Festival, a Judge at the Annual Manga Screenwriting Competition held in Tokyo, a Panelist for the Producer's Seminar of the Santa Fe Screenwriting Conference, a Guest Panelist for the Women in Film Symposium a Juror for The Bahamas Film Festival and the Chairman of the Peter Stark Screenwriting Competition. Such posts illustrate how Morris makes it his priority to remain ceaselessly active in the world of film.