The famous independent director Jeff Baena died Friday at his home in Los Angeles. He was known for working with actress Aubrey Plaza. He was 47 years old. The Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said Baena killed himself.
Baena became famous at the Sundance Film Festival, where many of his works were shown for the first time and got great reviews. His first movie as a director, “Life After Beth” (2014), starring Plaza, was in the running for the festival’s Grand Jury Prize before being picked up by A24.
After graduating from New York University Film School, Baena started working as a movie actor. He went to Los Angeles and worked as a production assistant for the famous director Robert Zemeckis. After that, he worked as an assistant editor for David O. Russell and co-wrote the movie “I Heart Huckabees” with Russell. This existential comedy about two cops who look into life’s coincidences was nominated for the Best Feature Gotham Award.
One of Baena’s most well-known movies is “Joshy” (2016), starring Thomas Middleditch and nominated for a Sundance Grand Jury Prize. The Edinburgh International Film Festival praised his 2017 movie “The Little Hours. “Horse Girl” (2020) and “Spin Me Round” (2022) were more examples of his unique style in independent film.
Along with his work in movies, Baena created and oversaw the production of the groundbreaking Showtime anthology series “Cinema Toast” (2021). This show used videos from movies that were already in the public domain in creative ways, and Christina Ricci, Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Jake Johnson all performed.
Plaza and Baena started working together on “The End of Love” (2012), and their friendship grew into a personal one over time. In 2020, during the pandemic, the pair married on the spot in their backyard. Plaza said on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” that they hired a marriage officiant through an online service to do the wedding at their home.
His mother, Barbara Stern; his stepfather, Roger Stern; his father, Scott Baena; his stepmother, Michele Baena; his brother, Brad Baena; his stepsister, Bianca Gabay; and his stepbrother, Jed Fluxman, will all miss him. Married to Aubrey Plaza.
The family has asked for privacy as they go through this hard time.
