Damien Sayre Chazelle (; born January 19, 1985) is a French American film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is known for his films Whiplash (2014), La La Land (2016), and First Man (2018). Chazelle's breakout Whiplash began as a proof-of-concept short film, which debuted at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival and eventually attracted attention from financiers who helped to finance the full-length version. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival as the opening film where it won the U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic and Audience Award: U.S. Dramatic and went on to receive five Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, winning three with Chazelle himself nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay.
