Cory McAbee

Writer / director / actor / composer / musician / animator / illustrator

 

Biography  

Cory McAbee is best known as writer, director, songwriter and co-composer for the award-winning feature films, The American Astronaut (2001), Stingray Sam (2009), Crazy and Thief (2012) and as singer/songwriter for the internationally acclaimed musical group The Billy Nayer Show (1989–2011). He has created award-winning animated and live-action short films and has worked as both an actor and musician in American and European features. In 2012 McAbee founded the international arts collaborative, Captain Ahab’s Motorcycle Club with the goal of creating international solidary between artists through the creation of a globally generated feature film. The film is called Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Sciences. In January of 2015 McAbee recorded and produced his first solo album entitled, Small Star Seminar (available on iTunes, Amazon, Spotify and more.) The album was appropriated by the collaborative and became a catalyst for the film’s narrative. In 2017 McAbee developed a live performance entitled Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Sciences. The completed version of this performance premiered at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. These performances were created for the purpose of live entertainment and as events to be documented by collaborators for use in the feature film, Deep Astronomy and the Romantic Sciences. McAbee is the writer, director and musical composer for this feature as well as one of the lead actors and producers.

 

Select Films:

CRAZY AND THIEF (2012)

Writer / Director / Composer
/ Cinematographer

  • Special Features Jury Award. Indie Memphis. Memphis, TN.
  • Petit Format Award. New Visions category. Sitges International Film Festival. (Spain)
  • Top 10 Best Undistributed Films of 2012.
  • Forbidden Planet International. Best of the Year 2012. (UK)
  • Official Selection. LA Film Festival

STINGRAY SAM (2008)

Writer / Director / Lead Actor / Composer / Storyboard Artist

  • Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival
  • Best Science Fiction Fantasy Film. Comic-Con. CCI-IFF. San Diego
  • Best Director. Montevideo Fantastic Film Festival. Uruguay
  • Best Music / Original Score. Montevideo Fantastic Film Festival. Uruguay
  • Special Jury Award. Innovation In Filmmaking. Indie Memphis
  • Innovation Award. Sound Unseen.
  • Minnesota 
Audience Award. Special Mention.
  • Honorary Mention. Intl Young Filmmakers festival. Granada, Spain
  • Honorary Mention. Sopot International Film Festival. Poland

THE AMERICAN ASTRONAUT (2001)

Writer / Director / Lead Actor / Composer / Storyboard Artist

  • 35mm print and negative have been acquisitioned by the US Library of Congress for their permanent archive collection.
  • Official Selection, Sundance Film Festival. Dramatic Competition.
  • Special Jury Award For Original Vision. Florida Film Festival.
  • Best Of The Fest. 5th Revelation Perth International Film Festival.
Australia.
  • Best Feature Film. LUFF Lausanne. Switzerland.
  • Best Feature Film. Crossroads Film Festival. Jackson, MS.
  • TOP 10 FILMS of 2001. Film Threat Magazine.