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Cooper Raiff

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cooper Raiff
Raiff in 2020
Born
Cooper Michael Raiff

(1997-02-11) February 11, 1997 (age 28)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Occupations
  • Filmmaker
  • actor
Years active2018–present

Cooper Michael Raiff (born February 11, 1997)[1][2] is an American filmmaker and actor. He has received praise for his films Shithouse (2020) and Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022).[3] In August 2022, Raiff launched his production company Small Ideas.

Early life

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A native of Dallas, Raiff attended the Greenhill School.[1] He participated in school theatre productions and studied at the Dallas Young Actors Studio for 4 years.[4] During his senior year, he wrote and performed in his first play.[5] Raiff enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles, withdrawing in 2019 to focus on film.[6]

Career

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During spring break in 2018, Raiff stayed on campus to make Madeline & Cooper, a 50-minute short film that he uploaded to YouTube.[7] He then tweeted a link of the video to filmmaker Jay Duplass, who met with Raiff and encouraged him to adapt the project to feature-length; it became Raiff's debut feature Shithouse, in which he starred, directed, wrote, produced, and co-edited.[8] The film premiered at the 2020 SXSW where it was named Best Narrative Feature.[9] Distributed by IFC Films,[10] it opened in October 2020 to positive reviews.[11][12]

In August 2021, it was announced that Raiff was attached to direct and co-write a television adaptation of Naoise Dolan's novel Exciting Times starring Phoebe Dynevor for Amazon Prime.[13]

Raiff's second film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for the Dramatic Competition, and is available on Apple TV+.[14] The film was reportedly purchased by the company for $15 million.[15] He appeared on the 2022 Variety list of directors to watch.[16]

In July 2022, it was announced that Raiff would direct The Trashers, a drama starring David Harbour and Cooper Hoffman.[17] However, Raiff later revealed in 2025 that the film had been cancelled due to financing issues.[18]

On August 2, 2022, Raiff partnered with Clementine Quittner of Black Bear Productions to launch his own production company, Small Ideas.[19] Later that year, he was given the Maverick Award at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival[20] and appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Hollywood & Entertainment.[21]

In 2023, Raiff filmed his first television series, Hal & Harper, starring alongside Mark Ruffalo and Lili Reinhart.[22]

In October 2024, it was announced that Raiff had been cast as Aaron in the family comedy-drama See You When I See You, directed by Jay Duplass. The film is based on Adam Cayton-Holland's memoir Tragedy Plus Time and co-stars David Duchovny, Hope Davis, and Kaitlyn Dever.[23] It is set to premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival.

In November 2025, it was announced that Raiff would star opposite Annie Murphy in the romantic comedy All That She Wants.[24]

Raiff has cited Emma Seligman, Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Coogler, and the Duplass brothers as influences.[25][26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year English title Director Writer Producer Actor Role Notes
2018 Madeline & Cooper Yes Yes Yes Yes Cooper Short film
2020 Shithouse Yes Yes Yes Yes Alex Malmquist Also editor
2022 Cha Cha Real Smooth Yes Yes Yes Yes Andrew
2026 See You When I See You No No No Yes Aaron Premieres at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival[23]
TBA All That She Wants No No No Yes Luke Post-production

Television

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Year English title Director Writer Producer Actor Role Notes
2025 Hal & Harper Yes Yes Yes Yes Hal Post-production[27]

Awards and recognition

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Year Association Category Nominated work Result Ref.
2020 Zurich Film Festival Best International Feature Film Shithouse Nominated
SXSW Film Festival Narrative Feature Won
2022 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Cha Cha Real Smooth Nominated
Palm Springs International Film Festival Directors to Watch Won

References

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  1. ^ a b Gaughan, Liam (October 19, 2020). "The 23-Year-Old Greenhill School Alum Talks His Acclaimed Feature-Length Debut Film, How It Got Made And Just How Autobiographical It May Be". CentralTrack.com. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  2. ^ Olsen, Mark (June 17, 2022). "Why Cooper Raiff's 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' is not a dramedy". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  3. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 17, 2022). "Sundance: Meet Gen Z's Buzziest Director (Who's Still Waiting to Go to a Film Festival)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  4. ^ Dallas Young Actors Studio Gerber, Dana (June 16, 2022). "Dallas-raised fimlmaker Cooper Raiff is starting his own party". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 22, 2022). "Cooper Raiff Debut Won SXSW & His 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' Is Sundance Buzz Title Now: Will Covid Ever Allow Him To See His Work In A Crowded Theater". Deadline. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  6. ^ Anderson, Dick (August 19, 2021). "From S#!%house to the Penthouse". Occidental College. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "23-year-old Dallas native scores with award-winning debut movie". The Dallas Morning News. October 16, 2020. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  8. ^ Warren, Ethan (October 19, 2020). "I Grew Up Thinking Feelings Were Cool: Cooper Raiff on Shithouse". Bright Wall/Dark Room. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  9. ^ Jorgenson, Todd (April 24, 2020). "Meet the Self-Taught Greenhill Grad Who Won the Top Film Prize From SXSW". D Magazine. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  10. ^ N'Duka, Amanda (June 10, 2020). "IFC Films Nabs SXSW Award Winning Film 'Shithouse'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "S...house (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango.
  12. ^ "Shithouse Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  13. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 17, 2021). "Phoebe Dynevor Set To EP & Poised To Star In 'Exciting Times' Series In Works At Amazon Studios". Deadline. Retrieved August 28, 2021.
  14. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 28, 2022). "Sundance: Nanny and The Exiles Take Top Prizes at 2022 Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  15. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 28, 2022). "Apple Lands Cooper Raiff-Directed Cha Cha Real Smooth In $15M World Rights Deal". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
  16. ^ Lang, Brent (January 10, 2022). "Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2022". Variety. Retrieved January 11, 2022.
  17. ^ ‘Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman Joins ‘Stranger Things’ David Harbour In Cooper Raiff Hockey Pic ‘The Trashers
  18. ^ Cooper Raiff Has Plotted Out More Seasons Of Indie Series ‘Hal & Harper,’ Says Cooper Hoffman Pic ‘The Trashers’ Won’t Move Forward – Sundance Studio
  19. ^ Grobar, Matt (August 2, 2022). "Cha Cha Real Smooth Filmmaker Cooper Raiff & Clementine Quittner Launch Production Company Small Ideas". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 2, 2022.
  20. ^ Roberts, Toby (October 17, 2022). "Ron Howard and Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly Honored At Newport Beach Film Festival". LATF USA NEWS. Retrieved October 17, 2022.
  21. ^ "Cooper Raiff". Forbes. Retrieved February 4, 2023.
  22. ^ Harp, Justin (January 3, 2024). "Riverdale's Lili Reinhart shares exciting update on new TV series". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Grobar, Matt (October 30, 2024). "Jay Duplass Sets Star-Studded Cast For Family Drama 'See You When I See You'; Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Hope Davis Among Those Starring". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  24. ^ Grobar, Matt (November 5, 2025). "Annie Murphy & Cooper Raiff To Topline Rom-Com 'All That She Wants' From Ley Line; Zosia Mamet, Finn Wittrock & Christine Baranski Among Others Set". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 8, 2025.
  25. ^ "Filmmaker Cooper Raiff On 'Cha Cha Real Smooth', His David Harbour Pic 'The Trashers' & The "Really Small" TV Show He's Making Afterwards – Q&A". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  26. ^ "Writer-Director-Actor Cooper Raiff on Feature Debut Shithouse (Interview)". Loud and Clear. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  27. ^ Harp, Justin (January 3, 2024). "Riverdale's Lili Reinhart shares exciting update on new TV series". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 14, 2024.
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