American film director and screenwriter David Owen Russell has been praised for the loose, comic energy that characterizes his work, and is notorious for his explosive confrontations with cast members. He has won 2 Independent Spirit Awards for writing and directing as well as the Audience Award at Sundance, and a Writers Guild of America Award. Russell was awarded Best First Screenplay and Best First Feature from the Independent Spirit Awards for his first work, the independent dark comedy “Spanking the Monkey” (1994).  In addition, David’s first work also won him the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Most recently, The Fighter (2010) received seven Academy Award nominations which was Russell’s first work after a six-year hiatus.