Lynn Shelton, a writer, director, producer and editor with roots in the so-called “mumblecore” movement of the aughts, died suddenly on Friday. The cause was a previously unidentified blood disorder, according to reports. She was 54 years old.
Shelton began her career in film in her mid-30s, working on ultra low budget features that gained attention at Slamdance and SXSW. Her comedy-drama film Humpday, about two straight men daring one another into making a gay porno movie, debuted at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival to much acclaim. The film co-starred Mark Duplass, with whom she continued to collaborate.
Her follow-up, Your Sister’s Sister, in which Duplass co-starred with Emily Blunt and Rosemary DeWitt, was a considerable financial success for an independently-produced low budget film. 2014 saw the release of Laggies, co-starring Chloë Grace Moretz, Keira Knightley, and Sam Rockwell. In total, Shelton directed eight feature films from 2006 through 2019.
For television, Shelton directed the fourth season episode of Mad Men, “Hands And Knees,” as well as five episodes of New Girl, seven of Fresh Off The Boat, five of GLOW, two of The Mindy Project, one of The Morning Show and many more. Her most recent project was directing four episodes of the recently launched Hulu show Little Fires Everywhere.
When she passed she was in the middle of creating a feature film project with her romantic partner Marc Maron, with whom she had collaborated with on two episodes of Maron. Shelton was previously married to actor Kevin Seal; the couple had one child, a son named Milo.
The industrious Shelton was fondly remembered by colleagues on social media.
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