---
name: "Hal Hartley"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/hal-hartley"
fi1m_id: "hal-hartley"
imdb_id: "nm0001325"
tmdb_id: 91343
wikidata_id: "Q446294"
roles: ["Director","Writer","Producer"]
born: "3 November 1959"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 78
average_as: "director"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-26T01:54:51.072654+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Hal Hartley

## Identity

Hal Hartley

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/hal-hartley
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** hal-hartley
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001325
- **TMDB ID:** 91343
- **Wikidata ID:** Q446294
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Hartley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q446294, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001325/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/91343

Director and writer. Born 3 November 1959 in Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Writer, Producer
- **Born:** 3 November 1959, Lindenhurst, Long Island, New York, USA
- **Also known as:** Ned Rifle, 할 하틀리, 네드 라이플
- **Frequently works with:** [Adrienne Shelly](https://film.one/person/adrienne-shelly.md)
- **Berlin International Film Festival:** 1 Berlin prize (1 won)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 78, as director, over 2 titles
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Hartley, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q446294, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001325/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/91343

## Biography

Hal Hartley (born 3 November 1959) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer and composer. He studied at the Massachusetts College of Art in Boston and graduated from the State University of New York at Purchase Film School in 1984.

His early feature films include *The Unbelievable Truth* (1989), on which he served as director, writer and producer, and *Trust* (1990), for which he was also director, writer and producer. Subsequent works include *Simple Men* (1992), *Amateur* (1994) and *Henry Fool* (1997). He frequently composes for his own films, sometimes under the pseudonym Ned Rifle.

Hartley has received awards including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1991 Sundance Film Festival for *Trust* and the Best Screenplay prize at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival for *Henry Fool*. He is married to actress Miho Nikaido.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com, halhartley.com, catalog.afi.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Unbelievable Truth* (1990), Fi1m 76, Director, Writer, Co-Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/the-unbelievable-truth.md)
- *Trust* (1990), Fi1m 79, Writer, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/trust.md)

## Complete filmography (47)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Where to Land* (2025), Writer, Producer, Director, Original Music Composer, Sound Designer
- *El Planeta* (2021), Thanks
- *Ned Rifle* (2015), Writer, Director, Producer, Music
- *Red Oaks* (2014), series, Director
- *My America* (2014), Director, Music, Producer
- *La Commedia* (2014), Director, Stage Director
- *Current Events* (2012), Director
- *Meanwhile* (2011), Writer, Director, Producer
- *Years Later: The Unbelievable Truth and Its Consequences* (2010), Music
- *The Apologies* (2010), Director, Original Music Composer, Writer
- *A/Muse* (2010), Director, Writer, Editor
- *Accomplice* (2010), Director
- *Implied Harmonies* (2010), Director, Editor
- *Adventure* (2010), Director
- *Conspiracy* (2010), Director
- *Fay Grim* (2007), Writer, Director, Producer, Music, Editor
- *The Girl from Monday* (2005), Writer, Director, Producer, Original Music Composer
- *The Sisters of Mercy* (2004), Director
- *Regarding Soon* (2004), as Music
- *Excerpts from Soon* (2004), Director, Music, Writer
- *Milk and Honey* (2003), Original Music Composer
- *The Cloud of Unknowing* (2002), Producer
- *No Such Thing* (2002), Director, Writer, Producer, Music
- *The New Math(s)* (2001), Director
- *Kimono* (2000), Music, Director, Writer
- *The Book of Life* (1998), Writer, Director
- *Henry Fool* (1998), Director, Writer, Music, Producer
- *Eye of God* (1997), Thanks
- *The Other Also* (1997), Director, Director of Photography, Editor
- *Flirt* (1996), as Hal (uncredited) · Writer, Director, Original Music Composer
- *NYC 3/94* (1994), Producer, Director, Writer
- *Amateur* (1994), Writer, Director, Music, Producer
- *Iris* (1994), Editor, Director
- *Opera No. 1* (1994), Director, Original Music Composer
- *Flirt* (1993), Director
- *Simple Men* (1992), Director, Writer, Original Music Composer, Producer
- *Ambition* (1992), Director, Screenplay, Original Music Composer
- *Surviving Desire* (1992), Writer, Director, Editor, Original Music Composer
- *Theory of Achievement* (1991), Director, Writer, Songs, Original Music Composer
- *Trust* (1990), Director, Writer, Producer — Fi1m 79, [page](https://film.one/film/trust.md)
- *The Unbelievable Truth* (1990), Director, Writer, Co-Producer — Fi1m 76, [page](https://film.one/film/the-unbelievable-truth.md)
- *Dogs* (1988), Writer, Director
- *The Cartographer's Girlfriend* (1987), Producer, Screenplay, Director, Editor
- *Home of the Brave: A Film by Laurie Anderson* (1986), Art Department Production Assistant
- *Kid* (1984), Producer, Editor, Director, Writer
- *American Playhouse* (1982), series, Director, Writer
- *Tour de France*, Director

## Gallery

- ![Hal Hartley](https://film.one/media/person/3927251/gallery-e8eed8d9f871.jpg) Hal Hartley — Missy from Brooklyn, New York City, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Halhartley.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Hal Hartley](https://film.one/media/person/3927251/gallery-da6fbd9dd780.jpg) Hal Hartley — Image via TMDB
- ![Hal Hartley](https://film.one/media/person/3927251/gallery-48e63b294022.jpg) Hal Hartley — Image via TMDB

## Awards

### Berlin International Film Festival — 1 won

- 2004: Berlin Prize (won)

### Other awards — 1 won

- Best Screenplay Award 1998: Best Screenplay Award (won), for *Henry Fool*

*From Wikidata, which records wins more completely than nominations.*

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/hal-hartley