Yahoo News Jeff Baena Dies: Indie Filmmaker Behind ‘Life After Beth’ & ‘Spin Me Round’ Was 47
UPDATED with Aubrey Plaza’s statement: Tragic news. Jeff Baena died January 3 at 47. The screenwriter and film director is best known for Life After Beth (2014), Joshy (2016), The Little Hours (2017), Horse Girl (2020) and Spin Me Round (2022) and for co-writing I Heart Huckabees (2004). He is also the husband of actress and producer Aubrey Plaza, and they have been married since 2021.
Plaza’s rep said in a statement to the Daily Mail: “This is an unimaginable tragedy. We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time.”
Circumstances of his passing are unclear at this moment. After graduating NYU Film School, Baena moved to Los Angeles to start building his career. He became a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis, working on a number of films, followed by a job as an assistant editor for writer-director David O. Russell.
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Baena perhaps is known for co-writing I Heart Huckabees which was nominated for the 2004 Gotham Award for Best Feature. In 2014, he made his directorial debut with Life After Beth which he also wrote. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize and then released by A24. Next, he wrote and directed Joshy which premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival and was also nominated for the Grand Jury Prize following a release by Lionsgate. Baena wrote and directed The Little Hours which was nominated for the Audience Award at the 2017 Edinburgh International Film Festival and was also released in theaters. In 2020, Baena co-wrote, directed, and produced Horse Girl which premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and was released on Netflix shortly after. He also wrote, directed, and produced Spin Me Round which premiered at the 2022 South by Southwest Film Festival, which was released by IFC Films.
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On television, Baena created, wrote, directed and executive produced the Showtime series Cinema Toast.
Baena is survived by wife Plaza, mom Barbara Stern and stepfather Roger Stern, dad Scott Baena and stepmother Michele Baena, brother Brad Baena and stepsister and stepbrother Bianca Gabay and Jed Fluxman.
The family is devastated and asks for privacy at this difficult time.
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