The Oldenburg International Film Festival is dedicating a retrospective to the American director and playwright and celebrating the world premiere of his latest film, »Murderous« at the festival.

Neil LaBute does not believe in innocence. In his films and plays, no piece of small talk is without the potential to become a weapon. Since his debut »In the Company of Men« (1997), he has explored how cruelty takes root in offices, marriages, and circles of friends—usually in passing, often disguised as ordinary conversation. Few other American filmmakers have so consistently distrusted politeness.

He grew up in the city of Spokane, Washington, and started to study film and theater at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he met actor Aaron Eckhart, who would go on to become his most important leading man. Already at that conservative university, LaBute ruffled feathers with his plays. Several early productions were shut down after their premieres, even as the theater department recognized him as one of its most promising young talents. His education continued at the University of Kansas, followed by a Master’s Degree in dramatic writing at New York University and a residency at London’s Royal Court Theatre.

LaBute transitioned from theater to cinema, and this background remains imprinted on his work to this day: spare settings, precise dialogue, and characters who watch themselves in the act of lying. Following the Sundance success of »In the Company of Men« (1997) came »Your Friends & Neighbors« (1998) - a scathing portrait of urban relationships - and »Nurse Betty« (2000). The latter, which won the Screenplay Prize at Cannes, marked a surprising foray into genre cinema, demonstrating that LaBute’s insight into human frailty held its own in the mainstream as well.

In 2013, he returned to the pure form of the two-character play with »Some Velvet Morning«; short films such as »Black Chicks« and »10 K« (both 2017) translated that same economy of style into a concise format. Most recently, with »House of Darkness« (2022), he found a new vehicle for an old theme within the horror genre: the things people can do to one another over the course of a single evening.

Neil LaBute will be a guest in Oldenburg during the festival from September 16 to 20, 2026. His latest film, »Murderous«, will celebrate its world premiere, alongside Neil LaBute lead actress Gia Crovatin will also be a guest in Oldenburg.

The following films will be screened in Oldenburg as part of the retrospective:

»In the Company of Men« (USA 1997)

»Your Friends & Neighbors« (USA 1998)

»Nurse Betty« (USA 2000)

»Some Velvet Morning« (USA 2013)

»House of Darkness« (USA 2022)

»Murderous« (USA 2026)