If you love scary, gritty and thrilling movies from the horror genre, then you definitely know about director M. Night Shyamalan, best known for making films like The Sixth Sense, Split and Glass. But did you know that his daughter Ishana Night Shyamalan is also following in his footsteps and making her debut in showbiz as a director? (Also read: I feel like an outsider: M Night Shyamalan on staying away from Hollywood)
The director’s 24-year-old middle daughter Ishana is making her feature directorial debut with The Watchers. And just like her father, her first feature film also incorporates elements of the horror and fantasy genres.
He himself wrote the screenplay, which is adapted from A.M. Shine’s gothic horror novel of the same name.
Showbiz dreams
Ishana received her first directing credit on the Apple TV+ show Servant, which was executive produced by M. Knight. She graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts in 2021.
“I had seen Ishana’s short films, I had seen her writing, she was going to NYU’s Tisch School, which I went to, and I saw this opportunity,” M. Night explained. Entertainment Weekly He convinced his daughter to take a semester off and work with him on the show.
He added, “I just had this feeling that these episodes were true for her. She was submissive and a little bit anxious.”
His working relationship with his father
After her first tryst with the camera, Ishana took on a bigger role as the head writer and director of the show in the second season.
He also worked as a second unit director on M. Knight’s film Old. M. Knight also served as an executive producer on The Watchers.
Talking about working with him, Ishana said The Hollywood Reporter“It’s been great. It’s a very interesting thing to have a father-daughter relationship, and there’s a lot of intensity and care. But it’s been great. He’s a very encouraging artist and producer and he really wants me to do what I want to do and make my own mark. So it’s been very healthy and wonderful.”
Sustaining the legacy
Ishana is aware of the legacy her father has created and is happy to take the pressure.
“There are certain expectations that come with having a last name. But I like it because it’s something for me that I can break. Hopefully I put my artistic stamp on whatever I make,” she told The Times. new York Times In 2021.
About his first feature film
The Watchers follows Mina (played by Dakota Fanning), an artist who finds herself trapped in an isolated house in the wilds of Ireland with three strangers, who are being watched by mysterious creatures through a one-way mirror.
Talking about the film, she told The Hollywood Reporter, “As a reader, I felt completely moved and captivated by the story. My mind was already starting to think about which scenes I wanted to play with and which characters I wanted to play with.” The film will release on June 14.
Moving forward, she “absolutely” wants to stay in the genre she is currently exploring, as she loves acting in the horror genre.
