Alexander Payne is a two-time Oscar-winning writer-director whose films to date are Citizen Ruth, Election, About Schimdt, Sideways, The Descendants, Nebraska and Downsizing.

He grew up in Omaha and studied History and Spanish Literature at Stanford before earning his MFA in Film Production at UCLA, where his thesis film, loosely inspired by a famous Argentine novella, played at festivals around the world and opened the door to a professional career.

His films have been nominated for a total of nineteen Oscars – including three times for Best Picture and Best Director -- and have won twice for Best Adapted Screenplay. Two of his films won the Golden Globe for Best Picture, once for comedy and once for drama. Three of his films have played in competition at Cannes and Venice, one winning Best Actor at Cannes.

A lifelong film buff, he serves on the boards of Martin Scorsese’s Film Foundation and the Telluride Film Festival, and on the Creative Committee of the Cinema Ritrovato Festival in Bologna, Italy. He divides his time among Omaha, Los Angeles, and Greece.