A discussion with Michael Roiff, founder of Night & Day Pictures and producer of the film Waitress (2007)
Saturday, Aug. 22, following the matinee performance of Waitress.
Michael Roiff is an independent film producer living and working in Los Angeles, California where he founded Night & Day Pictures in 2005.
His first feature film, WAITRESS, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival where it was acquired by Fox Searchlight in an overnight bidding war. The film, written and directed by Adrienne Shelly and starring Keri Russell and Nathan Fillion, was released in the Spring of 2007 and was the highest grossing specialty release for the subsequent year. Following the release, Roiff was named one of Variety’s “10 Producers To Watch”.
Since WAITRESS, Roiff has produced ten other feature films including the June MGM/Orion release LARRY GAYE: RENEGADE MALE FLIGHT ATTENDANT starring Mark Feuerstein, Stanley Tucci, Henry Winkler, Marcia Gay Harden, Taye Diggs and Jason Alexander; LOVESICK, starring Matt LeBlanc, Ali Larter and Chevy Chase; and SAVE THE DATE starring Lizzy Caplan, Alison Brie, Mark Webber, and Martin Starr which premiered in competition at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival.
Last April, Roiff premiered the sci-fi/romance IN YOUR EYES at the Tribeca Film Festival . The film was written and Executive Produced by Joss Whedon, and stars Zoe Kazan, Michael Stahl- David, and Nikki Reed. Immediately following the film’s first screening, Whedon, in a taped announcement from the AVENGERS set in London, declared that the film was being simultaneously released around the world effective immediately. The announcement created a media frenzy and was picked up within minutes by outlets from New York to Tokyo and everywhere in between.
Most recently, Roiff wrapped principal photography on CARDBOARD BOXER starring Thomas Haden Church, Terrence Howard, and Macy Gray as well as psychological thriller SLEEPWALKER starring Ahna O’Reilly, Richard Armitage, and Haley Joel Osment.
Roiff’s additional credits include: the Lifetime film RESTLESS VIRGINS, Neil Abramson’s AMERICAN SON (Nick Cannon, Melonie Diaz), which premiered at Sundance where it was acquired by Miramax; Brin Hill’s BALL DON’T LIE (Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Nick Cannon, Melissa Leo), which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival; and Cheryl Hines’ SERIOUS MOONLIGHT written by Adrienne Shelly (Meg Ryan, Timothy Hutton, Kristen Bell, Justin Long) which also debuted at Tribeca where it was acquired by Magnolia Pictures. He has also been a producer on the Ball Up Streetball Tour airing nationwide on Fox Sports Net and a frequent speaker on panels and roundtables around the world as well as an instructor at the Film Independent Producing Lab.
Roiff grew up in Boston, Massachusetts and graduated from Harvard University where he was the Cast Vice President of The Hasty Pudding Theatricals.