Marianne Maddalena joins a list of Hollywood alum including Meryl Streep, Eric Clapton, Robert Redford and Tina Turner, who have received the 'CHEVALIER DE L'ORDRE DES ARTS ET LETTRES' which, in English, means ‘Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters", this incredible honor is an award of recognition by France for significant contributions to the Arts & Literature. 
 
Born November 14th, 1963, American Film and Television Producer, Marianne Maddalena's career has taken her from the South of France to the backlots of Los Angeles to the stages of Carnegie Hall, from the deserts of Morocco to the far-flung reaches of Haiti and South Africa.

Growing up with Italian grandparents, Marianne became immersed in European culture early, beginning her studies in French at 12 years old. Coming from a family obsessed with movies sparked a lifelong love of French films. Inspired by François Truffaut’s film, 400 Blows, and also his extensive interviews with Alfred Hitchcock in his book, Hitchcock/Truffaut, Marianne developed a deep desire to live in France and become a film producer. In her senior year, Marianne moved to Cannes, to study and to be closer to the French film world. Marianne attends the Cannes Film Festival whenever she can.
Collaborating with horror legend Wes Craven on films such as the SCREAM franchise, RED-EYE and THE HILLS HAVE EYES, with grosses over $1.5 BILLION worldwide, Marianne’s films have been at the center of the pop culture conversation for nearly three decades.
 
On DEADLY FRIEND, for Warner Brothers Pictures, she was the assistant to director Wes Craven. Their relationship would prove to be a fortuitous one.  On THE SERPENT AND THE RAINBOW Marianne's first film for Universal Pictures, traveled with Craven to Haiti. This famously harrowing production's unique demands forged a professional bond between the two that would last for more than twenty years. While filming in Haiti, Marianne’s French speaking abilities came in handy dealing with the day to day issues of the complicated production. 
 
They produced two more films for Universal Pictures, SHOCKER and THE PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS. The first film she produced was SHOCKER, for which Wes and Marianne would go to the Avoriaz film festival in France for. Marianne then produced NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET 7: WES CRAVEN’S NEW NIGHTMARE for New Line Cinema. NEW NIGHTMARE gave the series a fresh 90's spin, that garnered Marianne an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best Picture of 1994. Their common goal was to depict women with authenticity while resisting using female sexuality as the thing that separated victims and heroines. 
 
Wes and Marianne's next project would redefine the horror genre for years to come, 1990s: SCREAM, for Dimension Films. Marianne directly discovered the iconic mask whilst on a location scout in preproduction for the film. The film was an international blockbuster that would soon spawn three ground-breaking sequels directed by Wes and produced by Marianne. Among many awards, Marianne won best picture a the "Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films" for SCREAM.

​

In 1999, Marianne and Wes created Craven-Maddalena Films. Their first project was MUSIC OF THE HEART for Miramax. In 2005, Marianne produced, with Craven directing, the thriller RED EYE. In 2006's they produced THE HILLS HAVE EYES for Searchlight Pictures, seeking out French talent, Alex Aja, to direct and then also produced its 2007 sequel, THE HILLS HAVE EYES II. In 2009, THE LAST HOUSE ON THE LEFT for Universal Pictures. 2019, Marianne finished the third season of SCREAM: THE TV SERIES on MTV/Netflix.

In 2021, Marianne Produced SCREAM (2022) for Spyglass Entertainment and Paramount Pictures with the returning original cast, including Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox and David Arquette. The film opened to critical and fan acclaim, dethroning blockbuster Spider-Man: No Way Home from its number one box office spot, with reviews calling it ‘‘Brutal,’ ‘Genius’ and the ‘Best Since the Original’. She has several films and television shows slated for production in 2023. Marianne is developing the TV series HOW TO BE A MAN IN THE 21st CENTURY for the FX NETWORK. It is being written and directed by Dan Mazer, who is a 2021 Academy Award nominee for Best Writing (adapted screenplay) for BORAT SUBSEQUENT MOVIEFILM. She is also developing a female revenge thriller with Carl Ellsworth who she collaborated with on RED EYE for Dream Works Pictures.  Marianne is also in development on a horror thriller with David Lancaster (DRIVE, WHIPLASH,) from Rumble Films. During COVID, Marianne produced a short film called GLITCH with Nightmare on Elm Street series alum, Heather Langenkamp, co-produced and directed by Rebecca Berrih.

Marianne is a sponsor of the American French Film Festival (formerly COCOLA), a festival created and presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund designed to showcase the diversity of French film, now in its twenty-fifth year. Marianne is also a patron of Villa Albertine, which, through an initiative of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with support from the Ministry of Culture and French and American private and public donors, aims to reinvent artists' residencies and build a community for arts and ideas between France and the US.

​

Marianne is twenty-year member of the ACADEMY OF MOTION PICTURES ART AND SCIENCES, and a member of the PRODUCERS GUILD OF AMERICA. She also is on THE DIRECTOR'S FORUM FOR THE MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART in Los Angeles, and is part of the Directors Circle for the INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ART in Boston. Marianne also has a passion for world travel, photography and real estate, with real estate investments around the country.

Marianne is a patron of many charities including THE ZOE EDUCATION TRUST in Cape Town, South Africa, who's aim is to give children living in poverty a chance of a brighter future through education, The ALS Association, PETA,  Planned Parenthood, Act for Equal, New Rainn, Futures Without Violence, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, CAMFED which is a pan-African movement revolutionizing how girl's education is delivered and MY FRIEND’S PLACE in Los Angeles helping youth experiencing homelessness move toward wellness, stability, and self-sufficiency, and the Foster Children Resource Center that provides personal goods for foster children in the San Fernando Valley.

​

Marianne is also a patron of THE GETTY VILLA, a museum and educational center dedicated to the study of the arts and cultures of ancient Greece, Rome, and Etruria. The Getty Villa serves a varied audience through exhibitions, conservation, scholarship, research, and public programs.

 

In 2021, Marianne retuned to the iconic SCREAM franchise, producing SCREAM (2022) for SPYGLASS ENTERTAINMENT and PARAMOUNT FILMS. The films $138 million box office success quickly led to the sixth installment of the SCREAM series, which earned 45.5 million on its opening weekend, breaking SCREAM franchise box office records.

 

In 2024, SCREAM VII was green-lit by PARAMOUNT PICTURES and will feature the return of Neve Campbell and Courteney Cox with Kevin Williamson directing and Marianne Maddalena producing.
 

​