Richard Stuart Linklater is an American filmmaker and actor and founded the Austin Film Society. Linklater is mostly known for his realistic and natural humanist films which revolve mainly around suburban culture and the effects of the passage of time. Some notable films of his include the observational comedy film “Slacker,” the coming-of-age comedy “Dazed and Confused,” the romantic drama film trilogy “Before Sunrise,” “Before Sunset,” and the music-themed comedy “School of Rock,” and the rotoscope animated films “Waking Life” and “A Scanner Darkly.”

In 2002, he began filming “Boyhood,” a passion project which took over twelve years to complete. The film was released in 2014 to widespread critical acclaim. Linklater won the Golden Globes, Critics' Choice Movie Awards, and BAFTAs for Best Director and Best Picture. He also received his first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director, along with nominations for Best Original Screenplay and Best Picture. In 2015, Linklater was included on the annual Time 100 list of the 100 most influential people in the world.