DERNSIE: THE AMAZING LIFE OF BRUCE DERN

description

An intimate portrait of Bruce Dern, reflecting in his own words on a life and career spanning generations of Hollywood, tracing endurance, reinvention, and the legacy he passes to his daughter, Laura Dern.

Tireless, uncompromising, and one of the last living legends of his generation, Bruce Dern is an actor whose fearlessness and radical lack of vanity took him places other actors simply wouldn't go. A devoted long-distance runner, Dern has always understood something most people learn too late: endurance is a discipline. He ran through the golden age – directed by Alfred Hitchcock and Hal Ashby, holding his own opposite John Wayne, Bette Davis, and Jack Nicholson. He ran through the lean years. And he kept running until the work caught up with him again – outlasting the very industry that defined him.

From director Mike Mendez (BIG ASS SPIDER CUFF 2013, SATANIC HISPANICS CUFF 2023), DERNSIE is drawn from over 50 hours of conversations across four years, never-before-seen photographs, and deeply personal video letters from those closest to him, including his daughter Laura Dern. Featuring candid interviews with Quentin Tarantino, Alexander Payne, Billy Bob Thornton, Walton Goggins, Patty Jenkins, and more, the film is both a homecoming and a celebration – a reflection on a vanishing Hollywood, and a testament to anyone who has ever been counted out, passed over, or told the race was already run, and kept going anyway.

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Cannes Film Festival 2026
Sitges Film Festival 2026

DIRECTOR'S BIO
Director Mike Mendez was in the backyard making movies at the age of 10. At the age of 22, Mike made his first feature film KILLERS, which was accepted into the Sundance Film Festival. He followed that up with the horror comedy THE CONVENT, which was also accepted into the Sundance Film Festival in 2000. His other films include THE GRAVEDANCERS (2006), BIG ASS SPIDER (CUFF 2013), TALES OF HALLOWEEN (2015), DON'T KILL IT (2017), and the anthology SATANIC HISPANICS (CUFF 2023). Mike has also written for television shows such as STAN AGAINST EVIL on IFC and has edited feature films such as BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD DO THE UNIVERSE. He is currently the editor on the BEAVIS & BUTTHEAD series on Paramount+. Recently, his journey has expanded into more intimate territory. In telling the story of legendary actor Bruce Dern, Mendez has found a new frontier: honoring lives defined by endurance, vulnerability, and artistry. This step marks a shift in his work—one that blends his lifelong love of genre with a deep commitment to character and legacy.