Screenwriter and director Jeff Baena, known for The Little Hours and Life After Beth, has passed away at the age of 47.
Variety has shared that Jeff Baena, known for writing and directing comedy films, passed away in his home on Friday.
A spokesperson for the creative confirmed his death.
Baena was born on the 29th of June, 1977 in Miami, Florida. He went on to major in film at NYU before starting his career as a production assistant for Robert Zemeckis. Later, he would work as an assistant editor for David O. Russell. That role would eventually lead to a writing partnership between the pair, where they worked together on 2004’s I Heart Huckabees.
Combining both his writing and directing skills, Baena would go on to create projects such as 2017’s The Little Hours and 2014’s Life After Beth. His work also saw him showcased at famous film festivals like South by Southwest and Sundance, with his films leading him to work with major companies like Netflix, IFC, Lionsgate and Searchlight.
Searchlight mourned the loss of Baena on X, sharing “Our thoughts are with the family of Jeff Baena (1977-2025), a beloved member of the Searchlight family. His creativity and passion will be missed by us all.”
Baena was married to actress and frequent collaborator Aubrey Plaza. He is survived by Plaza as well as his mother, Barbara Stern; stepfather, Roger Stern; father, Scott Baena; stepmother, Michele Baena; brother, Brad Baena; stepsister, Bianca Gabay; and stepbrother, Jed Fluxman.