Cooper Raiff
Cooper Michael Raiff (born February 11, 1997) is an American filmmaker and actor. He has received praise for his films Shithouse (2020) and Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022). In August 2022, Raiff launched his production company Small Ideas.
Cooper Raiff

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- Name
- Cooper Raiff
- Birth Name
- Cooper Michael Raiff
- Born
- 11 February 1997
- Birthplace
- Dallas, Texas, U.S.
- Occupation
- * Filmmaker
- Full name
- Cooper Michael Raiff.
- Nationality
- United States.
- Education
- Greenhill School.
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Cooper Michael Raiff (born February 11, 1997) is an American filmmaker and actor. He has received praise for his films Shithouse (2020) and Cha Cha Real Smooth (2022). In August 2022, Raiff launched his production company Small Ideas.
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Cooper Raiff (born 1997) is an actor, film director and screenwriter, among other activities, of American nationality. The actor was born Cooper Michael Raiff in Dallas. Cooper Raiff was educated at Greenhill School.
Composed from admitted, traceable facts · 28 September 2026
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wikidata · Q110764162 · wikipedia · Cooper Raiff
In this article
Key facts
Key facts
• Name — Cooper Raiff • Birth Name — Cooper Michael Raiff • Born — 11 February 1997 • Birthplace — Dallas, Texas, U.S. • Occupation — * Filmmaker • actor • Years Active — 2018–present
Early life
Early life
A native of Dallas, Raiff attended the Greenhill School. He participated in school theatre productions and studied at the Dallas Young Actors Studio for 4 years. During his senior year, he wrote and performed in his first play. Raiff enrolled at Occidental College in Los Angeles, withdrawing in 2019 to focus on film.
Career
Career
During spring break in 2018, Raiff stayed on campus to make Madeline & Cooper, a 50-minute short film that he uploaded to YouTube. He then tweeted a link of the video to filmmaker Jay Duplass, who met with Raiff and encouraged him to adapt the project to feature-length; it became Raiff's debut feature Shithouse, in which he starred, directed, wrote, produced, and co-edited. The film premiered at the 2020 SXSW where it was named Best Narrative Feature. Distributed by IFC Films, it opened in October 2020 to positive reviews. In August 2021, it was announced that Raiff was attached to direct and co-write a television adaptation of Naoise Dolan's novel Exciting Times starring Phoebe Dynevor for Amazon Prime. Raiff's second film, Cha Cha Real Smooth, premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Audience Award for the Dramatic Competition, and is available on Apple TV+. The film was reportedly purchased by the company for $15 million. He appeared on the 2022 Variety list of directors to watch. In July 2022, it was announced that Raiff would direct The Trashers, a drama starring David Harbour and Cooper Hoffman. However, Raiff later revealed in 2025 that the film had been cancelled due to financing issues. On August 2, 2022, Raiff partnered with Clementine Quittner of Black Bear Productions to launch his own production company, Small Ideas. Later that year, he was given the Maverick Award at the 2022 Newport Beach Film Festival and appeared on the Forbes 30 Under 30 list in Hollywood & Entertainment. In 2023, Raiff filmed his first television series, Hal & Harper, starring alongside Mark Ruffalo and Lili Reinhart. In October 2024, it was announced that Raiff had been cast as Aaron in the family comedy-drama See You When I See You, directed by Jay Duplass. The film is based on Adam Cayton-Holland's memoir Tragedy Plus Time and co-stars David Duchovny, Hope Davis, and Kaitlyn Dever. It is set to premiere at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival. In November 2025, it was announced that Raiff would star opposite Annie Murphy in the romantic comedy All That She Wants. Raiff has cited Emma Seligman, Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig, Ryan Coogler, and the Duplass brothers as influences.
Television
Television
• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer — Actor — Role — Notes • 2025 — Hal & Harper — Hal
Identity
Identity
Cooper Raiff is recorded as film director, writer, actor and screenwriter. Recorded at birth as Cooper Michael Raiff.

Cooper Raiff at the "Hal Harper" red carpet at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Please attribute to Casey Nedelka if used elsewhere.
ReverendPoppins

Cooper Raiff and Asher Alexander at the "Hal Harper" red carpet at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Please attribute to Casey Nedelka if used elsewhere.
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Film
• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer — Actor — Role — Notes • 2018 — Madeline & Cooper — Cooper — Short film • 2020 — Shithouse — Alex Malmquist — Also editor • 2022 — Cha Cha Real Smooth — Andrew • 2026 — See You When I See You — Aaron — Premieres at the 2026 Sundance Film Festival • All That She Wants — Luke
Primary material
Documents and archives
reference work
- “Cooper Raiff”, English Wikipedia, consulted as further reading
Reputable secondary · Wikipedia
authority record
- Wikidata, structured authority record Q110764162: Cooper Raiff
General reference · Wikidata
Awards and recognition
• Year — Association — Category — Nominated work — Result — Ref. Reference(s) • 2020 — Zurich Film Festival — Best International Feature Film — Shithouse • SXSW Film Festival — Narrative Feature • 2022 — Sundance Film Festival — Grand Jury Prize — Cha Cha Real Smooth • Palm Springs International Film Festival — Directors to Watch
Notes from the source article
Cited by Wikipedia
Notes from the source article
These works are cited by the source article, in its own numbering. They are recorded as its citations, not as sources VALÉORINE has verified.
- 1.Gaughan, Liam. The 23-Year-Old Greenhill School Alum Talks His Acclaimed Feature-Length Debut Film, How It Got Made And Just How Autobiographical It May Be. CentralTrack.com. October 19, 2020.
- 2.Olsen, Mark. Why Cooper Raiff's 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' is not a dramedy. Los Angeles Times. June 17, 2022.
- 3.Galuppo, Mia. Sundance: Meet Gen Z's Buzziest Director (Who's Still Waiting to Go to a Film Festival). The Hollywood Reporter. January 17, 2022.
- 4.Fleming, Mike Jr. Cooper Raiff Debut Won SXSW & His 'Cha Cha Real Smooth' Is Sundance Buzz Title Now: Will Covid Ever Allow Him To See His Work In A Crowded Theater. Deadline. January 22, 2022.
- 5.Anderson, Dick. From S#!%house to the Penthouse. Occidental College. August 19, 2021.
- 6.23-year-old Dallas native scores with award-winning debut movie. The Dallas Morning News. October 16, 2020.
- 7.Warren, Ethan. I Grew Up Thinking Feelings Were Cool: Cooper Raiff on Shithouse. Bright Wall/Dark Room. October 19, 2020.
- 8.Jorgenson, Todd. Meet the Self-Taught Greenhill Grad Who Won the Top Film Prize From SXSW. D Magazine. April 24, 2020.
- 9.N'Duka, Amanda. IFC Films Nabs SXSW Award Winning Film 'Shithouse'. Deadline Hollywood. June 10, 2020.
- 10.Fandango. S.house (2020). Rotten Tomatoes.
- 11.Shithouse Reviews. Metacritic.
- 12.Andreeva, Nellie. Phoebe Dynevor Set To EP & Poised To Star In 'Exciting Times' Series In Works At Amazon Studios. Deadline. 17 August 2021.
- 13.Galuppo, Mia. Sundance: Nanny and The Exiles Take Top Prizes at 2022 Fest. The Hollywood Reporter. January 28, 2022.
- 14.Fleming, Mike Jr. Apple Lands Cooper Raiff-Directed Cha Cha Real Smooth In $15M World Rights Deal. Deadline Hollywood. January 28, 2022.
- 15.Lang, Brent. Variety's 10 Directors to Watch for 2022. Variety. January 10, 2022.
- 16.‘Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman Joins ‘Stranger Things’ David Harbour In Cooper Raiff Hockey Pic ‘The Trashers
- 17.Cooper Raiff Has Plotted Out More Seasons Of Indie Series ‘Hal & Harper,’ Says Cooper Hoffman Pic ‘The Trashers’ Won’t Move Forward – Sundance Studio
- 18.Grobar, Matt. Cha Cha Real Smooth Filmmaker Cooper Raiff & Clementine Quittner Launch Production Company Small Ideas. Deadline Hollywood. August 2, 2022.
- 19.Roberts, Toby. Ron Howard and Colson Baker aka Machine Gun Kelly Honored At Newport Beach Film Festival. LATF USA NEWS. 2022-10-17.
- 20.Cooper Raiff. Forbes.
- 21.Harp, Justin. Riverdale's Lili Reinhart shares exciting update on new TV series. Digital Spy. 3 January 2024.
- 22.Grobar, Matt. Jay Duplass Sets Star-Studded Cast For Family Drama ‘See You When I See You’; Cooper Raiff, David Duchovny, Hope Davis Among Those Starring. Deadline Hollywood. October 30, 2024.
- 23.Grobar, Matt. Annie Murphy & Cooper Raiff To Topline Rom-Com ‘All That She Wants’ From Ley Line; Zosia Mamet, Finn Wittrock & Christine Baranski Among Others Set. Deadline Hollywood. 5 November 2025.
- 24.Filmmaker Cooper Raiff On 'Cha Cha Real Smooth', His David Harbour Pic 'The Trashers' & The "Really Small" TV Show He's Making Afterwards – Q&A. Deadline Hollywood.
- 25.Writer-Director-Actor Cooper Raiff on Feature Debut Shithouse (Interview). Loud and Clear.
- 26.Gerber, Dana. Dallas-raised fimlmaker Cooper Raiff is starting his own party. Dallas Morning News. June 16, 2022.
References
Citations
References
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reference work
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General reference
The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 17 August 2026.
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