Abel Ferrara (born July 19, 1951) is an American filmmaker, known for the provocative and often controversial content in his movies and his use and redefinition of neo-noir imagery. A long-time independent filmmaker, some of his best known movies include the New York-set, gritty crime thrillers Ms .45 (1981), King of New York (1990), Bad Lieutenant (1992) and The Funeral (1996), chronicling violent crime in urban settings with spiritual overtones.
Ferrara also worked on a wide array of genres, like the sci-fi remake Body Snatchers (1993), cyberpunk thriller New Rose Hotel (1998), the religious drama Mary (2005), the black comedy Go Go Tales (2007), or the biopic Pasolini (2014), as well as in several documentary filmmaking projects.
Ferrara was born in the Bronx of Italian and Irish descent. He was raised Catholic, which subsequently influenced much of his work. At 8 years old, he moved to Peekskill in Westchester County, New York and he started making movies at Rockland Community College. Later, he attended the film conservatory at SUNY Purchase, where he directed several short films.

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