The son of legendary Chicago filmmaker John Hughes (The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), John Hughes III has long forged a creative path of his own—one that blends music, design, and now, documentary film.
Hughes III recently co-founded Blue Cuckoo Pictures, a London and Chicago-based production company focused on character-driven nonfiction storytelling. His partners include producer Alexander Brunati (Running with the Devil, Buy Now! The Shopping Conspiracy) and filmmaker Bjørn Johnson. Their debut project, Twin, is currently in post-production and aims to premiere on the international festival circuit later this year.
While his father became synonymous with fictional high school angst and suburban storytelling, Hughes III has carved out an identity in experimental sound and visual art. He founded Hefty Records, an influential Chicago music label that championed avant-garde electronic and post-rock acts. Under his own performance name Slicker, Hughes III released several albums and composed for indie films, including the score for Reach the Rock (1998), which was produced by his father and featured Hefty artists.
With Blue Cuckoo, Hughes III is merging his deep audio-visual sensibility with longform nonfiction. Twin explores the emotional complexity of siblings separated at birth who reconnect in adulthood. Hughes is contributing both editorially and sonically, shaping the film’s tone with his signature minimalism and layered audio design.
Though based partly in London, Hughes III remains connected to Chicago’s creative community—drawing on the city’s spirit of independent artistry. As Blue Cuckoo Pictures expands its slate, its Chicago roots will remain part of its DNA.
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