Manoj Nelliyattu Shyamalan (Tamil: எம். நைட் ஷியாமளன்) (pronounced /ˈʃæməlɑːn/;,Maṉōj Nelliyāṯṯu Ṣiyāmaḷaṉ, born 6 August 1970), known professionally as M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-born American filmmaker and screenwriter, known for making movies with contemporary supernatural plots that climax with a twist ending. He is also known for filming his movies (and staging his plots) in and around Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he was raised. Shyamalan released his first film, Praying with Anger, in 1992 while he was a New York University student. His second movie, the major feature film Wide Awake, made in 1995 but not released until three years later, failed to find financial success..