Manoj Shyamalan ( born 6 August 1970), known professionally as
M. Night Shyamalan, is an Indian-American film director, screenwriter, producer and occasional actor known for making movies with contemporary
supernatural plots. His major films include the supernatural thriller
The Sixth Sense (1999), the superhero drama thriller
Unbreakable (2000), the science fiction thriller
Signs (2002), the psychological thriller
The Village (2004), the fantasy thriller
Lady in the Water (2006), the natural horror thriller
The Happening (2008), the fantasy adventure film
The Last Airbender (2010), the sci-fi action-adventure film
After Earth (2013) and the horror / comedy film
The Visit (2015). He is also known for filming and setting his films in and around
Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania, where he was raised, and for including
plot twists in most of his works.