Who was Mary Cybulski? 'Life of Pi' and 'Eternal Sunshine' script supervisor and photographer dies at 70

Hollywood just lost one of its quiet geniuses this week as Mary Cybulski has died at 70 after her four-year battle with glioblastoma.

Cybulski, the script supervisor and still photographer who helped craft the critically acclaimed movies Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Life of Pi, and Synecdoche, New York, passed away on Nov. 8, 2025.

For over 40 features, she has collaborated with directors Charlie Kaufman, Ang Lee, Stephen Frears, David Mamet, Jodie Foster, Jane Campion, M. Night Shyamalan, Tony Gilroy, Nancy Savoca, and John Sayles.

In a statement, Kaufman expressed his grief over the loss of Mary Cybulski.

"As the script supervisor on 'Synecdoche, New York,' Mary was the calm, clear presence at the center of a confusing storm of warehouses within warehouses and characters playing actors playing characters."

He continued:

"There was always a crowd of crew and cast around her asking, ‘What the hell is going on?’ Mary even made an extraordinarily detailed map of the Matryoshka warehouses to guide us. At the end of production, she drew the map on a t-shirt for me. Mary helped me so much. She was brilliant and kind and I loved her."

Lee also commended Cybulski's "warmth" and motherly affection after working with her on The Ice Storm.

“On the set of ‘The Ice Storm,’ I felt she was mothering the whole thing. She’s like a mother/courage, providing warmth and courage. I totally understand why she was a downhill ski racer."

She went on:

"She’s a daredevil. So she’s two things together, warmth and courage, and, of course, talent.”

A glimpse into Mary Cybulski's life and career

Mary Cybulski went to the University of Michigan, where she worked in the arts and on a myriad of experimental films with John Tintori, whom she married in 1981 in New York.

She worked on the movies Maid in Manhattan, Syriana, Michael Clayton, Lady in the Water, and Life of Pi. Later on, she helmed Chicago Cab with Tintori, and they both mentored young filmmakers who had just kicked off their careers.

In 2014, Mary Cybulski published the book Beyond Continuity: Script Supervising for the Modern Filmmaker, where she wrote about the significance of the profession.

“Our specialty is storytelling. It is our job to understand the bones and the spirit of the story. We imagine all the little bits of the movie we are making: what they look like and sound like, how they move and how they impact each other when they are put together. We carry around a living, growing movie in our imagination.”

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Then, after mentoring and directing, she switched to her role as a still photographer and worked with acclaimed filmmakers Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick, Todd Haynes, Jim Jarmusch, Judy Apatow, and Stephen Soderbergh.

Mary Cybulski is survived by her husband, her daughter, Sophie, and her son, Ray.

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