WhyThe Sixth Sense’s 25th Anniversary Is Full-Circle for M. Night Shyamalan — and Filmmaker Daughter Ishana (Exclusive)

Mar. 15, 2025

Ishana Night Shyamalan and M. Night Shyamalan.Photo:Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty

M. Night Shyamalanis celebrating 25 years of seeing dead people.When asked about the Aug. 6 anniversary of his 1999 classicThe Sixth Sense, the filmmaker asks PEOPLE, “Is that right? 25? … When I think about that, it’s wild.”M. Night, 53, became a Hollywood breakout sensation upon the release of the six-time Oscar-nominatedThe Sixth Sense, which starredBruce Willisas a child psychologist andHaley Joel Osmentas his patient who can commune with ghosts.The horror hit holds a special place in M. Night’s heart, he says, not just because it launched his career. “I was close to her age when I wroteSixth Sense,” he says ofIshana, his 24-year-old daughter who has since become a filmmaker in her own right.The Sixth Sense.© Buena Vista“I think my mom was pregnant with me when she was on that red carpet,” Ishana recalls to PEOPLE ofThe Sixth Sense’s 1999 premiere. M. Night and wife Bhavna Vaswani share daughtersSaleka, Ishana andShivani.Ishana’s feature film directorial debut wasthe thrillerThe WatchersstarringDakota Fanning, which hit theaters on June 7. Although 1992’sPraying with AngerprecededThe Sixth Senseas her father’s first feature-length movie, she says, “I’m obviously thinking about it a lot in terms of [premieringThe Watchers]… It was his first big moment and I feel like it was such a representative movie of him.”The first-time writer-director adds, “I wanted the same thing forWatchers, for it to just represent how I feel about the world and just do the best I can.”M. Night Shyamalan and Ishana Night Shyamalan.Matt Baron/BEI/ShutterstockNever miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.For M. Night, having one of his movies — theJosh Hartnett-starringTrap(in theaters now) —  arrive the same summer as his daughter’s first is a special full-circle moment. It’s a reminder, he says, that fromThe Sixth Senseto 2015’sThe Visitto 2021’sOldand beyond, he always feels “that I don’t know if [each movie will] ever get made. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to make another one… If this is the last one, I want it to just represent me.”When asked about advice her father has given as she steps behind the camera herself, Ishana says her father’s lesson was simple: “Stop talking about it. Just go make a short film.”Since their “father-daughter relationship is very much synonymous with our mentor-mentee relationship,” she adds, M. Night “always pushes me to just move past or move through the anxiety. As opposed to stopping and like angst-ing about it, which I very much do.”Trapis in theaters now.

M. Night Shyamalanis celebrating 25 years of seeing dead people.

When asked about the Aug. 6 anniversary of his 1999 classicThe Sixth Sense, the filmmaker asks PEOPLE, “Is that right? 25? … When I think about that, it’s wild.”

M. Night, 53, became a Hollywood breakout sensation upon the release of the six-time Oscar-nominatedThe Sixth Sense, which starredBruce Willisas a child psychologist andHaley Joel Osmentas his patient who can commune with ghosts.

The horror hit holds a special place in M. Night’s heart, he says, not just because it launched his career. “I was close to her age when I wroteSixth Sense,” he says ofIshana, his 24-year-old daughter who has since become a filmmaker in her own right.

The Sixth Sense.© Buena Vista

“I think my mom was pregnant with me when she was on that red carpet,” Ishana recalls to PEOPLE ofThe Sixth Sense’s 1999 premiere. M. Night and wife Bhavna Vaswani share daughtersSaleka, Ishana andShivani.

Ishana’s feature film directorial debut wasthe thrillerThe WatchersstarringDakota Fanning, which hit theaters on June 7. Although 1992’sPraying with AngerprecededThe Sixth Senseas her father’s first feature-length movie, she says, “I’m obviously thinking about it a lot in terms of [premieringThe Watchers]… It was his first big moment and I feel like it was such a representative movie of him.”

The first-time writer-director adds, “I wanted the same thing forWatchers, for it to just represent how I feel about the world and just do the best I can.”

M. Night Shyamalan and Ishana Night Shyamalan.Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

For M. Night, having one of his movies — theJosh Hartnett-starringTrap(in theaters now) —  arrive the same summer as his daughter’s first is a special full-circle moment. It’s a reminder, he says, that fromThe Sixth Senseto 2015’sThe Visitto 2021’sOldand beyond, he always feels “that I don’t know if [each movie will] ever get made. I don’t know if I’ll ever get to make another one… If this is the last one, I want it to just represent me.”

When asked about advice her father has given as she steps behind the camera herself, Ishana says her father’s lesson was simple: “Stop talking about it. Just go make a short film.”

Since their “father-daughter relationship is very much synonymous with our mentor-mentee relationship,” she adds, M. Night “always pushes me to just move past or move through the anxiety. As opposed to stopping and like angst-ing about it, which I very much do.”

Trapis in theaters now.

source: people.com