Bille AugustRD(born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television.
Bille August | |
|---|---|
 August in 2008 | |
| Born | 9 November 1948 Brede,Denmark |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouses | Annie Munksgaard Lauritzen
(m.1970;div.1978)Masja Dessau
(m.1978;div.1990)Sara-Marie Maltha (m.2012) |
| Children | 8, includingAndersandAlba |
August's 1987 filmPelle the Conquerorwon thePalme d'Or,Academy AwardandGolden Globe Award.He is one of only ten directors to win thePalme d'Ortwice, winning the award again in 1992 forThe Best Intentions,based on the autobiographical script byIngmar Bergman.
His filmography includesThe House of the Spirits,based on the novel byIsabel Allende;Smilla's Sense of Snow;Les Misérables;Night Train to Lisbon,Silent Heart,The Chinese WidowandA Fortunate Man.He has received fiveRobert Awards(includingBest FilmandBest Director) and threeBodil AwardsforBest Danish Film.He is also aKnight of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Life and career
editAugust was born on 9 November 1948, inBrede, Denmark.[1]After attending local schools, he graduated from the Foto- och Dokumentärskolan inStockholm, Sweden,and later from theNational Film School of Denmark.He began his career as a cinematographer. He made his feature directorial debut in 1978 withIn My Life,which won theBodil Award for Best Danish Film.
He collaborated twice with then wifePernilla AugustunderGeorge LucasonThe Adventures of Young Indiana Jonesin The Perils of Cupid and Tales of Innocence. Pernilla would later star in the first two films of theStar Warsprequel trilogyand appeared in an episode ofThe Clone Warstelevision series to reprise her role from the films.
After decades of writing, directing and producing notable films in Denmark, on 23 September 2011, Bille August announced that he had opened a studio inHangzhou,China and taken a position as Tianpeng Media's Art Director, in order to produce Chinese films for Tianpeng Media over the next few years. Tianpeng Media is a new media company established in 2010. The company produced two films,The Women Knight of Mirror( cạnh hùng nữ hiệp thu cẩn ) andThe Years of Qi Xiao Fu( bảy tiểu phúc chi châm tình năm tháng ), to be released later in 2011. He is the first foreign director to be hired by the Chinese film company. In 2011, August also accepted the invitation from the Hangzhou government to serve as a "culture consultant" for the city.[2]
His filmNight Train to Lisbon(2013) premiered out of competition at the63rd Berlin International Film Festival.[3]He had planned to direct aGianni VersacebiopicwithAntonio Banderasas Versace, but this project was cancelled.[4][5]In August 2021, it was announced that August would direct afeature film adaptationofKaren Blixen's novelEhrengard,which is being produced byNetflixandSF Studios.[6]
Personal life
editAugust has been married four times and has a total of eight children with five different women.
He was first married to Annie Munksgård Lauritzen; they had a sonAnders Frithiof August.His second wife was Masja Dessau with whom he had a son; both sons have becomescreenwriters.His third marriage to Swedish actress Pernilla August was from 1991 to 1997. Together they had two daughters, includingAlba Adèle August;he also became the stepfather of her daughter from her first marriage to Swedish novelist and screenwriterKlas Östergren.In 2012, he married his fourth wife, actress Sara-Marie Maltha after 10 years together; they have three children.
He has a daughter from a previous relationship.[7]
Filmography
editFilm
editDirector
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | In My Life | Yes | Yes | |
| 1983 | Zappa | Yes | Yes | |
| 1984 | Busters verden | Yes | No | |
| Twist and Shout | Yes | Yes | ||
| 1987 | Pelle the Conqueror | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | The Best Intentions | Yes | No | |
| 1993 | The House of the Spirits | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | Jerusalem | Yes | Yes | |
| 1997 | Smilla's Sense of Snow | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | Les Misérables | Yes | No | |
| 2001 | A Song for Martin | Yes | Yes | Also producer |
| 2004 | Return to Sender | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Goodbye Bafana | Yes | Yes | |
| To Each His Own Cinema | Yes | No | Segment "The Last Dating Show" | |
| 2012 | The Passion of Marie | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Night Train to Lisbon | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | Silent Heart | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | The Chinese Widow | Yes | No | |
| 55 Steps | Yes | No | ||
| 2018 | A Fortunate Man | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Pact | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | The Kiss | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction | Yes | No | IMDb |
Director of photography
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Christiania | Flemming Colstrup Ove Nyholm |
Documentary film |
| Hemåt i natten | Jon Lindström | ||
| 1978 | Men Can't Be Raped | Jörn Donner | |
| 1980 | Love | Theodor Kallifatides | |
| Mördare! Mördare! | Jon Lindström | ||
| Tomas: A Child You Cannot Reach | Lone Hertz | Documentary film | |
| 1981 | Killing Heat | Michael Raeburn | |
| 1982 | Sova räv | Gun Jönsson |
Television
editMiniseries
- Et par dage med Magnus(1978)
- The Count of Monte Cristo(2024)
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | Verden er så stor, så stor | Yes | Yes |
| 1982 | Maj | Yes | No |
| 2003 | Detaljer | Yes | Yes |
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | 2 episodes |
Awards and nominations
editReferences
edit- ^Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007).501 Movie Directors.London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 519.ISBN9781844035731.OCLC1347156402.
- ^"Academy Award-winning director Bille August opens his studio in Hangzhou".Asia Pacific arts. 10 April 2011. Archived fromthe originalon 26 August 2013.Retrieved2 November2011.
- ^"Berlinale 2013: Competition Now Complete".berlinale.Archived fromthe originalon 10 April 2013.Retrieved25 January2013.
- ^"Antonio Banderas Cancels 'Versace' Project".The Hollywood Reporter.Retrieved13 July2017.
- ^"Bille August Set to DirectVersaceBiopic With Antonio Banderas ".Variety.Retrieved10 December2016.
- ^Grater, Tom (31 August 2021)."Bille August To Direct Karen Blixen'sEhrengardFor Netflix & SF Studios ".Deadline Hollywood.Retrieved31 August2021.
- ^source[1]
- ^Busters Verden Awards,IMDb,retrieved24 July2020
- ^"Festival de Cannes: Pelle the Conqueror".festival-cannes.Retrieved27 July2009.
- ^"Pelle Erobreren (1987)".Swedish Film Institute. 15 March 2014.
- ^"Festival de Cannes: The Best Intentions".festival-cannes.Retrieved14 August2009.
- ^"Berlinale: 1997 Programme".berlinale.de.Retrieved12 January2012.
- ^Uhr, 13 Februar 2007 14:05."Starrummel bei Berlinale: Richard Gere spielte am Piano auf".Mittelbayerische Zeitung(in German).Retrieved23 July2020.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
External links
edit- 1997 interview with Bille Augustabout Smilla's Sense of Snow
- Bille AugustatIMDb
- Bille Augustat theSwedish Film Database
- Bille Augustin theDanish Film Database
