Andrew Niccol

Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964)[1] is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. He wrote and directed Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014).[2] He wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1999 and won him a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay. His films tend to explore social, cultural and political issues, as well as artificial realities or simulations.[3][4][5]

Andrew Niccol
Niccol in 2012
Born (1964-06-10) 10 June 1964
Paraparaumu, Kapiti Coast District, New Zealand
OccupationScreenwriter, Film director, Film producer
Spouse(s)
  • Susan Jennifer Sullivan
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1991; div. 2002)​
  • ​
    ​
    (m. 2002)​
Children3

His film Good Kill was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.[6][7]

Early and personal life

Niccol was born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand, and grew up in Auckland, where he attended Auckland Grammar School beginning in 1973. He left New Zealand at age 21 and began directing TV ads in London, which he did for more than ten years before his directorial debut, Gattaca (1997). During production of S1m0ne, he met model and actress Rachel Roberts, with whom he has two children, Jack, born in 2003 (who also played "Young Nicolai" in the 2005 film Lord of War) and Ava, born in 2008.

Career

Directing

Niccol has directed the films Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014) (reuniting after 17 years with actor Ethan Hawke in a lead role; Hawke also appeared in Lord of War as a supporting character named Jack Valentine). He has also directed a short film entitled The Minutes (2012), which is a documentary-esque, narrative tie-in to In Time that describes in more detail the world and characters from the film.[8]

For his directorial debut and first film (which he also wrote), Gattaca (1997), he won a Best Film award from the Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival and both a Special Jury Prize and the Fun Trophy from the Gérardmer Film Festival.

For his film Lord of War (2005), he received a Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of Review.

Writing and producing

Niccol's breakthrough screenplay was his script for the film The Truman Show (1998), directed by Peter Weir and starring Jim Carrey. He also served as a producer on the film. The film received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay (Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen) and a Golden Globes nomination for Best Screenplay in 1999 and won a BAFTA award for Best Screenplay, a Saturn Award for Best Writing or Best Writer, an Awards Circuit Community Award for Best Original Screenplay and Best Motion Picture, a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation (shared with Peter Weir), and an Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay.

In 1999, Niccol received the ALFS Award for "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards for his screenwriting work on the screenplays of The Truman Show (1998) and Gattaca (1997).

Niccol has written for all the films that he has directed, including Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014). Out of the films he has written and directed, he has produced S1m0ne (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), Good Kill (2014) and Anon (2018).

He also wrote and came up with the story for the film The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg. He also served as an executive producer on the film.

Filmography
Year Film
Director Writer Producer Notes
1997 Gattaca Yes Yes Yes Sitges Film Festival for Best Film
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
1998 The Truman Show No Yes Yes BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Saturn Award for Best Writing
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
Nominated–Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated–Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated–Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated–Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated–Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay
2002 Simone Yes Yes Yes
2004 The Terminal No Story Executive
2005 Lord of War Yes Yes Yes
2011 In Time Yes Yes Yes
2013 The Host Yes Yes No
2014 Good Kill Yes Yes Yes
2018 Anon Yes Yes Yes
TBA Monopoly No Yes No Announced

References
  1. "Andrew Niccol biography and filmography". Tribute.ca. 1964-06-10. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  2. "The Films of Andrew Niccol - Reviews by David Nusair". Reelfilm.com. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
  3. Bozzola, Lucia. "Andrew Niccol Biography". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  4. Foley, Michael P. "Plato, Christianity, and the Cinematic Craft of Andrew Niccol". Project Muse. Retrieved 13 January 2014.(From: Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture Volume 9, Number 2, Spring 2006 pp. 43-67 | 10.1353/log.2006.0014)
  5. "Andrew Niccol". The New York Times. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
  6. "International competition of feature films". Venice. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  7. "Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced". Deadline. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
  8. Mortimer, Adam Egypt (2013-05-23), The Minutes, retrieved 2020-01-14
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