Bille August
Bille August RD (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed contemporary Danish filmmakers.
Bille August | |
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| Born | 9 November 1948 Brede, Denmark |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouse(s) | Masja Dessau c. 1978-1990 Annie Munksgaard Lauritzen c. 1970-1978 Sara-Marie Maltha (2004 -> m. 2012 –present) |
| Children | 8, including Anders and Alba |
August's 1987 film Pelle the Conqueror won the Palme d'Or, Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. He is one of only eight directors to win the Palme d'Or twice, winning the prestigious award again in 1992 for The Best Intentions, based on the autobiographical script by Ingmar Bergman.
His filmography includes The House of the Spirits, based on the novel by Isabel Allende; Smilla's Sense of Snow; Les Misérables; Night Train to Lisbon, Silent Heart, The Chinese Widow and A Fortunate Man. He has received five Robert Awards (including Best Film and Best Director) and three Bodil Awards for Best Danish Film. He is also a Knight (Ridder) of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Life and career
August was born on November 9, 1948 in Brede, Denmark. After attending local schools, he graduated from the Foto- og Dokumentarskolan in Stockholm, Sweden, and later from the National Film School of Denmark. He began his career as a cinematographer. He made his feature directorial debut in 1978 with In My Life, which won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film.
After decades of writing, directing and producing notable films in Denmark, on 23 September 2011, Bille August announced that he had opened a studio in Hangzhou, 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 (竞雄女侠秋瑾) and The Years of Qi Xiao Fu (七小福之燃情岁月), to be released later in 2011. Bille 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.[1]
His film Night Train to Lisbon (2013) premiered out of competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.[2] He had planned to direct a Gianni Versace biopic with Antonio Banderas as Versace, but this project was cancelled.[3][4]
Personal life
August has been married four times, and had four children by two of his wives.
He was first married to Annie Munksgård Lauritzen. His second wife was Masja Dessau. Together they had two children, Anders Frithiof August (born June 15, 1978) and Adam August (born in 1983). They have both become screenwriters. Thirdly he was married to Swedish actress Pernilla August from 1991 to 1997. Together they had daughters Asta Kamma August (born November 5, 1991) and Alba Adèle August (born June 6, 1993). In 2012 he married his current wife, Sara-Marie Maltha.
In addition, August fathered four other children by two women outside marriage.
Filmography
Film
As cinematographer
| 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
| Year | Title | Functioned as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | |||
| 1978 | Et par dage med Magnus | Yes | No | Miniseries |
| 1980 | Verden er så stor, så stor | Yes | Yes | Television film |
| 1982 | Maj | Yes | No | Television film |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| 2003 | Detaljer | Yes | Yes | Television film |
References
- "Academy Award-winning director Bille August opens his studio in Hangzhou". Asia Pacific arts. 10 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2013. Retrieved 2 November 2011.
- "Berlinale 2013: Competition Now Complete". berlinale. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
- "Antonio Banderas Cancels 'Versace' Project". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 13 July 2017.
- "Bille August Set to Direct 'Versace' Biopic With Antonio Banderas". Variety. Retrieved 10 December 2016.
- Busters Verden Awards, IMDb, retrieved 24 July 2020
- "Festival de Cannes: Pelle the Conqueror". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 27 July 2009.
- "The 61st Academy Awards (1989) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 20 August 2015.
- "Pelle Erobreren (1987)". Swedish Film Institute. 15 March 2014.
- "Festival de Cannes: The Best Intentions". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 14 August 2009.
- "Berlinale: 1997 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- Uhr, 13 Februar 2007 14:05. "Starrummel bei Berlinale: Richard Gere spielte am Piano auf". Mittelbayerische Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 23 July 2020.
External links
- 1997 interview with Bille August about Smilla's Sense of Snow
- Bille August at IMDb
- Bille August at the Swedish Film Database
- Bille August in the Danish Film Database
- Works by or about Bille August in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
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