Iain Declan Softley (born 30 November 1956) is an English film director, producer, and screenwriter. His films includeBackbeat,Hackers,The Wings of the Dove,K-PAX,The Skeleton Key,Inkheart and theBBC adaptation ofSadie Jones's novelThe Outcast.

Iain Softley
Iain Softley introducing a screening of Hackers at Electromagnetic Field 2024.
Born	(1956-11-30)30 November 1956 (age 68) Chiswick,London, England, United Kingdom
Occupation(s)	Film director, producer, screenwriter
Years active	1994–present
Spouse	Sarah Curtis
Children	3

Softley was educated atSt Benedict's School, Ealing, London, andQueens' College, Cambridge, where he directed a number of highly-praised theatrical productions. He worked for Granada TV and the BBC in the 1980s before moving on to music videos and film.

Softley's first film, theStuart Sutcliffe biopic,Backbeat, which he wrote and directed, was released in 1994. It opened the Sundance Film Festival^[1] and went on to receive a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film. For his work on the film, Softley received Best Newcomer Awards from The London Film Critics Circle and Empire Magazine.^[2]

Following Backbeat, Softley directed the cyber thrillerHackers, starringAngelina Jolie andJonny Lee-Miller. This was followed in 1997 by an adaptation ofHenry James' novel,The Wings of the Dove, starringHelena Bonham-Carter. The film premiered at theToronto andVenice Film Festivals, earned fourAcademy Award nominations, and won a number of awards including twoBAFTAs and multiple acting honors for Bonham Carter.^[3]

Softley's next two films (released byUniversal Pictures^[4]) topped the US box office:^[5] the sci-fi mystery filmK-PAX, starringKevin Spacey, andJeff Bridges, and the suspense thriller,The Skeleton Key withKate Hudson,Gena Rowlands andJohn Hurt.

Other film credits include:Inkheart, fromCornelia Funke's best-selling book, withHelen Mirren,Paul Bettany andJim Broadbent;Trap for Cinderella, starringTuppence Middleton andAlexandra Roach, which Softley adapted and directed fromSebastien Japrisot's French crime novel; andCurve starringJulianne Hough, produced byBlumhouse Productions and released byUniversal Pictures in 2016.^[6]

In 2010, Softley directed a stage adaptation ofBackbeat, which was co-written withStephen Jeffreys. It premiered at theCitizens Theatre inGlasgow,^[7] before transferring to theDuke of York's Theatre, in London^[8] and then subsequently Toronto, Los Angeles and Berlin.^[9][10][11]

In 2016, it was announced that Softley will directIcarus, based on the life of British/Americanastronaut,Michael Foale, which Softley has developed with writersHilary Thompson andLaurence Coriat. He will co-produce the project through his company, Forthcoming Films.^[12] Softley attended Queens' College, Cambridge at the same time as Foale.

Aside from his work in film, Softley has also worked in television. In 2012, he directed the short film,The Man, as part ofSky Arts'Playhouse Presents strand. The film was a satirical take on the clandestineBilderberg Group and starredStellan Skarsgard,Zoe Wannamaker,Hayley Atwell andStephen Fry.^[13] In 2015, theBBC broadcast atwo-part adaptation of authorSadie Jones' novelThe Outcast which Softley also directed.^[14] The film was warmly received byThe Guardian, with Julia Raeside writing: "The tone set by Iain Softley's beautifully restrained direction and the careful use of music creates a real feeling of loss from the start, just as in the book, but he somehow avoids all hammy visual foreshadowing and narrative signposting, so often used to gee a plot along".^[15]

Softley also directed the upcomingDisney+ short filmThe Shepherd, which starsJohn Travolta and is an adaptation ofFrederick Forsyth's novelThe Shepherd.^[16][17]

Together with his wife, film producer Sarah Curtis, Softley runs Forthcoming Films, which produces and develops their respective projects. Past productions include:Backbeat,On a Clear Day,Hysteria,Trap for Cinderella andOphelia.^[18]

Future productions include: theMichael Foale biopicIcarus.^[19]

Softley and Curtis live in London. Together, they have three children.^[20]

Film

Television

• "In the Army" byStatus Quo (1986)
• "Have You Ever Had It Blue" byThe Style Council (1986)
• "How Could an Angel Break My Heart" byToni Braxton (1997)

• Iain Softley atIMDb