Autumn de Wilde | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1970-10-21)October 21, 1970 (age 54) Woodstock, New York, U.S. |
| Alma mater | Los Angeles City College |
| Occupation | Photographer • director |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Aaron Sperske (divorced) |
| Children | Arrow de Wilde |
| Father | Jerry de Wilde |
Autumn de Wilde (born October 21, 1970) is an Americanphotographer andfilm director best known for herportraiture and commercial work photography of musicians, as well as her music video works. In 2020 she directed her first feature film,Emma.
De Wilde was born on October 21, 1970, inWoodstock, New York.[1] Her father, Jerry de Wilde, is an art and commercial photographer most noted for his photos ofJimi Hendrix and other musicians at theMonterey Pop Festival, and other icons of the 1960s.[2] She was raised in Los Angeles, California, with her younger brother.[3]
Her mother, Mary, lived in England, prompting De Wilde's fascination with English culture as a self-proclaimedAnglophile.[4] This led to her debut film,Emma, based on thenovel by Jane Austen of the same name.
She studied theater atLos Angeles City College,[5] and was informally taught photography by her father.[6]
Autumn De Wilde initially intended to go into theater. When performing political theater forLollapalooza in 1995, she experienced heat stroke that led her to the singerBeck, who allowed her to cool off in his tour bus. With her knowledge of photography learned from her father, she took pictures of Beck. He then encouraged her to go into photography.[5]
She has since become known as a celebrity photographer, and has photographed CD covers forMiranda Cosgrove,Elliott Smith,She & Him,Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins,The Raconteurs,The White Stripes,Fiona Apple,Beck,Built to Spill,Wilco,Monsters of Folk,New Found Glory,[7] and a number of other musicians.[citation needed] Her portrait subjects includeWillie Nelson,Sean Watkins,Ryan Adams,Sonic Youth,Tegan and Sara, andWolfmother.[citation needed] Her photos have appeared on the cover ofSpin magazine[8] and in the pages ofRolling Stone,Filter,Nylon,Los Angeles Times,Entertainment Weekly, andThe New York Times.[9]
Through Beck she was able to meetElliott Smith, with whom she become close. He also complimented her work, and encouraged her to go into directing by telling his crew that if she did not direct his music videos, he simply would not do them.[5] In 2007 Chronicle Books released a book,Elliott Smith, that includes de Wilde's photographs of musician Elliott Smith as well as handwritten lyrics, interviews with close friends and family, and a bonus CD of a live performance.
She has since directed music videos for Beck,The Decemberists,Florence and the Machine,[10]Spoon,Ingrid Michaelson,The Raconteurs,Rilo Kiley andDeath Cab for Cutie.[11] Her live concert documentary work includesThe Flaming Lips, Spoon, and theArcade Fire.[citation needed] She has also documented couture designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy ofRodarte.[12]
In 2010, de Wilde provided commentary on a series of reissues of the back catalog ofNick Cave & The Bad Seeds, appearing in the accompanying documentaries entitledDo You Love Me Like I Love You.
In 2011, her work was extensively featured in the limited edition deluxe box version of The Decemberists' albumThe King Is Dead. It included her one-of-a-kind Polaroid photograph from the Impossible Project/Decemberists series, and a 72-page hardcover book with over 250 of her Polaroid photos and illustrations byCarson Ellis.
De Wilde made her directorial feature film debut with the 2020 filmEmma., adapted fromJane Austen'snovel of the same name, starringAnya Taylor-Joy.[13] She previously directed a interlude segment of theHBO documentarySix by Sondheim, incorporated the song, "Send in the Clowns", which is performed byAudra McDonald andWill Swenson.[14]
In 2022, De Wilde photographedFlorence Welch forVogue UK ahead of the release ofFlorence and the Machine's albumDance Fever.
She is managed byAnonymous Content &FORM Artists.
De Wilde was married to drummerAaron Sperske. Footage from their wedding appeared in the music video for "By Your Side" byBeachwood Sparks.[15] Their daughter, Arrow de Wilde, is the lead singer for theLos Angeles–based bandStarcrawler.[5]
De Wilde suffers from arthritis necessitating the use of a cane. Her current cane is styled after one owned by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec that holds a shot of whiskey and an accompanying shot glass, found in a London umbrella shop by asking for their "weirdest cane".[5]
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Emma. | Feature film directorial debut |
| Year | Award | Category | Project | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Boston Society of Film Critics | Best New Filmmaker | Emma. | Nominated | [16] |
| 2020 | Hollywood Critics Association | Best Female Filmmaker | Nominated | ||
| 2020 | Indiana Film Journalists Association | Breakout of the Year | Nominated |
