Bille August | |
|---|---|
.jpg) August in 2008 | |
| Born | (1948-11-09)9 November 1948 (age 77) Brede, Denmark |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 1978–present |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 8, includingAnders,Asta,Alba, andAmaryllis |
Bille AugustR. (Danish:[ˈpiləˈɑwkɔst]; born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television.
August's 1987 filmPelle the Conqueror won thePalme d'Or,Academy Award andGolden Globe Award. He is one of only ten directors to win thePalme d'Or twice, 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 Widow andA Fortunate Man. He has received fiveRobert Awards (includingBest Film andBest Director) and threeBodil Awards forBest Danish Film. He is also aKnight of the Order of the Dannebrog.
August was born on 9 November 1948, inBrede, Denmark.[1] After attending local schools, he graduated from the Foto- och Dokumentärskolan in Stockholm, 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 August underGeorge Lucas onThe Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in The Perils of Cupid and Tales of Innocence. Pernilla would later star in the first two films of theStar Wars prequel trilogy and appeared in an episode ofThe Clone Wars television 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 (竞雄女侠秋瑾) andThe Years of Qi Xiao Fu (七小福之燃情岁月), 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 Versacebiopic withAntonio Banderas as Versace, but this project was cancelled.[4][5] In August 2021, it was announced that August would direct afeature film adaptation ofKaren Blixen's novelEhrengard, which is being produced byNetflix andSF Studios.[6]
Director
| 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 |
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 |
Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Et par dage med Magnus | Yes | No |
| 2024 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Yes | No |
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 |
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