Andrew Niccol

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 Simone, 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.

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.

In June 2021, Niccol was named as the director and writer of a film based on the Christchurch mosque shootings called They Are Us. The filmmakers' choice to focus on New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern's response rather than the victims generated criticism within New Zealand. In response to public backlash, Niccols confirmed that the film's development had been put on hold until a full consultation with the New Zealand Muslim community had been conducted.

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 Globe 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.

Niccol has written all the films he has directed and produced several of them. In 1999, he received the ALFS Award for "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards for his screenwriting work on The Truman Show (1998) and Gattaca (1997).

Niccol co-wrote the story for The Terminal, directed by Steven Spielberg. He also served as an executive producer on the film.

Filmography

Awards and nominations

References

References

1. (1964-06-10). "Andrew Niccol biography and filmography". Tribute.ca.
2. "The Films of Andrew Niccol - Reviews by David Nusair". Reelfilm.com.
3. Bozzola, Lucia. "Andrew Niccol Biography". Rotten Tomatoes.
4. Foley, Michael P.. (Spring 2006). "Plato, Christianity, and the Cinematic Craft of Andrew Niccol". Project Muse.
5. Bozzola, Lucia. (2014). "Andrew Niccol". [[The New York Times]].
6. "International competition of feature films". labiennale.org.
7. (24 July 2014). "Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
8. Mortimer, Adam Egypt. (2013-05-23). "The Minutes".
9. (10 June 2021). "Rose Byrne to Play New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Andrew Niccol's 'They Are Us'". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
10. (11 June 2021). "Jacinda Ardern Film Causes Backlash In New Zealand, Accusations of "White Saviorism"". [[The Hollywood Reporter]].
11. (12 June 2021). "Thousands sign petition denouncing mosque attacks film". [[Radio New Zealand]].
12. (23 July 2021). "They Are Us: controversial film about Christchurch attacks put on hold". [[The Guardian]].
13. (23 July 2021). "Development of Christchurch attack film They Are Us put on hold". [[Newshub]].