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Mat Whitecross
| Mat Whitecross |
|---|
| (1977-09-21) 21 September 1977Oxford, England |
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| Director |
| editor |
| screenwriter |
| 1999–present |
Mat Whitecross (born 21 September 1977) is an English film director, editor, and screenwriter. He began his career working for Michael Winterbottom, a director, and producer Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films. Whitecross is known for directing *The Road to Guantánamo;*an Ian Dury biopic, Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll; as well as music documentaries Oasis: Supersonic and Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams. Whitecross has directed music videos for Coldplay, Take That and the Rolling Stones, being a long-time collaborator of Coldplay's.
Whitecross was born in Oxford, England and grew up there. His parents were political refugees who were imprisoned in Argentina during the country's Dirty War. He takes inspiration from the place where he grew up and from his parents' friends, many of whom are South American immigrants who fled tortures and prison. He began his career working for filmmaker Michael Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton at Revolution Films as a runner on the film 24 Hour Party People. Within a few months of starting at Revolution Films, they gave him the chance of shooting and editing for them. His directorial debut The Road to Guantanamo began as a conversation with Winterbottom about the Tipton Three whilst on the shoot for the film 9 Songs. They both agreed that the story was fascinating and worth of a film but due to other commitments, Winterbottom was unable to begin research and preparation, suggesting that Whitecross should start the process. Whitecross and Winterbottom then co-directed and co-wrote the film which features Riz Ahmed in his debut acting role. The Road to Guantánamo won the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 56th Berlin International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany and the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Editor | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 9 Songs | No | No | Yes | |
| 2006 | The Road to Guantánamo (co-directed and co-written with Michael Winterbottom) | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Scott Walker: 30 Century Man | No | No | Yes | ||
| 2009 | Moving to Mars | Yes | Yes | No | |
| The Shock Doctrine (co-directed with Michael Winterbottom) | Yes | No | Yes | ||
| 2010 | Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll | Yes | No | No | |
| 2012 | Ashes | Yes | No | No | |
| Spike Island | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2016 | Oasis: Supersonic | Yes | No | No | |
| 2018 | Coldplay: A Head Full of Dreams | Yes | No | No | |
| Live in São Paulo | Yes | No | No | ||
| 2022 | The Sound of 007 | Yes | No | No | |
| 2026 | Ídolos | Yes | No | No |
| Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Nearly Famous | Episode 1.3 – Episode 1.4 | |
| 2008 | Spooks: Code 9 | Episode 1.3 – Episode 1.4 | |
| 2014 | Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond | Episode 1.1 – Episode 1.4 | |
| 2017 | Red Nose Day Actually | Co-directed by Richard Curtis | |
| 2018 | Vic and Bob's Big Night Out |
| Year | Artist | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Coldplay | "Bigger Stronger" | |
| 2008 | "Violet Hill" (Dancing Politicians version) | ||
| "Lovers in Japan" | |||
| "Lost!" | |||
| 2010 | Take That | "The Flood" | |
| Coldplay | "Christmas Lights" | ||
| 2011 | Take That | "Kidz" (co-directed with Eran Creevy) | |
| Coldplay | "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" | ||
| "Paradise" | |||
| The Rolling Stones | "No Spare Parts" | ||
| 2012 | Coldplay | "Charlie Brown" | |
| 2014 | "A Sky Full of Stars" | ||
| 2015 | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | ||
| 2017 | Take That | "Giants" | |
| Coldplay | "Something Just Like This" (with The Chainsmokers / Tokyo Remix) | ||
| 2019 | "Orphans" | ||
| 2022 | Pink Floyd | "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!" | |
| Coldplay | "Biutyful" |
| Award | Year | Nominee / Work | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Road to Guantánamo | Best Single Drama | Nominated | ||
| 2006 | Golden Bear for Best Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
| Silver Bear for Best Director | Won | ||||
| Best Documentary | Won | ||||
| Best Achievement in Production | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | Oasis: Supersonic | Best Technical Achievement | Nominated | ||
| 2010 | Moving to Mars | Docufest Competition (Gold Award) | Won | ||
| 2017 | Oasis: Supersonic | Best Documentary | Won | ||
| 2006 | The Road to Guantánamo | Best Film | Nominated | ||
| Best Director | Nominated | ||||
| 2007 | Best Documentary Feature Film | Won | |||
| 2010 | Moving to Mars | Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue | Won | ||
| 2020 | "Orphans" | Best Rock | Won | ||
| 2012 | "Paradise" | Best Rock Video | Won | ||
| 2016 | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | Nominated | |||
| 2020 | "Orphans" | Won | |||
| 2011 | "Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall" | Platinum Award | Won | ||
| 2012 | "Paradise" | Won | |||
| "Charlie Brown" | Won | ||||
| "Paradise" | Best Group Video | Nominated | |||
| Best International Video – Group | Nominated | ||||
| 2016 | "Adventure of a Lifetime" | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Oasis: Supersonic | Best Music Film | Won | ||
| 2015 | Fleming: The Man Who Would Be Bond | Best Miniseries | Nominated | ||
| 2019 | Live in São Paulo | Best Live Concert | Nominated |
- Mat Whitecross at IMDb
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