Oliver Hermanus

Last updated

Oliver Hermanus
Born (1983-05-26) 26 May 1983 (age 39)
Cape Town, South Africa
NationalitySouth African
Alma mater University of Cape Town
London Film School
Occupation(s)Film director, writer
Years active2009–present

Oliver Hermanus (born 26 May 1983) is a South African film director and writer. [1] His films include Shirley Adams (2009), Beauty (Skoonheid) (2011), The Endless River (2015), and Moffie (2019). His film Beauty won the Queer Palm Award at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. [2]

Contents

Early life and career

Hermanus was born in Cape Town and moved to Plettenberg Bay when he was three. He grew up in a house his father built in the hills, as his coloured family was not permitted to live in the town centre under Apartheid. His parents were ANC activists. His family buried banned books in the garden, ignored segregated beaches, and homeschooled his older siblings. [3] They commuted to school nearby in the Eastern Cape. [4]

Hermanus graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Media, and Visual Studies from the University of Cape Town. [5] He initially worked as a press photographer for the Cape Argus newspaper. [5] In 2006, Hermanus received a private scholarship to attend the London Film School, [5] where he earned his master's degree in film. [6]

Films

Shirley Adams

Shirley Adams , Hermanus's first film, released in 2009, relates the story of a single mother raising her paraplegic son, who was injured during a gang fight. [6] Hermanus has stated that he got the idea for the film from his sister, an occupational therapist, who told him the story of a teenage boy paralysed in a shooting incident. [7]

Shirley Adams premiered at the Durban International Film Festival in 2009 where the film received awards for Best South African Film, Best First Film, and Best Actress for Denise Newman. [6] The film was shown in competition at the Locarno Film Festival [8] and was also shown at the Toronto International Film Festival. [6] The film also won awards for Best Film and Best Director at the 2009 South African Film and Television Awards. [9]

Beauty

Beauty (known as Skoonheid in Afrikaans) was the fifth South African movie to be selected for competition at the Cannes Film Festival and the first in Afrikaans. [5] The film won the 2011 Queer Palm Award for best picture, [2] and Hermanus won the 2012 South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA) for Best Director. [10] Lead actor Deon Lotz won the 2012 SAFTA for Best Actor in a Feature Film for his role in Beauty, [10] as well as Best Actor at the Zurich Film Festival. [11] Beauty was also part of the Official Selection 2011 for the Prize Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival. [12]

Beauty relates the story of François, a married, closeted, middle-aged Afrikaner, who becomes obsessed with a handsome young lawyer, Christian (played by Charlie Keegan), the son of one of his friends. [13] Beauty was critically praised for being an "unvarnished study of the turbulence of the middle-aged male psyche, but it also addresses the current Afrikaner condition". [13] Another critic noted that the film's original title, Skoonheid, ". . . means 'beauty' in Afrikaans but literally translates as 'cleanliness' . . . is a story about the ugly truth of confronting parts of yourself that you hate and try to suppress". [14]

Some reviewers and critics noted that the film's subject matter and visuals could be "off-putting" [13] and "graphic". [15] Hermanus stated that he was grateful that the film stirred debate. [15] "The debates on the gay issues are amazing, but I'm still yearning for the debate to start on other issues like repression and racial tensions in the movie". [15]

Hermanus was guest of honour at "Side by Side," an international festival of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender film held in Moscow in April 2011. [16] The filmmaker presented Beauty at the festival. [16]

The Endless River

In 2015, Hermanus wrote and directed his third film, The Endless River . [17] This film became the first South African film to compete for the Golden Lion award at the Venice Film Festival. [17] Lead actress Crystal Donna Roberts also competed for the Best Actress award at the festival. [17]

The film is set in the small town of Riviersonderend in the Overberg region of South Africa and relates the story of a French expatriate and a small-town waitress who form a bond after the brutal murder of his family on a farm. [18] In describing Endless River, Hermanus explained, "I wanted to combine in my film a place I'm familiar with the story of violence happening in South Africa". [8]

Moffie

Moffie had its world premiere at the Venice International Film Festival on 4 September 2019. [19] The film is based on an autobiographical novel by South African writer André Carl van der Merwe, relating the author's experiences serving in the South African military during the Apartheid-era war in Angola. [19] The lead character, Nicholas van der Swart (played by Kai Luke Brümmer), and fellow recruit Stassen (Ryan de Villiers), share a mutual attraction but must make their sexuality invisible to avoid being viciously humiliated and brutalised. [20] '

Moffie was one of three Southern African films submitted for consideration in the 2021 Golden Globe Awards Best Foreign Language Film category. [21] Sidney was nominated for a 2021 British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Outstanding Debut; [22] the film also received a BFI nomination for Best Film and won the Jury Prize at the 2020 Dublin International Film Festival. [23] Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 90%, based on 94 reviews, with an average rating of 7.5/10. [24]

Living

In October 2020, it was announced that Hermanus would direct Living , his first non-South African film, starring Bill Nighy and Aimee Lou Wood. [25] The film's screenplay was written by the Japanese–British author Kazuo Ishiguro and is an adaptation of the 1952 Japanese film Ikiru . [25] Living premiered at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival. [26] and screened 2022 Venice Film Festival. The film received a number of accolades, including British Independent Film Award and British Academy Film Award nominations, as well as multiple acting nominations for Nighy. Nighy and Ishiguro then received Academy Award nominations in the acting and adapted screenplay categories respectively, making Living Hermanus' first film to receive Academy Award nominations.

The History of Sound

At the end of October 2021, it was announced Hermanus would adapt Ben Shattuck's short story "The History of Sound" starring Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal. [27] Hermanus had developed the script with Shattuck himself during COVID-19 lockdown. [28]

Television

For his first television project, Hermanus is attached to direct and executive produce Mary & George, a miniseries starring Julianne Moore as Mary Villiers, Countess of Buckingham for Sky Studios in the UK and AMC in the US. [29]

Personal life

Hermanus is gay. He lives in Barrydale. [30]

Awards

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hirokazu Kore-eda</span> Japanese filmmaker

Hirokazu Kore-eda is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor. He began his career in television and has since directed more than a dozen feature films, including Nobody Knows (2004), Still Walking (2008), and After the Storm (2016). He won the Jury Prize at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival for Like Father, Like Son and won the Palme d'Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival for Shoplifters.

Lisa Cholodenko is an American screenwriter and director. Cholodenko wrote and directed the films High Art (1998), Laurel Canyon (2002), and The Kids Are All Right (2010). She has also directed television, including the miniseries Olive Kitteridge (2014) and Unbelievable (2019). She has been nominated for an Academy Award and a Golden Globe and has won an Emmy and a DGA Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Sorrentino</span> Italian film director and screenwriter

Paolo Sorrentino is an Italian film director, screenwriter, and writer. His 2013 film The Great Beauty won the Academy Award, the Golden Globe, and the Bafta Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In Italy he was honoured with eight David di Donatello and six Nastro d'Argento.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brillante Mendoza</span> Filipino independent filmmaker

Brillante "Dante" Mendoza is a Filipino independent filmmaker. Mendoza is known one of the key members associated with the Filipino New Wave.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yorgos Lanthimos</span> Greek film producer and director

Georgios "Yorgos" Lanthimos is a Greek film director, film producer, screenwriter, photographer, theatre director and former professional basketball player. Since 2015, Lanthimos has transitioned from making films in Greek to making higher-budget English-language films produced in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States. In his English-language career, he has received three Academy Award nominations for his work: Best Original Screenplay for The Lobster (2015) and Best Director and Best Picture for The Favourite (2018).

Oliver Schmitz is a South African film director and screenwriter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shirley Frimpong-Manso</span> Ghanaian film director and producer

Shirley Frimpong-Manso is a Ghanaian film director, writer, and producer. She is the founder and CEO of Sparrow Productions, a film, television and advertising production company. She won Best Director at the 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards. Frimpong-Manso is also a principal of Sparrow Station, a video streaming service for African entertainment from Sparrow and other African film producers. In 2013, she was ranked the 48th most influential person in Ghana according to E.tv Ghana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Cannes Film Festival</span> Film festival

The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South Korean film director Bong Joon-ho was the head of the jury for the Caméra d'Or prize, which is awarded to the best first-time filmmaker. The American film The Tree of Life, directed by Terrence Malick won the Palme d'Or.

<i>Beauty</i> (2011 film) 2011 film

Beauty is a 2011 South African film co-written and directed by Oliver Hermanus. It premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the South African entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 84th Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist.

Steven Markovitz is a South African film and television producer. He has produced, co-produced and executive-produced features, documentaries and short films. Steven has been producing and distributing for over 20 years. Since 2007, he has worked all over Africa producing documentary series' and fiction. He is a member of AMPAS, co-founder of Electric South & Encounters Documentary Festival and the founder of the African Screen Network.

Shirley Adams is a 2009 film directed and written by South African filmmaker Oliver Hermanus.

Triggerfish is a computer animation film studio based in Cape Town, South Africa and Galway, Ireland. The studio is best known for its animated feature films Adventures in Zambezia (2012), Khumba (2013), and Seal Team (2021), as well as the work they have done on television specials created for UK producers Magic Light Pictures. In 2016, Stick Man was awarded the Cristal for best TV production at the Annecy International Animation Festival. In 2017, Revolting Rhymes again won the Cristal for best TV production at the Annecy Festival, and was nominated for the Best Short Film (Animated) Oscar at the 2018 Academy Awards. In 2019, Netflix announced that Triggerfish would produce its first African animated TV series. In 2020, Zog won the International Emmy for Best Kids Animation. In 2021, The Snail and The Whale won Best Special Production at The Annie Awards, while Triggerfish received the Mifa Animation Industry Award at Annecy for "the pioneering role that the company has played in animation in South Africa, and Africa most widely.” In 2022, their third film, Seal Team, made the Netflix Top 10 Films global list for its launch week.

<i>The Endless River</i> (film) 2015 film

The Endless River is a 2015 South African drama film directed by Oliver Hermanus. It was screened in the main competition section of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. It is the first South African film to be nominated for the Golden Lion. It was also shown in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.

Deon Lotz is a South African film, television, and theatre actor. He is perhaps best known internationally for roles in Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom and Beauty (Skoonheid). He has appeared in both English- and Afrikaans-language productions.

<i>Moffie</i> 2019 South African LGBT drama war film

Moffie is a 2019 biographical war romantic drama film co-written and directed by Oliver Hermanus. Based on the autobiographical novel of the same name by André Carl van der Merwe, the film depicts mandatory conscription into the notorious South African Defence Force (SADF) during apartheid through the eyes of a young closeted character Nicholas van der Swart as he attempts to hide his attraction to another gay recruit in a hostile environment. The title derives from a homophobic slur in South Africa used to police masculinity.

Denise Newman is a South African actress.

Kai Luke Brümmer is a South African actor. He is known for his role as Nicholas van der Swart in the film Moffie (2019). The Guardian named him one of the best new-and-up-comers at the 76th Venice Film Festival.

Crystal-Donna Roberts is a South African actress and presenter. She is best known for her roles in the films The Endless River (2015) and Krotoa (2017).

Jamie D. RamsaySASC is a South African cinematographer. He was nominated for a British Independent Film Award for his work on the film Moffie (2019). He appeared on the 2021 Variety list of 10 Cinematographers to Watch.

References

  1. ↑ "Oliver Hermanus." IMDb: The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 24 November 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Grange, Helen. "Award-Winning Film on Big Screen Soon". The Argus (Cape Town), 29 May 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  3. ↑ Aftab, Kaleem (23 April 2020). "Moffie director Oliver Hermanus: 'Apartheid bred a certain kind of hatred that still exists'". INews. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
  4. ↑ Smith, Theresa. "Director tackles SA's coloured complexities". IOL. Retrieved 5 February 2022.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Former Argus Man's Cannes Honour". The Argus (Cape Town), 15 April 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2015 from ProQuest.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Hermanus Set to Fly High at Fest". The Star (Johannesburg), 12 September 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2015 from ProQuest.
  7. ↑ Roddick, Nick. "The London Film School conquers the world". The Evening Standard (London), 24 July 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2015 from ProQuest.
  8. 1 2 Grandesso, Federico. "Interview: South African director presents in movie criminal gangs violence." Xinhua News Agency, 12 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015 from Factiva database.
  9. 1 2 3 "Oliver wants some more: Oliver Hermanus shows off his bounty at the 2009 film festival". Sunday Tribune (Durban), 17 July 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2015 from ProQuest.
  10. 1 2 3 "Stars come out to shine at SAFTA awards: Main winners". The Pretoria News, 12 March 2012. Retrieved 24 November 2015 from ProQuest.
  11. ↑ Nicholson, Zara. "South African Actor Wins Award in Zurich". Cape Times, 5 October 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  12. 1 2 "Official Selection 2011: Un Certain Regard. Festival de Cannes website. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  13. 1 2 3 Romney, Jonathan. "That's the problem with hacks, just a sniff of vodka and they're anybody's". The Independent on Sunday (London), 22 April 2012. Retrieved 29 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  14. ↑ Van Wyk, Andrea. "Secret Obsessions". The Sunday Independent (Johannesburg), 17 April 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  15. 1 2 3 Nicholson, Zara. "Gay film elicits praise and reproach". The Mercury (Durban), 9 August 2011. Retrieved 29 November 2015.
  16. 1 2 "LGBT community to hold film festival in Moscow". Daily News Bulletin, English (Moscow), 18 April 2013. Retrieved 29 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  17. 1 2 3 "First South African Film Selected for Venice Film Festival". All Africa, 31 July 2015. Retrieved 26 November 2015 from Factiva database.
  18. ↑ "Breakthrough for SA director as film makes top cut for Venice prize". The Pretoria News, 30 July 2015. Retrieved 29 November 2015 from ProQuest database.
  19. 1 2 Vourlias, Christopher (31 August 2019). "Venice Drama 'Moffie' Explores Homophobia in South Africa". Variety. Variety Media. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  20. ↑ Romney, Jonathan (4 September 2019). "'Moffie': Venice Review". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  21. ↑ "3 local films make the Golden Globes Foreign Language Film submission list". Channel24. News24. 8 December 2020. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  22. ↑ "2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Winners". BAFTA. 9 March 2021. Retrieved 20 June 2021.
  23. ↑ "Award Winners at VMDIFF20". DIFF Festival Limited.
  24. ↑ "Moffie (2019)". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango.
  25. 1 2 Engelbrecht, Linda (16 October 2020). "SA director Oliver Hermanus to helm international film Living starring Bill Nighy". Channel24. New24. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  26. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony; Patten, Dominic (9 December 2021). "Sundance 2022: Hybrid Festival Sees Princess Diana, Michael Kenneth Williams, Dakota Johnson, Bill Cosby, NYC Rock'n'Roll & Regina Hall Fill Lineup". Deadline. Retrieved 9 December 2021.
  27. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (29 October 2021). "Josh O'Connor And Paul Mescal To Star In 'The History Of Sound'; Oliver Hermanus To Direct WWI Love Story – AFM". Deadline. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  28. ↑ Eloff, Herman (29 October 2021). "SA filmmaker Oliver Hermanus to direct new film starring Josh O'Connor and Paul Mescal". Channel24. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
  29. ↑ Wiseman, Andreas (17 October 2022). "Julianne Moore To Lead Sky & AMC Period Drama 'Mary & George' About Mary Villiers, Son George & Royal Court Intrigue In Jacobean England — Mipcom Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
  30. ↑ McMichael, Christopher (15 June 2021). "'Moffie' battles toxic apartheid nostalgia". New Frame. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.