Phillip Noyce

Last updated

Phillip Noyce
AO
Phillip Noyce by Gage Skidmore.jpg
Noyce in 2010
Born (1950-04-29) 29 April 1950 (age 74)
Alma mater University of Sydney
Australian Film, Television and Radio School
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1969–present
Known for Rabbit-Proof Fence , Dead Calm , Clear and Present Danger , Roots (2016)

Phillip Roger Noyce AO (born 29 April 1950) is an Australian film and television director. Since 1977, he has directed over 19 feature films in various genres, including historical drama ( Newsfront , Rabbit-Proof Fence , The Quiet American ); thrillers ( Dead Calm , Sliver , The Bone Collector ); and action films ( Blind Fury , The Saint , Salt ). He has also directed the Jack Ryan adaptations Patriot Games (1992) and Clear and Present Danger (1994), as well as the 2014 adaptation of Lois Lowry's The Giver .

Contents

He has worked at various times with such actors as Val Kilmer, Harrison Ford, Denzel Washington, Michael Caine, Angelina Jolie, Nicole Kidman, Meryl Streep, Rutger Hauer and three films with Thora Birch over 25 years. He has also directed, written and executive-produced television programmes in both Australia and North America, including The Cowra Breakout , Vietnam , Revenge , Roots , and Netflix's What/If.

Noyce's work has won him several accolades, including AACTA Awards for Best Film, Best Director and a special Longford Lyell lifetime achievement award.

Early life and education

Phillip Roger Noyce [1] was born on 29 April 1950 [2] in Griffith, New South Wales. [3]

He attended high school at Barker College in Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18. His first short film, the 15-minute Better to Reign in Hell, was financed by selling roles to his friends.[ citation needed ]

He graduated from Sydney University, and then attended the Australian Film, Television and Radio School in 1973.[ citation needed ]

In 1969, Noyce ran the Sydney Filmmakers Co-op, a collective of filmmakers. With Jan Chapman, he ran the Filmmaker's Cinema for three years above a bookshop in Sydney, screening the short films of the directors who would go on to form the Australian New Wave: Gillian Armstrong, Peter Weir, Bruce Beresford, George Miller and Paul Cox.[ citation needed ]

Career

Noyce released his first professional film in 1975. Many of his films feature espionage, as Noyce grew up listening to his father's stories of serving with the Australian Commando unit Z Force during World War II. [4]

After his debut feature, the medium-length Backroads (1977), Noyce achieved huge commercial and critical success with Newsfront (1978), which won Australian Film Institute (AFI) awards for Best Film, Director, Actor and Screenplay; it opened the London Film Festival and was the first Australian film to play at the New York Film Festival.[ citation needed ]

Noyce worked on two miniseries for Australian television with fellow Australian filmmaker George Miller: The Dismissal (1983) and The Cowra Breakout (1984). Miller also produced the film that brought Noyce to the attention of Hollywood studios – Dead Calm (1988), which also launched the career of Nicole Kidman. After Dead Calm, Noyce went to the US to direct Blind Fury , starring Rutger Hauer, for Tri-Star Pictures.[ citation needed ]

Moving with his young family to the US in 1991, Noyce directed five films over the following eight years, of which Clear and Present Danger , starring Harrison Ford, was the most successful, critically and commercially, grossing $216 million.[ citation needed ] After 1999's Bone Collector starring Angelina Jolie and Denzel Washington, Noyce decided to return to Australia for the Stolen Generations saga Rabbit-Proof Fence , which won the AFI Award for Best Film in 2002. He has described Rabbit-Proof Fence as "easily" his proudest moment as a director: "Showing that film to various Aboriginal communities around the country and seeing their response, because it gave validity to the experiences of the Stolen Generations." [5]

Noyce was also lauded for The Quiet American , the 2002 adaptation of Graham Greene's novel, which gave Michael Caine an Academy Award Best Actor nomination and earned best director awards from London Film Critics' Circle and National Board of Review in the US.[ citation needed ] After the apartheid-set Catch a Fire (2006) in South Africa,[ citation needed ] Noyce decided to make another big budget studio film with 2010's Salt starring Angelina Jolie, which proved to be his biggest commercial hit to date, making nearly $300 million worldwide. [4]

In 2011, Noyce directed and executive produced the pilot for the American Broadcasting Company series Revenge and has since directed numerous TV pilots, including Netflix's What/If starring Renée Zellweger and the FOX Network hit The Resident. In 2017, he signed a first look deal with 20th Century Fox Television. [6]

Above Suspicion, starring Emilia Clarke and Jack Huston, originally to be released in America in 2020 by Roadside Attractions, was delayed until May 2021 due to the Coronavirus Pandemic.[ citation needed ]

In 2021, Noyce became executive producer on the film Show Me What You Got, written and directed by Svetlana Cvetko. [7]

The Desperate Hour , starring Naomi Watts, was released in the US by Roadside Attractions in March 2022.[ citation needed ]

In late 2021, a 17 feature and 10 shorts retrospective of Noyce's work was presented at the Cinémathèque Française in Paris.[ citation needed ]

Noyce's next film, Fast Charlie , a darkly comedic thriller starring Pierce Brosnan, Morena Baccarin and James Caan, written by Richard Wenk was released in the US in December 2023, earning Noyce highly positive reviews.[ citation needed ]

Other activities

As of 2024 Noyce is an ambassador for SmartFone Flick Fest (SF3), held annually in Sydney. [8]

Recognition, honours, and awards

In the Australia Day Honours in January 2023, Noyce was made an Officer of the Order of Australia (AO) by the Australian Government. [1]

YearTitleAwards and nominations
1978 Newsfront Australian Film Institute Award for Best Director
Australian Film Institute Award for Best Screenplay, Original
Best First Film Award (Taormina Film Fest)
Best Director Award (Taormina Film Fest)
Nominated- Golden Charybdis (Taormina Film Fest)
1982 Heatwave Special Mention (Mystfest)
Nominated- Best Film of Festival Award (Mystfest)
1989 Dead Calm Nominated- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Director
2002 Rabbit-Proof Fence Australian Film Institute Award for Best Film
Christopher Award for Best Film
Film Critics Circle of Australia Award for Best Director
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Director of the Year (shared with The Quiet American)
National Board of Review Award for Best Director (shared with The Quiet American)
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Special Citation (shared with The Quiet American)
Audience Award (Durban International Film Festival)
Audience Award (Edinburgh International Film Festival)
Audience Award (Leeds International Film Festival)
Audience Award for Best Foreign-Language Film (São Paulo International Film Festival)
Audience Award for Feature Film (Valladolid International Film Festival)
People's Choice Award for Beat Feature-Length Fiction Film (Denver Film Festival)
Nominated- Australian Film Institute Award for Best Director
Nominated- Inside Film Award for Best Director
The Quiet American London Film Critics' Circle Award for Director of the Year (shared with Rabbit-Proof Fence)
National Board of Review Award for Best Director (shared with Rabbit-Proof Fence)
San Francisco Film Critics Circle Special Citation (shared with Rabbit-Proof Fence)
Nominated- Satellite Award for Best Director
Nominated- Golden Kinnaree Award for Best Film (Bangkok International Film Festival)
2014 The Giver Truly Moving Picture Award - Feature Film (Heartland Film Festival)
2024 Satyajit Ray Lifetime Achievement Award 55th International Film Festival of India [9]

Filmography

Films

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriter
1977 Backroads YesYesYes
1978 Newsfront YesNoYes
1982 Heatwave YesNoYes
1987 Echoes of Paradise YesNoNo
1989 Dead Calm YesNoNo
Blind Fury YesNoNo
1992 Patriot Games YesNoNo
1993 Sliver YesNoNo
1994 Clear and Present Danger YesNoNo
1997 The Saint YesNoNo
1999 The Bone Collector YesNoNo
2002 Rabbit-Proof Fence YesYesNo
The Quiet American YesNoNo
2006 Catch a Fire YesNoNo
2010 Salt YesNoNo
2014 The Giver YesNoNo
2021 Above Suspicion YesNoNo
2022 The Desperate Hour YesNoNo
2023 Fast Charlie YesNoNo

Executive producer

Short films

YearTitleDirectorProducer
1969Better to Reign in HellYesYes
1971SunYesYes
MemoriesYesYes
IntersectionYesYes
HomeYesYes
Camera ClassYesYes
1973That's ShowbizYesNo
Castor and PolluxYesNo
Caravan ParkYesYes
1974Renegades: Fragments from a Diary of Three Years Experience 1970-73YesYes
1975Finks Make MoviesYesYes
1977DiscoYesNo
1978Tapak Dewata JavaYesNo
1979Sue and Mario: The Italian AustraliansYesNo
Bali: Island of the GodsYesNo

Documentary films

YearTitleDirectorProducerNotes
1971Good AfternoonYesYes
1976God Knows Why, But It WorksYesYes
2004Welcome to São PauloYesYesSegment "Marca Zero"

Television

TV movies

TV series

YearTitleDirectorProducerWriterNotes
1983 The Dismissal YesNoYesMiniseries
Director - Episode: "Part Two"
1984 The Cowra Breakout YesNoYesMiniseries
3 episodes
1985-89 The Hitchhiker YesNoNo5 episodes
1987 Vietnam NoYesYesMiniseries
1992 Nightmare Cafe YesNoNoEpisode "Pilot"
1998The Repair ShopYesNoNoUnaired pilot
2003 Tru Calling YesExecutiveNoDirector - Episode "Pilot"
Executive producer - 2 episodes
2006-07 Brotherhood YesExecutiveNoDirector - 2 episodes
Executive producer - 3 episodes
2011-12 Revenge YesYesNoDirector - 2 episodes
Consulting producer - 21 episodes
Executive producer - 2 episodes
2011 Lights Out NoExecutiveNo3 episodes
2012AmericanaYesExecutiveNoUnaired pilot
Luck YesNoNoEpisode "Ace Meets With a Colleague"
2014 Crisis YesNoNoDirector - Episode: "Pilot"
Executive producer - 13 episodes
2015WarriorYesNoNoUnaired pilot
2016 Roots YesNoNoMiniseries
Episode "Part 1"
2018 The Resident YesNoNoDirector - 2 episodes
Executive producer - 40 episodes
2019 What/If YesExecutiveNoDirector - 2 episodes

Unmade films

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinema of Australia</span>

The cinema of Australia began with the 1906 production of The Story of the Kelly Gang, arguably the world's first feature film. Since then, Australian crews have produced many films, a number of which have received international recognition. Many actors and filmmakers with international reputations started their careers in Australian films, and many of these have established lucrative careers in larger film-producing centres such as the United States.

<i>Rabbit-Proof Fence</i> 2002 Australian film by Phillip Noyce

Rabbit-Proof Fence is a 2002 Australian epic drama film directed and produced by Phillip Noyce. It was based on the 1996 book Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara, an Aboriginal Australian author. It is loosely based on the author's mother Molly Craig, aunt Daisy Kadibil, and cousin Gracie, who escaped from the Moore River Native Settlement, north of Perth, Western Australia, to return to their Aboriginal families. They had been removed from their families and placed there in 1931.

Robert James Ellis was an Australian writer, journalist, filmmaker, and political commentator. He was a student at the University of Sydney at the same time as other notable Australians including Clive James, Germaine Greer, Les Murray, John Bell, Robert Hughes and Mungo McCallum. He lived in Sydney with the author and screenwriter Anne Brooksbank; they had three children.

<i>The Bone Collector</i> 1999 film by Phillip Noyce

The Bone Collector is a 1999 American crime thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie. The film is based on the 1997 crime novel of the same name written by Jeffery Deaver. It focuses on a quadriplegic homicide detective and a newly recruited patrol officer investigating a series of homicides in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Australian Film, Television and Radio School</span> Screen and broadcast school

The Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS), formerly Australian Film and Television School, is Australia's national screen arts and broadcast school. The school is a Commonwealth Government statutory authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Cristofer</span> American actor and director

Michael Cristofer is an American actor, playwright, and filmmaker. He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and the Tony Award for Best Play for The Shadow Box in 1977. From 2015 to 2019, he played the role of Phillip Price in the television series Mr. Robot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris Noonan</span> Australian filmmaker and actor (born 1952)

Chris Noonan is an Australian filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the family film Babe (1995), for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Director and Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

<i>Newsfront</i> 1978 Australian film

Newsfront is a 1978 Australian drama film directed by Phillip Noyce, and starring Bill Hunter, Wendy Hughes, Chris Haywood and Bryan Brown. The screenplay is written by David Elfick, Bob Ellis, Philippe Mora, and Noyce. The original music score is composed by William Motzing. Shot on location in Sydney, Australia, the film is shot in black and white, and colour, incorporating actual newsreel footage.

<i>Blind Fury</i> 1989 film by Phillip Noyce

Blind Fury is a 1989 American action comedy film directed by Phillip Noyce and starring Rutger Hauer, Terry O'Quinn, Lisa Blount, Randall "Tex" Cobb, and Noble Willingham. It is a modernized, English-language remake of Zatoichi Challenged, the 17th film in the Japanese Zatoichi film series.

Ingo Petzke is an internationally acknowledged German film scholar, filmmaker and author. Ingo Petzke grew up in Osnabrück. He attended the Münster and Bochum universities and received his master's degree in 1973.

<i>Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence</i> 1996 book by Doris Pilkington

Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence is an Australian book by Doris Pilkington, published in 1996. Based on a true story, the book is a personal account of an Indigenous Australian family's experiences as members of the Stolen Generation—the forced removal of mixed-race children from their families during the early 20th century. It tells the story of three young Aboriginal girls: Molly, Daisy, and Gracie, who are forcibly removed from their families at Jigalong and taken to Moore River, but escape from the government settlement in 1931 and then trek over 1,600 kilometres (990 mi) home by following the rabbit-proof fence, a massive pest-exclusion fence that crossed Western Australia from north to south.

<i>Backroads</i> (1977 film) 1977 Australian film

Backroads is a 1977 Australian film directed by Phillip Noyce. Two strangers – one white (Jack), one Aboriginal (Gary) – steal a car in western New South Wales and drive around the coast. The original characters came from a story by Adelaide writer John Emery, with whom Noyce had worked on a short film. Australian reviews of the film were mixed, and it opened commercially in only one cinema.

David Elfick is an Australian film and television writer, director, producer and occasional actor. He is known for his association with writer-director Phillip Noyce, with whom he has collaborated on films including Newsfront (1978) and Rabbit-Proof Fence (2002).

<i>Heatwave</i> (film) 1982 Australian film

Heatwave is a 1982 Australian film directed by Phillip Noyce based on the murder of Juanita Nielsen. It was the second of two films inspired by the story that came out at that time, the first being The Killing of Angel Street (1981).

<i>Salt</i> (2010 film) 2010 film by Phillip Noyce

Salt is a 2010 American action thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Jolie plays CIA operative Evelyn Salt, who is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent and goes on the run to try to clear her name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Winter (filmmaker)</span> Australian filmmaker

John Winter is an Australian film and television writer, director and producer. He is best known for producing Rabbit-Proof Fence, Doing Time for Patsy Cline and Paperback Hero. His directorial debut Black & White & Sex premiered at the 2011 Sydney Film Festival with its international premiere at the 41st International Film Festival Rotterdam. The film won the 'Best Experimental' at the 2012 ATOM Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alexander Archdale</span> British actor (1905–1986)

Alexander Mervyn Archdale was a British actor, manager and theatre producer. He had a very long career in both the theatre and in film, stretching from the 1930s to the 1980s. He spent the latter part of his life and career in Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emile Sherman</span> Australian film producer

Emile Paul Sherman is an Australian film and television producer best known for producing the film The King's Speech (2010), for which he won an Academy Award for Best Picture and the BAFTA award for Best Film and Best British Film, and for executive producing television series Top of the Lake, which was nominated for an Emmy, BAFTA and Golden Globe award. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and won one; nominated for five BAFTAs and won three, and nominated for two Emmy Awards and won one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">7th AACTA Awards</span> 2017 Australian cinema awards

The 7th Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards took place on 6 December 2017. Presented by the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA), the awards celebrated the best in Australian feature film, television, documentary and short film productions of 2017. A record number of thirty five feature films were submitted for competition. The main ceremony was televised in Australia by the Seven Network.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SmartFone Flick Fest</span> Film festival in Sydney

SmartFone Flick Fest, also known as SF3, is an annual film festival held in Sydney, Australia, since 2015. It screens films made on smartphones and tablets, awarding 40 prizes over six categories.

References

  1. 1 2 "Mr Phillip Roger NOYCE : Officer of the Order of Australia". Australian Honours Search Facility. Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (Australia) . Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  2. "Today in History: April 29, Dachau is liberated". Archived from the original on 29 April 2022.
  3. Schneider, Steven Jay, ed. (2007). 501 Movie Directors. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 529. ISBN   9781844035731. OCLC   1347156402.
  4. 1 2 "Phillip Noyce: Salt – The Treatment". KCRW. 21 July 2010. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
  5. "Steve Dow, Journalist". Stevedow.com.au. Retrieved 24 October 2012.
  6. Otterson, Joe (26 October 2017). "Phillip Noyce Sets First-Look Deal With 20th Century Fox Television, Hires New VP of Production". Variety. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
  7. Kornits, Dov (17 May 2022). "Svetlana Cvetko Shows Us What She's Got". FilmInk. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  8. "SF3 festival ambassadors". SF3. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
  9. Naman Ramachandran (11 November 2024). "Robbie Williams Film 'Better Man' to Open India's IFFI Fest, Phillip Noyce Set for Lifetime Honor". Variety . Retrieved 11 November 2024.
  10. Rod Bishop & Peter Beilby, "Ken Cameron", Cinema Papers, March–April 1979 p 257-258

Further reading