Kevin Macdonald (director): Difference between revisions
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{{BLP sources|date=February 2013}} |
{{BLP sources|date=February 2013}} |
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{{Infobox person |
{{Infobox person |
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| name = Kevin Macdonald |
| name = Kevin Macdonald |
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| imagesize = |
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| caption = Macdonald |
| caption = Macdonald at the [[Film Festival Cologne]] 2017 |
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| birth_name = |
| birth_name = Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald |
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| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1967|10|28}} |
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1967|10|28}} |
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| birth_place = {{Nowrap|[[Glasgow]], Scotland |
| birth_place = {{Nowrap|[[Glasgow]], Scotland}} |
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| children = 3 |
| children = 3 |
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| spouse = {{marriage|Tatiana Lund|1999}} |
| spouse = {{marriage|Tatiana Lund|1999}} |
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|relatives=[[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] (brother)<br>[[Emeric Pressburger]] (grandfather) |
|relatives=[[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] (brother)<br>[[Emeric Pressburger]] (grandfather) |
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| occupation = |
| occupation = Film director, producer, screenwriter |
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| years_active = 1994–present |
| years_active = 1994–present |
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}} |
}} |
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'''Kevin Macdonald''' (born 28 October 1967) is a Scottish director. His films include ''[[One Day in September]]'' (1999), a documentary about the 1972 [[Munich massacre|murder of 11 Israeli athletes]], which won him the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]], the climbing documentary ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'' (2003), the drama ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'' (2006), the political thriller ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]'' (2009), the [[Bob Marley]] documentary ''[[Marley (film)|Marley]]'' (2012), the post-apocalyptic drama ''[[How I Live Now (film)|How I Live Now]]'' (2013), the thriller ''[[Black Sea (film)|Black Sea]]'' (2014), the [[Whitney Houston]] documentary ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'' (2018), and the legal drama film ''[[The Mauritanian]]'' (2021). |
'''Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald'''<ref>{{cite web|title=Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK|website=[[Companies House]]|access-date=5 April 2024|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/officers/TUcf0Bl79Dir5Rf1yA9u985PaGk/appointments}}</ref> (born 28 October 1967) is a Scottish film director. His films include ''[[One Day in September]]'' (1999), a documentary about the 1972 [[Munich massacre|murder of 11 Israeli athletes]], which won him the [[Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature]], the climbing documentary ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'' (2003), the drama ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'' (2006), the political thriller ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]'' (2009), the [[Bob Marley]] documentary ''[[Marley (film)|Marley]]'' (2012), the post-apocalyptic drama ''[[How I Live Now (film)|How I Live Now]]'' (2013), the thriller ''[[Black Sea (film)|Black Sea]]'' (2014), the [[Whitney Houston]] documentary ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'' (2018), and the legal drama film ''[[The Mauritanian]]'' (2021). |
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==Personal life== |
==Personal life== |
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His next film was ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'', a [[docudrama]] that told the story of two climbers making the first successful ascent of the West Face of [[Siula Grande]], a major peak in the Peruvian [[Andes]], in 1985 and the subsequent dramatic series of events during their descent after one of the climbers broke his leg whilst high on the peak. The film won the [[Alexander Korda]] Award for Best British Film at the [[57th British Academy Film Awards|2003–04 BAFTA Awards]] – coincidentally, it was Korda who had given Macdonald's grandfather his first job when he had arrived in [[UK|Britain]] in 1935. |
His next film was ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'', a [[docudrama]] that told the story of two climbers making the first successful ascent of the West Face of [[Siula Grande]], a major peak in the Peruvian [[Andes]], in 1985 and the subsequent dramatic series of events during their descent after one of the climbers broke his leg whilst high on the peak. The film won the [[Alexander Korda]] Award for Best British Film at the [[57th British Academy Film Awards|2003–04 BAFTA Awards]] – coincidentally, it was Korda who had given Macdonald's grandfather his first job when he had arrived in [[UK|Britain]] in 1935. |
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Next was ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'', which [[Forest Whitaker]] |
Next was ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'', for which [[Forest Whitaker]] received widespread acclaim and won multiple acting awards including [[Academy Award for Best Actor]]. |
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He has also directed a number of television commercials with |
He has also directed a number of television commercials with RSA Films who represent him for all his TV commercial work worldwide. |
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Macdonald directed [[State of Play (film)|the film adaptation]] of hit [[BBC Television|BBC |
Macdonald directed [[State of Play (film)|the film adaptation]] of hit [[BBC Television|BBC]] television drama ''[[State of Play (TV serial)|State of Play]]'', starring [[Russell Crowe]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.variety.com/VR1117977892.html | title=Norton exits 'State of Play' | author=Michael Fleming | work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] | date=18 December 2007 | access-date=18 December 2007 }}</ref> He then directed ''[[The Eagle (2011 film)|The Eagle]]'', an adaptation of the book ''[[The Eagle of the Ninth]]'', about a Roman Legion in 2nd century A.D. in [[Scotland]]. ''Bobby Fischer Goes to War'', his next project, is a film about the [[World Chess Championship 1972|1972 World Chess Championship]] in [[Reykjavík]], [[Iceland]], in which [[Bobby Fischer]] took on the entire Soviet chess establishment.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.filmstalker.co.uk/archives/2008/01/kevin_macdonald_directs_bobby.html | title=Kevin Macdonald directs Bobby Fischer | author=Richard Brunton | publisher= Filmstalker | date=31 January 2008 | access-date=31 January 2008 }}</ref> |
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Macdonald made the film ''[[Life in a Day (2011 film)|Life in a Day]]'' with producer [[Ridley Scott]]. The footage was filmed by thousands of people all around the world about their life in one day and posted on [[YouTube]]. The film premiered at the 2011 [[Sundance Film Festival]] to a global live audience, on 27 January 2011. |
Macdonald made the film ''[[Life in a Day (2011 film)|Life in a Day]]'' with producer [[Ridley Scott]]. The footage was filmed by thousands of people all around the world about their life in one day and posted on [[YouTube]]. The film premiered at the 2011 [[Sundance Film Festival]] to a global live audience, on 27 January 2011. |
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Macdonald worked with the film production team [[Altitude Film Distribution|Altitude]], who created the commercially and critically acclaimed [[Amy Winehouse]] documentary film ''[[Amy (2015 film)|Amy]]'' (2015), on ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'', a 2018 documentary based on [[Whitney Houston]]'s life and death. This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorized by the estate, and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like [[Clive Davis]]. Macdonald stated, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung - bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who transcended her race globally with her work sold in countries where black artists don't sell."<ref>{{Cite |
Macdonald worked with the film production team [[Altitude Film Distribution|Altitude]], who created the commercially and critically acclaimed [[Amy Winehouse]] documentary film ''[[Amy (2015 film)|Amy]]'' (2015), on ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'', a 2018 documentary based on [[Whitney Houston]]'s life and death. This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorized by the estate, and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like [[Clive Davis]]. Macdonald stated, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung - bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who transcended her race globally with her work sold in countries where black artists don't sell."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-36160713|title=Whitney Houston's life to be documented on film|work=BBC News |date=28 April 2016 |access-date=2016-04-28}}</ref> |
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[[File:Kevin Macdonald (cropped).jpg|thumb|Macdonald in 2010]] |
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In 2021, Macdonald released ''[[The Mauritanian]]'', a [[legal drama]] based on the true story of [[Mohamedou Ould Slahi]], a [[Mauritania]]n man who was held for fourteen years (from 2002 to 2016) without charge in the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]], a United States military prison. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Macdonald's direction, its cinematography and performances of the cast but criticised its screenplay. At the [[78th Golden Globe Awards]] the film received two nominations; [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama]] (for Rahim), with Foster winning [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]. At the [[74th British Academy Film Awards]] the film received five nominations, including [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]]. |
In 2021, Macdonald released ''[[The Mauritanian]]'', a [[legal drama]] based on the true story of [[Mohamedou Ould Slahi]], a [[Mauritania]]n man who was held for fourteen years (from 2002 to 2016) without charge in the [[Guantanamo Bay detention camp]], a United States military prison. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Macdonald's direction, its cinematography and performances of the cast but criticised its screenplay. At the [[78th Golden Globe Awards]] the film received two nominations; [[Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama|Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama]] (for Rahim), with Foster winning [[Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture|Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture]]. At the [[74th British Academy Film Awards]] the film received five nominations, including [[BAFTA Award for Best Film|Best Film]]. |
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His 2023 project ''George Blake'', produced by Femke Wolting, won the development prize at 2024 [[Series Mania]] SERIESMAKERS section.<ref>{{cite web |
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| url =https://cineuropa.org/newsdetail/458806 |
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| title =SERIESMAKERS awards Kevin Macdonald, Erik Matti and Barbara Albert |
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| last =Lemercier |
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| first =Fabien |
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| date =2024-03-21 |
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| publisher = Cineuropa |
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| access-date =2024-03-28}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |
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| url =https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/kevin-macdonald-erik-matti-barbara-albert-1235947077/ |
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| title =Scotland's Kevin Macdonald, The Philippines' Erik Matti and Austria's Barbara Albert Take Top Seriesmakers Honors |
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| last =Croll |
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| first =Ben |
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| date =2024-03-20 |
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| publisher = Variety |
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| access-date =2024-03-28}}</ref> |
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==Filmography== |
==Filmography== |
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As director: |
;As director: |
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* ''The Making of an Englishman'' (1995), about the filmmaker Emeric Pressburger |
* ''The Making of an Englishman'' (1995), about the filmmaker Emeric Pressburger |
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* ''Chaplin's Goliath'' (1996), about the actor [[Eric Campbell (actor)|Eric Campbell]] |
* ''Chaplin's Goliath'' (1996), about the actor [[Eric Campbell (actor)|Eric Campbell]] |
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* ''The Moving World of George Rickey'' (1997) |
* ''The Moving World of George Rickey'' (1997) |
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* ''Howard Hawks: American Artist'' (1997) |
* ''Howard Hawks: American Artist'' (1997) |
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* ''Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance'' (1998, also producer), about the film director [[Donald Cammell]] |
* ''Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance'' (1998, also producer), about the film director [[Donald Cammell]] (co-directed with Chris Rodley) |
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* ''Kindertransport'' (1998) |
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* ''[[One Day in September]]'' (1999) (won an [[Academy Award]]) |
* ''[[One Day in September]]'' (1999) (won an [[Academy Award]]) |
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* ''Humphrey Jennings'' (2000) |
* ''Humphrey Jennings'' (2000) |
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* ''A Brief History of Errol Morris'' (2000), interview with [[Errol Morris]] |
* ''A Brief History of Errol Morris'' (2000), interview with [[Errol Morris]] |
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* ''Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain'' (2000) |
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* ''[[Being Mick]]'' (2001), a fly-on-the-wall documentary following [[Mick Jagger]] |
* ''[[Being Mick]]'' (2001), a fly-on-the-wall documentary following [[Mick Jagger]] |
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* ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'' (2003) |
* ''[[Touching the Void (film)|Touching the Void]]'' (2003) |
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* ''Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande'' (2004) |
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* ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'' (2006) |
* ''[[The Last King of Scotland (film)|The Last King of Scotland]]'' (2006) |
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* ''[[My Enemy's Enemy]]'' (2007) |
* ''[[My Enemy's Enemy]]'' (2007) |
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* ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]'' (2009) |
* ''[[State of Play (film)|State of Play]]'' (2009) |
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* ''Shallow Grave: Digging Your Own Grave'' (2009) |
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* ''[[The Eagle (2011 film)|The Eagle]]'' (2011) |
* ''[[The Eagle (2011 film)|The Eagle]]'' (2011) |
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* ''[[Life in a Day (2011 film)|Life in a Day]]'' (2011) |
* ''[[Life in a Day (2011 film)|Life in a Day]]'' (2011) |
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* ''[[Marley (film)|Marley]]'' (2012) |
* ''[[Marley (film)|Marley]]'' (2012) |
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* ''[[How I Live Now (film)|How I Live Now]]'' (2013) |
* ''[[How I Live Now (film)|How I Live Now]]'' (2013) |
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* ''Christmas in a Day'' (2013) |
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* ''[[Black Sea (film)|Black Sea]]'' (2014) |
* ''[[Black Sea (film)|Black Sea]]'' (2014) |
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* ''[[11.22.63]] '' (2016) (episode 1, "The Rabbit Hole") |
* ''[[11.22.63]] '' (2016) (episode 1, "The Rabbit Hole") |
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* ''Sky Ladder |
* ''[[Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang]]'' (2016) |
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* ''[[Oasis (2017 film)|Oasis]]'' (2017) (originally intended as a TV series pilot) |
* ''[[Oasis (2017 film)|Oasis]]'' (2017) (originally intended as a TV series pilot) |
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* ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'' (2018) |
* ''[[Whitney (2018 film)|Whitney]]'' (2018) |
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* ''Return to Podor'' (2018) |
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* ''[[Life in a Day 2020]]'' (2021) |
* ''[[Life in a Day 2020]]'' (2021) |
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* ''[[The Mauritanian]]'' (2021) |
* ''[[The Mauritanian]]'' (2021) |
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* ''It Takes |
* ''It Takes a Flood...'' (2021)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.itv.com/presscentre/ep1week44/it-takes-flood|title=It Takes A Flood…|website=itv.com/presscentre|access-date=31 October 2021}}</ref> |
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* ''[[High & Low – John Galliano]]'' (2023) |
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* ''Last Song from Kabul'' (2023) |
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* ''George Blake'' TV series (2023) |
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* ''[[Klitschko brothers|Klitschko]]: More Than a Fight'' (2024) |
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* ''One to One: John & Yoko'' (2024) |
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==Bibliography== |
==Bibliography== |
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* ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. {{ISBN|0-571-17723-9}}. |
* ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. {{ISBN|0-571-17723-9}}. |
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* ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary: Second Edition'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. {{ISBN|0-571-22514-4}}. |
* ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary: Second Edition'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. {{ISBN|0-571-22514-4}}. |
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==Further reading== |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{cc}} |
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* {{IMDb name|531817}} |
* {{IMDb name|531817}} |
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* {{Screenonline name|id=874295|name=Kevin Macdonald}} |
* {{Screenonline name|id=874295|name=Kevin Macdonald}} |
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* An [https://web.archive.org/web/20050208175635/http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1139506.htm interview with Macdonald] on the making of ''Touching the Void'' |
* An [https://web.archive.org/web/20050208175635/http://www.abc.net.au/atthemovies/txt/s1139506.htm interview with Macdonald] on the making of ''Touching the Void'' |
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* An [https://web.archive.org/web/20070213065754/http://www.stv.tv/content/out/dontmiss/display.html?id=opencms%3A%2Fout%2Fdontmiss%2FThe_Last_King_Of_Scotland interview with Macdonald] on making ''The Last King of Scotland'' |
* An [https://web.archive.org/web/20070213065754/http://www.stv.tv/content/out/dontmiss/display.html?id=opencms%3A%2Fout%2Fdontmiss%2FThe_Last_King_Of_Scotland interview with Macdonald] on making ''The Last King of Scotland'' |
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* [http://grantland.com/features/a-qa-kevin-macdonald-director-new-bob-marley-documentary/ |
* [http://grantland.com/features/a-qa-kevin-macdonald-director-new-bob-marley-documentary/ Davy Rothbart Interviews Kevin Macdonald for Grantland] |
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* [http://www.roguefilms.com Television commercials] |
* [http://www.roguefilms.com Television commercials] |
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* [http://www.chelsea.com Kevin Macdonald's Commercial Work] (US) |
* [http://www.chelsea.com Kevin Macdonald's Commercial Work] (US) |
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{{Kevin Macdonald}} |
{{Kevin Macdonald}} |
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{{Authority control}} |
{{Authority control}} |
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Kevin}} |
{{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Kevin}} |
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[[Category:1967 births]] |
[[Category:1967 births]] |
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[[Category:British documentary film directors]] |
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[[Category:Living people]] |
[[Category:Living people]] |
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[[Category: |
[[Category:British documentary film directors]] |
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[[Category:Scottish documentary filmmakers]] |
[[Category:Scottish documentary filmmakers]] |
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[[Category:Scottish film directors]] |
[[Category:Scottish film directors]] |
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[[Category:Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners]] |
[[Category:Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners]] |
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[[Category:English-language film directors]] |
[[Category:English-language film directors]] |
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[[Category:British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent]] |
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[[Category:Scottish people of Jewish descent]] |
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Latest revision as of 23:51, 10 October 2024
Kevin Macdonald | |
---|---|
Born | Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald 28 October 1967 Glasgow, Scotland |
Occupation(s) | Film director, producer, screenwriter |
Years active | 1994–present |
Spouse |
Tatiana Lund (m. 1999) |
Children | 3 |
Relatives | Andrew Macdonald (brother) Emeric Pressburger (grandfather) |
Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald[1] (born 28 October 1967) is a Scottish film director. His films include One Day in September (1999), a documentary about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes, which won him the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, the climbing documentary Touching the Void (2003), the drama The Last King of Scotland (2006), the political thriller State of Play (2009), the Bob Marley documentary Marley (2012), the post-apocalyptic drama How I Live Now (2013), the thriller Black Sea (2014), the Whitney Houston documentary Whitney (2018), and the legal drama film The Mauritanian (2021).
Personal life
[edit]Macdonald was born in Glasgow, Scotland. His maternal grandparents were the Hungarian-born British Jewish filmmaker Emeric Pressburger and English screenwriter and actress Wendy Orme. He was brought up in Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire and attended the local primary school for the first five years of his education,[2] He was educated at Glenalmond College, and St Anne's College, Oxford. His brother Andrew Macdonald is a film producer.
In 1999, he married Tatiana Lund, with whom he has three sons. He lives in North London.
Career
[edit]Macdonald began his career with a biography of his grandfather, The Life and Death of a Screenwriter (1994), which he turned into the documentary The Making of an Englishman (1995).
After making a series of biographical documentaries, Macdonald directed One Day in September (1999), about the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Possibly the most striking feature of this film was the lengthy interview with Jamal Al-Gashey, the last known survivor of the Munich terrorists (it has been suggested recently in Aaron Klein's book Striking Back that another, Mohammed Safady, might also still be alive). Macdonald found Al-Gashey through intermediaries, and was able to convince him that the film would only be truly authentic if Al-Gashey gave his side of the story. Since the former terrorist was convinced that Israeli authorities were still hunting him (he had been in hiding ever since being ransomed for a hijacked aeroplane less than two months after the Munich massacre), Al-Gashey agreed to the interview only on condition that he would be disguised, his face would be shown only in shadow or blurred out, and that the interview would be conducted by a person and in a place of Al-Gashey's choosing (which turned out to be Amman, Jordan), although Al-Gashey agreed that Macdonald could be present. Since the interview was conducted entirely in Arabic (even though Al-Gashey was known to be fluent in English, having been interviewed in the language in 1972), and Al-Gashey (through paranoia or annoyance) frequently stormed out of the interview room, Macdonald did not know if he had anything usable until he returned to London and hired an Arabic translator. The film won an Oscar for Best Documentary.
His next film was Touching the Void, a docudrama that told the story of two climbers making the first successful ascent of the West Face of Siula Grande, a major peak in the Peruvian Andes, in 1985 and the subsequent dramatic series of events during their descent after one of the climbers broke his leg whilst high on the peak. The film won the Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film at the 2003–04 BAFTA Awards – coincidentally, it was Korda who had given Macdonald's grandfather his first job when he had arrived in Britain in 1935.
Next was The Last King of Scotland, for which Forest Whitaker received widespread acclaim and won multiple acting awards including Academy Award for Best Actor.
He has also directed a number of television commercials with RSA Films who represent him for all his TV commercial work worldwide.
Macdonald directed the film adaptation of hit BBC television drama State of Play, starring Russell Crowe.[3] He then directed The Eagle, an adaptation of the book The Eagle of the Ninth, about a Roman Legion in 2nd century A.D. in Scotland. Bobby Fischer Goes to War, his next project, is a film about the 1972 World Chess Championship in Reykjavík, Iceland, in which Bobby Fischer took on the entire Soviet chess establishment.[4]
Macdonald made the film Life in a Day with producer Ridley Scott. The footage was filmed by thousands of people all around the world about their life in one day and posted on YouTube. The film premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival to a global live audience, on 27 January 2011.
Macdonald worked with the film production team Altitude, who created the commercially and critically acclaimed Amy Winehouse documentary film Amy (2015), on Whitney, a 2018 documentary based on Whitney Houston's life and death. This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorized by the estate, and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like Clive Davis. Macdonald stated, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung - bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who transcended her race globally with her work sold in countries where black artists don't sell."[5]
In 2021, Macdonald released The Mauritanian, a legal drama based on the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a Mauritanian man who was held for fourteen years (from 2002 to 2016) without charge in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, a United States military prison. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Macdonald's direction, its cinematography and performances of the cast but criticised its screenplay. At the 78th Golden Globe Awards the film received two nominations; Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (for Rahim), with Foster winning Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. At the 74th British Academy Film Awards the film received five nominations, including Best Film.
His 2023 project George Blake, produced by Femke Wolting, won the development prize at 2024 Series Mania SERIESMAKERS section.[6][7]
Filmography
[edit]- As director
- The Making of an Englishman (1995), about the filmmaker Emeric Pressburger
- Chaplin's Goliath (1996), about the actor Eric Campbell
- The Moving World of George Rickey (1997)
- Howard Hawks: American Artist (1997)
- Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance (1998, also producer), about the film director Donald Cammell (co-directed with Chris Rodley)
- Kindertransport (1998)
- One Day in September (1999) (won an Academy Award)
- Humphrey Jennings (2000)
- A Brief History of Errol Morris (2000), interview with Errol Morris
- Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain (2000)
- Being Mick (2001), a fly-on-the-wall documentary following Mick Jagger
- Touching the Void (2003)
- Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande (2004)
- The Last King of Scotland (2006)
- My Enemy's Enemy (2007)
- State of Play (2009)
- Shallow Grave: Digging Your Own Grave (2009)
- The Eagle (2011)
- Life in a Day (2011)
- Marley (2012)
- How I Live Now (2013)
- Christmas in a Day (2013)
- Black Sea (2014)
- 11.22.63 (2016) (episode 1, "The Rabbit Hole")
- Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang (2016)
- Oasis (2017) (originally intended as a TV series pilot)
- Whitney (2018)
- Return to Podor (2018)
- Life in a Day 2020 (2021)
- The Mauritanian (2021)
- It Takes a Flood... (2021)[8]
- High & Low – John Galliano (2023)
- Last Song from Kabul (2023)
- George Blake TV series (2023)
- Klitschko: More Than a Fight (2024)
- One to One: John & Yoko (2024)
References
[edit]- ^ "Kevin Glyn Buchanan Macdonald personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". Companies House. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
- ^ Pfefferman, Naomi (11 September 2012). "Remembering 'One day in September'". The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles.
- ^ Michael Fleming (18 December 2007). "Norton exits 'State of Play'". Variety. Retrieved 18 December 2007.
- ^ Richard Brunton (31 January 2008). "Kevin Macdonald directs Bobby Fischer". Filmstalker. Retrieved 31 January 2008.
- ^ "Whitney Houston's life to be documented on film". BBC News. 28 April 2016. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
- ^ Lemercier, Fabien (21 March 2024). "SERIESMAKERS awards Kevin Macdonald, Erik Matti and Barbara Albert". Cineuropa. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ Croll, Ben (20 March 2024). "Scotland's Kevin Macdonald, The Philippines' Erik Matti and Austria's Barbara Albert Take Top Seriesmakers Honors". Variety. Retrieved 28 March 2024.
- ^ "It Takes A Flood…". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 31 October 2021.
Bibliography
[edit]- Emeric Pressburger: The Life and Death of a Screenwriter by Kevin Macdonald. London: Faber and Faber, 1994. ISBN (Paperback ISBN 0-571-17829-4).
- Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. ISBN 0-571-17723-9.
- Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary: Second Edition by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. ISBN 0-571-22514-4.
- Ian Aitken (ed) Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film, Routledge, 2005.
External links
[edit]- Kevin Macdonald at IMDb
- Kevin Macdonald at the BFI's Screenonline
- An interview with Macdonald on the making of Touching the Void
- An interview with Macdonald on making The Last King of Scotland
- Davy Rothbart Interviews Kevin Macdonald for Grantland
- Television commercials
- Kevin Macdonald's Commercial Work (US)
- 1967 births
- Living people
- British documentary film directors
- Scottish documentary filmmakers
- Scottish film directors
- Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners
- English-language film directors
- Film people from Glasgow
- Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford
- Scottish people of English descent
- British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent
- Scottish people of Hungarian descent
- Scottish people of Jewish descent
- People educated at Glenalmond College