Andrew Niccol

{{short description|New Zealand screenwriter, producer and film director (born 1964)}}

{{for-multi|the rugby player|Andy Nicol|the judge|Andrew Nicol (judge)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Andrew Niccol

| image = Andrew Niccol by Gage Skidmore.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Niccol in 2012

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1964|6|10}}

| birth_place = Paraparaumu, New Zealand

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Screenwriter, Film director, Film producer

| spouses = {{Unbulleted list|{{marriage|Susan Jennifer Sullivan
|1991|2002|end=div}}|{{marriage|Rachel Roberts
|2002}}}}

| children = 3

| website =

}}

Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964){{cite web|url=http://www.tribute.ca/people/andrew-niccol/1165/ |title=Andrew Niccol biography and filmography |publisher= | work= Tribute.ca |date=1964-06-10 |access-date=2014-01-14}} is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. He wrote and directed Gattaca (1997), Simone (2002), Lord of War (2005), In Time (2011), The Host (2013), and Good Kill (2014).{{cite web| url= http://www.reelfilm.com/niccol.htm |title=The Films of Andrew Niccol - Reviews by David Nusair |publisher= | work= Reelfilm.com |access-date= 2014-01-14}} He wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned him a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won him the BAFTA Award in the same category. His high-concept science fiction films tend to explore social, cultural and political issues; artificial realities and simulations are frequent themes in his work.{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andrew_niccol/biography.php|first=Lucia|last=Bozzola|title=Andrew Niccol Biography|work=Rotten Tomatoes|access-date=13 January 2014|archive-date=16 January 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140116102407/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/andrew_niccol/biography.php|url-status=dead}}{{cite journal |url= http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/log/summary/v009/9.2foley.html |title= Plato, Christianity, and the Cinematic Craft of Andrew Niccol| first= Michael P. |last= Foley| publisher= Project Muse |access-date=13 January 2014 |journal= Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture| volume= 9| number= 2| date= Spring 2006 |pages= 43–67 | doi= 10.1353/log.2006.0014|url-access= subscription}}{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/231638/Andrew-Niccol/biography|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140124132259/http://www.nytimes.com/movies/person/231638/Andrew-Niccol/biography| url-status= dead |archive-date= 24 January 2014|department=Movies & TV Dept.|work=The New York Times| first= Lucia |last= Bozzola|date=2014|title=Andrew Niccol|access-date=13 January 2014 }}

His film Good Kill was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.{{cite web |url= http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/71st-festival/line-up/off-sel/venezia71/ |title=International competition of feature films |access-date=24 July 2014 |work= labiennale.org| place= Venice |url-status = dead|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20141006083927/http://www.labiennale.org/en/cinema/71st-festival/line-up/off-sel/venezia71/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 }}{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2014/07/venice-film-festival-lineup-2014-movie-list-808803/ |title=Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced |access-date=24 July 2014 |work= Deadline Hollywood |date=24 July 2014 }}

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.{{Citation|last=Mortimer|first=Adam Egypt|title=The Minutes|date=2013-05-23|url=https://vimeo.com/66865394|access-date=2020-01-14}}

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.{{cite news|last1=Ritman|first1=Alex|date=10 June 2021|title=Rose Byrne to Play New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Andrew Niccol's 'They Are Us'|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/rose-byrne-jacinda-ardern-andrew-niccol-cannes-they-are-us-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-1234965908/|url-status=live|access-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210610221907/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/rose-byrne-jacinda-ardern-andrew-niccol-cannes-they-are-us-new-zealand-mosque-shooting-1234965908/|archive-date=10 June 2021}} The filmmakers' choice to focus on Ardern's response rather than the victims generated criticism within New Zealand.{{cite news|last1=Rahman|first1=Abid|date=11 June 2021|title=Jacinda Ardern Film Causes Backlash In New Zealand, Accusations of "White Saviorism"|work=The Hollywood Reporter|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jacinda-ardern-film-backlash-1234966629/|url-status=live|access-date=11 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210611123138/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/jacinda-ardern-film-backlash-1234966629/|archive-date=11 June 2021}}{{cite news|date=12 June 2021|title=Thousands sign petition denouncing mosque attacks film|work=Radio New Zealand|url=https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444568/thousands-sign-petition-denouncing-mosque-attacks-film|url-status=live|access-date=12 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210612042640/https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/444568/thousands-sign-petition-denouncing-mosque-attacks-film|archive-date=12 June 2021}} 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.{{cite news|last1=McClure|first1=Tess|date=23 July 2021|title=They Are Us: controversial film about Christchurch attacks put on hold|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/23/they-are-us-controversial-film-about-christchurch-attacks-put-on-hold|url-status=live|access-date=24 July 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724024047/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2021/jul/23/they-are-us-controversial-film-about-christchurch-attacks-put-on-hold|archive-date=24 July 2021}}{{cite news|last1=Kronast|first1=Hannah|last2=Henry|first2=Holly|date=23 July 2021|title=Development of Christchurch attack film They Are Us put on hold|work=Newshub|url=https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/07/development-of-christchurch-attack-film-they-are-us-put-on-hold.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210724122142/https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2021/07/development-of-christchurch-attack-film-they-are-us-put-on-hold.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 24, 2021|access-date=24 July 2021}}

=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 Globes 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. He has written all the films he has directed and produced several of them.

In 1999, Niccol received the ALFS Award for "Screenwriter of the Year" from the London Critics Circle Film Awards for his screenwriting work on the screenplays of 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.{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}

Filmography

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! width=65 \| Director ! width=65 \| Writer ! width=65 \| Producer
1997 \| Gattaca \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{no}}
1998 \| The Truman Show \| {{No}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
2002 \| Simone \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
2004 \| The Terminal \| {{No}} \| {{partial\|Story}} \| {{partial\|Executive}}
2005 \| Lord of War \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
2011 \| In Time \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
2013 \| The Host \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{No}}
2014 \| Good Kill \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
2018 \| Anon \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}
{{TBA}} \| I, Object \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}} \| {{Yes}}

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! width=65 | Director

! width=65 | Writer

! width=65 | Producer

1997

| Gattaca

| {{Yes}}

| {{no}}

1998

| The Truman Show

| {{No}}

| {{Yes}}

2002

| Simone

| {{Yes}}

2004

| The Terminal

| {{No}}

| {{partial|Story}}

| {{partial|Executive}}

2005

| Lord of War

| {{Yes}}

2011

| In Time

| {{Yes}}

2013

| The Host

| {{Yes}}

| {{No}}

2014

| Good Kill

| {{Yes}}

2018

| Anon

| {{Yes}}

| I, Object

| {{Yes}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable"
Year ! Title ! Award/Nomination
1997 \| Gattaca \| Sitges Film Festival for Best Film London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
1998 \| The Truman Show \| BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay Saturn Award for Best Writing London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year Nominated- Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Nominated- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay Nominated- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay Nominated- Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay
2014 \| Good Kill \| Nominated- Golden Lion

class="wikitable"

Year

! Title

! Award/Nomination

1997

| Gattaca

| Sitges Film Festival for Best Film
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year

1998

| The Truman Show

| BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Saturn Award for Best Writing
London Film Critics' Circle Award for Screenwriter of the Year
Nominated- Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated- Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated- Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay
Nominated- Writers Guild of America for Best Screenplay

2014

| Good Kill