Peter Webber
{{short description|British director|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{For|those of a similar name|Peter Weber (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Peter Webber
| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1968}}
| birth_place = United Kingdom
| alma_mater = University of Bristol
| occupation = Film and television director and producer
| years_active = 1992–present
}}
Peter Webber (born May 1968){{Cite news |last=Fox |first=Killian |date=2019-08-04 |title=Peter Webber: ‘Making this film helped me through a dark place’ |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/aug/04/peter-webber-interview-inna-de-yard-reggae |access-date=2024-02-13 |work=The Observer |language=en-GB |issn=0029-7712}} is a British film and television director and producer whose debut feature film as a director was Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003). He subsequently directed Hannibal Rising (2007).
Early life
Webber took a one-year Postgraduate Film and TV course at the University of Bristol.{{cite web | url= http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2004/06/03/peter_webber_the_brits_interview.shtml | title= Peter Webber The Brits Interview| work=BBC Online | first=Stella | last=Papamichael | access-date=10 April 2021}}
Career
= Films =
Girl with a Pearl Earring, starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth, marked Webber's feature film debut. The film has received numerous accolades, including three Academy Award nominations, two Golden Globe nominations, and 10 BAFTA Award nominations.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
Dino De Laurentiis tapped Webber to direct Hannibal Rising. Based on Thomas Harris' book of the same name, and starring Gaspard Ulliel, Gong Li and Rhys Ifans, this prequel depicts a young Hannibal Lecter as he gradually becomes a serial killer.
Webber made his first short film, The Zebra Man, about sideshow performer Horace Ridler starring Minnie Driver.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
Then, in 2012, Webber returned to the big screen with the World War II drama Emperor, starring Tommy Lee Jones.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
=Television=
He directed Simon Russell Beale as Franz Schubert in The Temptation of Franz Schubert and explored the counter-culture of tunnel-dwelling road protesters in Underground. His 2001 Channel 4 miniseries Men Only stirred controversy for its frank and shocking portrayal of the dark side of male sexuality. It is notable for giving early leads to Stephen Moyer of True Blood and Martin Freeman of The Hobbit.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
In 2016, he directed the ITV miniseries Tutankhamun, starring Sam Neill.
=Documentary=
An award-winning documentary director, Webber directed several programmes for Channel 4 about classical music including child prodigies, maestros and composers such as Richard Wagner. He also directed several popular science documentaries about a range of subjects including crash test dummies, deep sea life and phantom limbs.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
In 2009, he travelled into the remote Colombian Amazon to film with the Macuna Tribe for a documentary called The Sand and the Rain.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
=Producer=
Webber moved to Qatar in 2008 where he took up the post of Creative Director at Qatar National Day for two years. During this time he developed their film programme. While in Qatar he also executive produced several documentary films including Sarajevo Film Festival winner For the Love of Books, which was also the recipient of a Grierson Award in 2012 for Best Historical Documentary.{{citation needed|date=June 2016}}
Filmography
=Films=
- The Stretford Wives (2001)
- Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003)
- Hannibal Rising (2007)
- Emperor (2012)
- Earth: One Amazing Day (2017){{cite web |url= https://variety.com/2015/film/global/bbc-china-smg-earth-sherlock-1201622887/|title= BBC, China's SMG to Co-Produce 'Earth,' Release 'Sherlock' in Chinese Theaters|author= Leo Barraclough|date= October 21, 2015|accessdate= October 21, 2015|work= variety.com}}
- Pickpockets: maestros del robo (2018){{cite web |url= https://www.revistaarcadia.com/cine/articulo/estreno-pelicula-colombiana-pickpockets/68864|title= 'Pickpockets': una película dedicada a Bogotá|author= Laura Ospina|date= April 13, 2018|accessdate= March 27, 2019|work=arcadia.com}}{{cite web |url= https://www.shock.co/cine-y-tv/pickpockets-llega-a-cines-el-chalequeo-bogotano-en-version-hollywood|title= "Pickpockets": llega a cines el chalequeo bogotano en versión Hollywood|author= Juliana Abaúnza|date= April 5, 2018|accessdate= March 27, 2019|work=shock.co}}{{cite web|url= http://www.rollingstone.com.co/principales/blog/pickpockets-otra-mirada-al-cine-colombiano|title= 'Pickpockets', otra mirada al cine colombiano|author= Santiago Andrade|date= April 12, 2018|accessdate= March 27, 2019|work= rollingstone.com.co}}{{Dead link|date=May 2020 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web |url= https://gatopardo.com/arte-y-cultura/pickpockets-maestros-del-robo-netflix/|title= Fábula de carteristas en Bogotá|author= Marcela Vargas|date= April 10, 2018|accessdate= March 27, 2019|work=gatopardo.com}}
- Inna de Yard: The Soul of Jamaica (2019){{cite news|first1=Mike|last1=McCahill|accessdate=2019-08-31|title=Inna de Yard review – a poignant tale of resistance, resilience and reggae|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/aug/30/inna-de-yard-the-soul-of-jamaica-review|newspaper=The Guardian|date=30 August 2019|issn=0261-3077|via=www.theguardian.com}}
=Television=
- The Temptation of Franz Schubert (1997)
- Underground (1999)
- Men Only (2001)
- Six Feet Under (2004, TV episode "The Dare")
- Tutankhamun (2016)
- Kingdoms of Fire (2019)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0916424|name=Peter Webber}}
{{Peter Webber}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Webber, Peter}}
Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol
Category:British film directors