Andrew Niccol

For the rugby player, see Andy Nicol. For the judge, see Andrew Nicol (judge).

Andrew Niccol (born 10 June 1964)^[1] 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).^[2] 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 films tend to explore social, cultural and political issues, as well as artificial realities, simulations and the male gaze.^[3][4][5]

Andrew Niccol
Niccol in 2012
Born	(1964-06-10) 10 June 1964 (age 59) Paraparaumu, New Zealand
Occupation(s)	Screenwriter, Film director, Film producer
Spouses	Susan Jennifer Sullivan ​ ​ (m. 1991; div. 2002)​ Rachel Roberts ​ ​ (m. 2002)​
Children	3

His film Good Kill was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st Venice International Film Festival.^[6][7]

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.^[8]

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.^[9] The filmmakers' choice to focus on Ardern's response rather than the victims generated criticism within New Zealand.^[10][11] 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.^[12][13]

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]}

Filmography

Year	Title	Director	Writer	Producer
1997	Gattaca	Yes	Yes	No
1998	The Truman Show	No	Yes	Yes
2002	Simone	Yes	Yes	Yes
2004	The Terminal	No	Story	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

Awards and nominations

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

References

1. "Andrew Niccol biography and filmography". Tribute.ca. 1964-06-10. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
2. "The Films of Andrew Niccol - Reviews by David Nusair". Reelfilm.com. Retrieved 2014-01-14.
3. Bozzola, Lucia. . Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on 16 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
4. Foley, Michael P. (Spring 2006). "Plato, Christianity, and the Cinematic Craft of Andrew Niccol". Logos: A Journal of Catholic Thought and Culture. Project Muse. 9 (2): 43–67. doi:10.1353/log.2006.0014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
5. Bozzola, Lucia (2014). . Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on 24 January 2014. Retrieved 13 January 2014.
6. . labiennale.org. Venice. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
7. "Venice Film Festival Lineup Announced". Deadline.com. Retrieved 24 July 2014.
8. Mortimer, Adam Egypt (2013-05-23), The Minutes, retrieved 2020-01-14
9. Ritman, Alex (10 June 2021). "Rose Byrne to Play New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in Andrew Niccol's 'They Are Us'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 10 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
10. Rahman, Abid (11 June 2021). "Jacinda Ardern Film Causes Backlash In New Zealand, Accusations of "White Saviorism"". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on 11 June 2021. Retrieved 11 June 2021.
11. "Thousands sign petition denouncing mosque attacks film". Radio New Zealand. 12 June 2021. from the original on 12 June 2021. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
12. McClure, Tess (23 July 2021). "They Are Us: controversial film about Christchurch attacks put on hold". The Guardian. from the original on 24 July 2021. Retrieved 24 July 2021.
13. Kronast, Hannah; Henry, Holly (23 July 2021). "Development of Christchurch attack film They Are Us put on hold". Newshub. Retrieved 24 July 2021.

External links

• Andrew Niccol at IMDb
• Andrew Niccol interview - Contactmusic.com