Andrew M. Niccol is a New Zealand screenwriter, producer, and director. He
wrote and directed Gattaca, S1m0ne, Lord of War, In Time, The Host, and Good
Kill. He also wrote and co-produced The Truman Show, which earned an Academy
Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay in 1999 and won a BAFTA award
for Best Screenplay. His films tend to explore social, cultural and political
issues, as well as artificial realities or simulations.
His film Good Kill has been selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 71st
Venice International Film Festival. Biography
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. During production of S1m0ne, he
met model and actress Rachel Roberts, with whom he has two children, Jack
Niccol,) and Ava Niccol. Directing
Niccol has directed the films Gattaca, S1m0ne, Lord of War, In Time, The Host,
and Good Kill. He has also directed a short film entitled The Minutes, which
is a documentary-esque, narrative tie-in to In Time that describes in more detail
the world and characters from the film. For his directorial debut and first
film, Gattaca, he won a Best Film award from the Stiges - Catalonian
International Film Festival and both a Special Jury Prize and the Fun Trophy
from the Gérardmer Film Festival. For his film Lord of War, he received a
Special Recognition for Excellence in Filmmaking from the National Board of
Review. Writing and producing
Niccol's first breakthrough screenplay was his script for the film The Truman
Show, 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 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, and an Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Original
Screenplay. 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 and
Gattaca. Niccol has written for all the films
that he has directed, including Gattaca, S1m0ne, Lord of War, In Time, The Host,
and Good Kill. Out of the films he has written and directed, he has produced
S1m0ne, Lord of War, In Time and "Good Kill".
He also wrote and came up with the story for the film The Terminal, directed by
Steven Spielberg. He also served as an executive producer on the film.
Filmography Awards
= Wins= 1997 Sitges - Catalonian International
Film Festival: Best Film for Gattaca
1998 Gérardmer Film Festival: Fun Trophy for Gattaca
Special Jury Prize for Gattaca 1999 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy
& Horror Films: Saturn Award for Best Writer The Truman
Show 1999 BAFTA Awards:
BAFTA Film Award for Best Original Screenplay The Truman Show
1999 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Screenwriter of the Year for The Truman
Show and Gattaca 1999 Online Film Critics Society Awards:
OFCS Award for Best Original Screenplay The Truman Show
2005 National Board of Review Awards: Special Recognition for Excellence in
Filmmaking Lord of War = Nominations=
1998 Paris Film Festival: Grand Prix Award for Gattaca
1999 Academy Awards: Oscar Award for Best Writing, Screenplay
Written Directly for the Screen The Truman Show
1999 BAFTA Awards: BAFTA Film Award for Best Film The
Truman Show 1999 Chicago Film Critics Association
Awards: CFCA Award for Best Screenplay The
Truman Show 1999 Golden Globes:
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture Screenplay The Truman Show
1999 Writers Guild of America: WGA Screen Award for Best Screenplay
Written Directly for the Screen The Truman Show
References External links
Andrew Niccol at the Internet Movie Database
Andrew Niccol interview - Contactmusic.com