Gus Green Van Sant Jr.
(born July 24, 1952) is an American film director, producer, photographer, and musician. He has earned acclaim as both an
independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independe ...
and
mainstream filmmaker. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures, in particular homosexuality. Van Sant is considered one of the most prominent
auteurs of the
New Queer Cinema movement.
His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest (sometimes Cascadia, or simply abbreviated as PNW) is a geographic region in western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Thou ...
. He made his feature-length cinematic directorial debut with ''
Mala Noche'' (1985). His second feature, ''
Drugstore Cowboy'' (1989), was highly acclaimed, and earned him screenwriting awards from the
Los Angeles Film Critics Association and
New York Film Critics Circle and the award for Best Director from the
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...
. His next film, ''
My Own Private Idaho'' (1991), was similarly praised, as was the
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
''
To Die For'' (1995), the drama ''
Good Will Hunting'' (1997), and the biographical film ''
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...
'' (2008); for the latter two, Van Sant was nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Director and both films received
Best Picture nominations.
In 2003, Van Sant's film about the
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
, ''
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
'', won the
Palme d'Or at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
. Van Sant also received the festival's
Best Director Award that same year, making him one of only two filmmakers—the other being
Joel Coen—to win both accolades at the festival in the same year.
Though most of Van Sant's other films received favourable reviews, such as ''
Finding Forrester'' (2000) and ''
Paranoid Park'' (2007), some of his efforts, such as the
art house production ''
Last Days'' (2005) and the environmental drama ''
Promised Land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
'' (2012), have received more mixed reviews from critics, while his
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
of
Tom Robbins's ''
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'' (1993), his
1998 remake of
Alfred Hitchcock's ''
Psycho'', and ''
The Sea of Trees
''The Sea of Trees'' is a 2015 American drama mystery film directed by Gus Van Sant and written by Chris Sparling. The film stars Matthew McConaughey, Ken Watanabe, Naomi Watts, Katie Aselton and Jordan Gavaris.
The film is about an American m ...
'' (2015), were critical and commercial failures.
Van Sant wrote the screenplays for several of his earlier works, and is the author of a novel,
''Pink''. A book of his photography, ''108 Portraits'', has been published, and he has released two musical albums.
He is gay and lives in the
Los Feliz section of
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
.
Early life
Van Sant was born and raised in
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville ( , , ) is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and the 28th most-populous city in the United States. Louisville is the historical seat and, since 2003, the nominal seat of Jefferson County, on the Indiana border ...
, the son of Betty (née Seay) and Gus Green Van Sant Sr; Gus's father was a clothing manufacturer and traveling salesman,
who rapidly worked his way into middle class prosperity, holding executive marketing positions that included being president of the
White Stag Manufacturing Company's Apparel Operation.
As a result of his father's job, the family moved continually during Van Sant's childhood.
His paternal family is of partial Dutch origin; the name "Van Sant" is derived from the Dutch name "
''Van Zandt''". The earliest Van Zandt arrived in the
New Netherland
New Netherland ( nl, Nieuw Nederland; la, Novum Belgium or ) was a 17th-century colonial province of the Dutch Republic that was located on the east coast of what is now the United States. The claimed territories extended from the Delmarva ...
area in the early 17th century, around what is now New York City.
Van Sant is an alumnus of
Darien High School
Darien High School is the single public high school serving the town of Darien, Connecticut, in the United States.
Background
In 2014, Darien High School had the highest SAT scores in the state. In the 2004–2005 school year, Darien had the se ...
in
Darien, Connecticut, and
The Catlin Gabel School
The Catlin Gabel School is an independent preschool through 12th grade institution located on 67 acres in Portland, Oregon 5 miles west of downtown. Annual enrollment is approximately 780 students from a wide variety of cultures, backgrounds, and ...
in
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
. One constant in the director's early years was his interest in visual arts (namely, painting and
Super-8
Super 8 mm film is a motion-picture film format released in 1965 by Eastman Kodak as an improvement over the older "Double" or "Regular" 8 mm home movie format.
The film is nominally 8 mm wide, the same as older formatted 8& ...
filmmaking); while still in school he began making semi-autobiographical shorts costing between 30 and 50 dollars. Van Sant's artistic leanings took him to the
Rhode Island School of Design
The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...
in 1970, where his introduction to various avant-garde directors inspired him to change his major from painting to cinema.
Career
1982–1989: Early career
After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976. He secured a job as a production assistant to filmmaker
Ken Shapiro, with whom he developed a few ideas, none of which came to fruition. In 1981, Van Sant made ''Alice in Hollywood'', a film about a naïve young actress who goes to Hollywood and abandons her ideals. It was never released. During this period, Van Sant began to spend time observing the denizens of the more down-and-out sections of
Hollywood Boulevard. He became fascinated by the existence of this marginalized section of L.A.'s population, especially in context with the more ordinary, prosperous world that surrounded them. Van Sant would repeatedly focus his work on those existing on society's fringes, making his feature film
directorial debut ''
Mala Noche''.
It was made two years after Van Sant went to New York to work in an advertising agency. He saved $20,000 during his tenure there, enabling him to finance the majority of his tale of doomed love between a gay liquor store clerk and a Mexican immigrant. The film, which was taken from Portland street writer
Walt Curtis
Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include:
People Given name
* Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer
* Walt ...
' semi-autobiographical novella, featured some of the director's hallmarks, notably an unfulfilled romanticism, a dry sense of the absurd, and the refusal to treat homosexuality as something deserving of judgment. Unlike many gay filmmakers, Van Sant—who had long been openly gay—declined to use same-sex relationships as fodder for overtly political statements, although such relationships would frequently appear in his films.
Shot in black-and-white, the film earned Van Sant almost overnight acclaim on the festival circuit, with the ''Los Angeles Times'' naming it the year's best
independent film. The film's success attracted Hollywood interest, and Van Sant was briefly courted by
Universal
Universal is the adjective for universe.
Universal may also refer to:
Companies
* NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company
** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of NBCUniversal
** Universal TV, a t ...
; the courtship ended after Van Sant pitched a series of project ideas (including what would become ''
Drugstore Cowboy'' and ''
My Own Private Idaho'') that the studio declined to take interest in.
Van Sant returned to
Portland, Oregon
Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous ...
, where he set up house and began giving life to the ideas rejected by Universal. He directed ''Drugstore Cowboy'' about four drug addicts robbing pharmacies to support their habit. The film met with great critical success and revived the career of
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination.
Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
.
1990–1995: Indie and arthouse success
''Drugstore Cowboys exploration of the lives of those living on society's outer fringes, as well as its Portland setting, were mirrored in Van Sant's next effort, the similarly acclaimed ''
My Own Private Idaho'' (1991). Only with the success of ''Cowboy'' was Van Sant now given license to make ''Idaho'' (a film he had originally pitched that was knocked back several times because the studios deemed the script 'too risky').
New Line Cinema
New Line Cinema is an American film production studio owned by Warner Bros. Discovery and is a film label of Warner Bros. It was founded in 1967 by Robert Shaye as an independent film distribution company; later becoming a film studio after ...
now gave Van Sant the green light, and he went on a mission to get the ''Idaho'' script into the hands of
River Phoenix and
Keanu Reeves, his preferred choice for the two young leads. After months of struggle with agents and managers over the content of the script, Van Sant finally secured Phoenix and Reeves, who played the roles of Mike Waters and Scott Favor, respectively.
Centering around the dealings of two male hustlers (played by Phoenix and Reeves), the film was a compelling examination of unrequited love, alienation, and the concept of family (a concept Van Sant repeatedly explores in his films). The film won him an
Independent Spirit Award for his screenplay (he had won the same award for his ''
Drugstore Cowboy'' screenplay), as well as greater prestige. The film gained River Phoenix best actor honors at the
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
among others. It helped Reeves—previously best known for his work in the ''
Bill and Ted'' movies—to get the critical respect that had eluded him.
Van Sant's next film, a 1993
adaptation
In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...
of
Tom Robbins' ''
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues'', was an excessive flop, both commercially and critically. Featuring an unusually large budget (for Van Sant, at least) of $8.5 million and a large, eclectic cast including
Uma Thurman,
John Hurt, Keanu Reeves and a newcomer in the form of River Phoenix's younger sister
Rain
Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
(at Phoenix's suggestion), the film was worked and then reworked, but the finished product nonetheless resulted in something approaching a significant disaster.
Van Sant's 1995 film ''
To Die For'' helped to restore his luster. An adaptation of
Joyce Maynard's novel, the
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to disc ...
starred
Nicole Kidman as a murderously ambitious weather girl; it also stars
Matt Dillon
Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Oscar and Grammy nomination.
Dillon made his feature film debut in '' Over the Edge'' (1979) and established himself as a te ...
as her hapless husband and, the third Phoenix sibling in as many projects,
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...
, as her equally hapless lover (River had died of a drug overdose a year and half earlier). It was Van Sant's first effort for a major studio (
Columbia
Columbia may refer to:
* Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America
Places North America Natural features
* Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...
), and its success paved the way for further projects of the director's choosing. The same year, he served as executive producer for
Larry Clark's ''
Kids
Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to:
Common meanings
* Colloquial term for a child or other young person
** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age
* Engage in joking
* Young goats
* The goat meat of young goats
* Kidskin, leath ...
''; it was a fitting assignment, due to both the film's subject matter and the fact that Clark's photographs of junkies had served as reference points for Van Sant's ''Drugstore Cowboy''.
1997–2003: Mainstream breakout
In 1997, Van Sant gained mainstream recognition and critical acclaim thanks to ''
Good Will Hunting'', which was written by
Matt Damon and
Ben Affleck. The film, about a troubled, blue-collar mathematical genius, was a huge critical and commercial success. It was nominated for nine
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
s, including Best Director for Van Sant. It won two, including Best Screenplay for Damon and Affleck, and Best Supporting Actor Oscar for
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams (July 21, 1951August 11, 2014) was an American actor and comedian. Known for his improvisational skills and the wide variety of characters he created on the spur of the moment and portrayed on film, in dramas and come ...
, who, in his acceptance speech, referred to Van Sant as "being so subtle you're almost subliminal." Van Sant, Damon and Affleck parodied themselves and the film's success in
Kevin Smith's''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back.''
Van Sant received the opportunity to
remake Alfred Hitchcock's classic ''
Psycho''. As opposed to reinterpreting the 1960 film, Van Sant opted to recreate the film shot-for-shot, in color, with a cast of young Hollywood A-listers. His decision was met with equal parts curiosity, skepticism, and derision from industry insiders and outsiders alike, and the finished result met with a similar reception. It starred
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche ( ; May 25, 1969August 11, 2022) was an American actress, known for her roles in a variety of genres in film, television, and theater, receiving numerous accolades, including a National Board of Review Award and multiple Emmy ...
,
Vince Vaughn and
Julianne Moore, and met with a negative critical reception and did
poorly at the box office.
In 2000, Van Sant directed ''
Finding Forrester'', about a high-school student (
Rob Brown) from
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...
unlikely becoming a friend of a crusty, reclusive author (
Sean Connery). Critical response was generally positive and became a box office success.
In addition to directing, he devoted considerable energy to releasing two albums and publishing a novel, ''
Pink
Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...
'', which was a thinly veiled exploration of his grief over River Phoenix's death.
2003–present: Return to arthouse cinema
Van Sant traveled to the deserts of
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest ...
,
Utah
Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to its ...
, and
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in Nort ...
for the production of 2002's ''
Gerry'', a loosely devised, largely improvised feature in which stars Matt Damon and
Casey Affleck—both playing characters named Gerry—wander through the desert, discussing ''
Wheel of Fortune The Wheel of Fortune or '' Rota Fortunae'' has been a concept and metaphor since ancient times referring to the capricious nature of Fate. Wheel of Fortune may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Art
* ''The Wheel of Fortune'' (Burne-J ...
'', video games, and nothing in particular. The film premiered at the
Sundance Film Festival.
It took ''Gerry'' over a year to make it to theaters, in which time Van Sant began production on his next film, ''
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
''. Approached by
HBO and producer
Diane Keaton to craft a fictional film based on the 1999
Columbine High School massacre
On April 20, 1999, a school shooting and attempted bombing occurred at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado, United States. The perpetrators, 12th grade students Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, murdered 12 students and one teacher. ...
, the director chose to shoot in his hometown of Portland, employing dozens of untrained, teen actors. Melding improvisational long takes like those in ''Gerry'' with
Harris Savides
Harris Savides (; Greek: Χάρης Σαββίδης; September 28, 1957 – October 9, 2012)Weber, BrucHarris Savides, Visual Poet, Dies at 55''New York Times'', October 12, 2012. Retrieved October 12, 2012. was an American cinematographer. Not ...
' fluid camerawork, the film was influenced by Alan Clarke's 1989 film of the same name (see ''
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
''). The finished film provoked strong reactions from audiences at the
2003 Cannes Film Festival
The 56th Cannes Film Festival started on 14 May and ran until 25 May 2003. French opera and theatre director, filmmaker, actor and producer Patrice Chéreau was the President of the Jury. The Palme d'Or went to the American film ''Elephant'' by ...
. At the
Cannes
Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The ...
festival, the jury awarded ''Elephant'' with their top prize, the
Palme d'Or, and Van Sant with his first Best Director statue from the festival.
In 2005, Van Sant released ''
Last Days'', the final component of what he refers to as his "Death Trilogy", (the other parts being ''Gerry'' and ''Elephant''). It is a fictionalized account of what happened to
Nirvana
( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lamp Richard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colomb ...
frontman
Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
in the days leading up to his death. In 2006, Van Sant began work on ''
Paranoid Park'' based on the book by
Blake Nelson
Blake Nelson is an American author of adult and children's literature. He grew up in Portland, Oregon, and attended Wesleyan University and New York University. He lives in Hillsboro, Oregon, in the Portland metropolitan area.
Biography
Nelson ...
, about a skateboarding teenager who accidentally causes someone's death. The film was released in Europe in February 2008. He also directed the "Le Marais" segment of the omnibus film ''
Paris, je t'aime''.
Released in 2008, Van Sant's ''
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...
'' is a biopic of
openly gay San Francisco politician
Harvey Milk, who was assassinated in 1978. The film received eight
Oscar nominations at the
81st Academy Awards, including
Best Picture, winning two for
Best Actor in a Leading Role
Best or The Best may refer to:
People
* Best (surname), people with the surname Best
* Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer
Companies and organizations
* Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain
* Best Lock Corporation ...
for
Sean Penn
Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He has won two Academy Awards, for his roles in the mystery drama ''Mystic River'' (2003) and the biopic ''Milk'' (2008).
Penn began his acting career in televisi ...
, who starred as Milk, and
Best Original Screenplay for writer
Dustin Lance Black. Van Sant was nominated for
Best Director. Van Sant later stated that his experience with Sean Penn on the film was "amazing".
His 2011 film ''
Restless
Restless may refer to:
*Psychomotor agitation, restlessness experienced as a result of certain medications or conditions
Music
* Restless Records
Albums
* ''Restless'' (Sara Evans album) and its title track, 2003
* ''Restless'' (Murray He ...
''
was screened in the
Un Certain Regard section at the
2011 Cannes Film Festival
The 64th Cannes Film Festival was held from 11 to 22 May 2011. American actor Robert De Niro served as the president of the jury for the main competition and French filmmaker Michel Gondry headed the jury for the short film competition. South ...
, and starred Henry Hopper and
Mia Wasikowska.
Van Sant's film, ''
Promised Land
The Promised Land ( he, הארץ המובטחת, translit.: ''ha'aretz hamuvtakhat''; ar, أرض الميعاد, translit.: ''ard al-mi'ad; also known as "The Land of Milk and Honey"'') is the land which, according to the Tanakh (the Hebrew ...
'', was released on December 28, 2012. The film stars
Frances McDormand, Matt Damon, and John Krasinski—the latter two co-wrote the screenplay based on a story by Dave Eggers. Filmed in April 2012, the production company, Focus Features, selected the release date so that the film is eligible to qualify for awards consideration.
Following ''Promised Land'', Van Sant directed a film titled ''
Sea of Trees'', which starred
Matthew McConaughey and
Ken Watanabe
is a Japanese actor. To English-speaking audiences, he is known for playing tragic hero characters, such as General Tadamichi Kuribayashi in ''Letters from Iwo Jima'' and Lord Katsumoto Moritsugu in '' The Last Samurai'', for which he was nom ...
. The film tells the story of a man who travels to the infamous
Aokigahara suicide forest in Japan to kill himself, only to encounter another man wishing to kill himself as well, with whom he then embarks on a "spiritual journey". The film was selected to compete for the
Palme d'Or at the
2015 Cannes Film Festival but was met with harsh critical reception at the Cannes, being booed and laughed at.
In December 2016, it was announced Van Sant would direct ''
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
''Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot'' is a 2018 American comedy-drama film directed by Gus Van Sant and based upon the memoir of the same name by John Callahan. The cast includes Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, and Jack Black, and ...
'', a biopic about cartoonist
John Callahan, starring
Joaquin Phoenix
Joaquin Rafael Phoenix (; né Bottom; born October 28, 1974) is an American actor. He is known for playing dark and unconventional characters in independent films. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academ ...
,
Rooney Mara,
Jonah Hill
Jonah Hill Feldstein (born December 20, 1983) is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is known for his comedic roles in films including '' Superbad'' (2007), ''Knocked Up'' (2007), '' 21 Jump Street'' (2012), '' This Is the End'' (201 ...
,
Jack Black and
Mark Webber. Principal photography began in March 2017.
Other work
Van Sant released two musical albums: ''Gus Van Sant'' and ''18 Songs About Golf''. Van Sant played himself in episodes of the HBO series ''
Entourage'' and the IFC series ''
Portlandia
''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Br ...
''.
Van Sant directed the pilot for the Starz television program ''
Boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
'', starring
Kelsey Grammer. Van Sant went onto The
Bret Easton Ellis
Bret Easton Ellis (born March 7, 1964) is an American author, screenwriter, short-story writer, and director. Ellis was first regarded as one of the so-called literary Brat Pack and is a self-proclaimed satirist whose trademark technique, as a ...
Podcast to discuss filmmaking, writing, film history and their collaborations that never got made (''The Golden Suicides'') and the one that did (''
The Canyons'').
Archive
The moving image collection of Gus Van Sant is held at the
Academy Film Archive. The archive has preserved many of Van Sant's short films, including ''The Happy Organ'', ''Ken Death Gets Out of Jail'', ''Five Ways to Kill Yourself'', and others.
Awards and nominations
* Career Achievement
**
Provincetown International Film Festival Filmmaker on the Edge Award (2002)
* ''
Drugstore Cowboy'' (1989)
**
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay (with Daniel Yost)
**
Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay (with Daniel Yost)
**
National Society of Film Critics
The National Society of Film Critics (NSFC) is an American film critic organization. The organization is known for its highbrow tastes, and its annual awards are one of the most prestigious film critics awards in the United States. In January 2014, ...
Award for Best Director
** National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay (with Daniel Yost)
**
New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay (with Daniel Yost)
* ''
My Own Private Idaho'' (1991)
**
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...
Official Selection
**
Toronto Festival of Festivals
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI, short for Fédération Internationale de la PRESse CInématographique) is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world fo ...
Prize
* ''
Good Will Hunting'' (1997)
**
Berlin Film Festival Official Selection
**
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Director
ilm won for Best Supporting Actor and Best Original Screenplay**
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...
(DGA) nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
**
Satellite Award nomination for Best Director
* ''
Finding Forrester'' (2000)
** Berlin Film Festival Prize of the Guild of German Art House Cinemas
* ''
Elephant
Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantida ...
'' (2003)
**
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
Palme d'Or
** Cannes Film Festival
Prix de la mise en scène
* ''
Last Days'' (2005)
**
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
Official Selection
* ''
Paranoid Park'' (2007)
**
Boston Society of Film Critics Award
The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) is an organization of film reviewers from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
History
The BSFC was formed in 1981 to make “Boston’s unique critical perspective heard on a national and internati ...
for Best Director
**
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films ...
"Prix du 60ème anniversaire" (also acknowledging his body of works)
* ''
Milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Immune factors and immune-modulat ...
'' (2008)
**
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
nomination for Best Director
ilm won Best Actor in a Leading Role and Best Original Screenplay**
Boston Society of Film Critics Award
The Boston Society of Film Critics (BSFC) is an organization of film reviewers from Boston, Massachusetts in the United States.
History
The BSFC was formed in 1981 to make “Boston’s unique critical perspective heard on a national and internati ...
for Best Director
**
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award nomination for Best Director
** The
Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year
**
Directors Guild of America
The Directors Guild of America (DGA) is an entertainment guild that represents the interests of film director, film and television director, television directors in the United States motion picture industry and abroad. Founded as the Screen Dire ...
(DGA) nomination for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures
**
Satellite Award nomination for Best Director
Filmography
Feature films
Executive producer only
* ''
Kids
Kid, Kids, KIDS, and K.I.D.S. may refer to:
Common meanings
* Colloquial term for a child or other young person
** Also for a parent's offspring regardless of age
* Engage in joking
* Young goats
* The goat meat of young goats
* Kidskin, leath ...
'' (1995)
* ''
Speedway Junky'' (1999)
* ''
Tarnation'' (2003)
* ''
Wild Tigers I Have Known
''Wild Tigers I Have Known'' is a 2006 coming of age drama film written, edited, produced and directed by Cam Archer and starring Malcolm Stumpf, Patrick White, Max Paradise, Fairuza Balk, Kim Dickens, and Tom Gilroy. The film follows Logan, a l ...
'' (2006)
* ''Lightfield's Home Videos'' (2006)
* ''
Howl'' (2010)
* ''
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are ...
'' (2010)
* ''Act Up!'' (2012)
* ''
Laurence Anyways'' (2012)
* ''
Revolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
'' (2013)
* ''
I Am Michael'' (2015)
* ''
Age Out'' (2018)
Short films
* ''Fun with a Bloodroot'' (1967) 2 min 20 sec,
8 mm color
Color (American English) or colour (British English) is the visual perceptual property deriving from the spectrum of light interacting with the photoreceptor cells of the eyes. Color categories and physical specifications of color are associ ...
* ''The Happy Organ'' (1971) 20 min,
16 mm black and white
* ''Little Johnny'' (1972) 40 sec, 16 mm black and white
* ''1/2 of a Telephone Conversation'' (1973) 2 min, 16 mm black and white
* ''Late Morning Start'' (1975) 28 min, 16 mm color
* ''The Discipline of DE'' (1978) 9 min, 16 mm black and white, adaptation of
William S. Burroughs' short story, narrated by
Ken Shapiro
* ''Alice in Hollywood'' (1981) 45 min, 16 mm color
* ''My Friend'' (1982) 3 min, 16 mm black and white
* ''Where'd She Go?'' (1983) 3 min, 16 mm color
* ''Nightmare Typhoon'' (1984) 9 min, 16 mm black and white
* ''My New Friend'' (1984) 3 min, 16 mm color
* ''Ken Death Gets Out of Jail'' (1985) 3 min, 16 mm black and white
* ''Five Ways to Kill Yourself'' (1986) 3 min, 16 mm black and white
* ''Thanksgiving Prayer'' (1991) 2 min, 35 mm color, written by and starring
William S. Burroughs
* ''Four Boys in a Volvo'' (1996) 4min, color
* ''
Paris, je t'aime'' (2006) segment "Le Marais"
* ''
To Each His Own Cinema
''To Each His Own Cinema'' (french: link=no, Chacun son cinéma : une déclaration d'amour au grand écran) is a 2007 French comedy-drama anthology film commissioned for the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival. The film is a collection of ...
'' (2007) segment "First Kiss" (3 min)
* ''
8'' (2008) segment "Mansion on the Hill"
Music videos
* "Thanksgiving Prayer" by
William Burroughs (1990)
* "
Fame '90
"Fame" is a song recorded by English singer-songwriter David Bowie. It was released on his 1975 album '' Young Americans'' and was later issued as the album's second single by RCA Records in July 1975. Written by Bowie, Carlos Alomar and Joh ...
" by
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...
(1990)
* "I'm Seventeen" by
Tommy Conwell & The Young Rumblers (1991)
* "
Under the Bridge" by
Red Hot Chili Peppers (1992)
* "Bang Bang Bang" by
Tracy Chapman (1992)
* "
Runaway
Runaway, Runaways or Run Away may refer to:
Engineering
* Runaway reaction, a chemical reaction releasing more heat than what can be removed and becoming uncontrollable
* Thermal runaway, self-increase of the reaction rate of an exothermic proc ...
" by
Deee-Lite (1992)
* "
The Last Song" by
Elton John (1992)
* "San Francisco Days" by
Chris Isaak (1993)
* "Just Keep Me Moving" by
k.d. lang (1993)
* "
Creep
Creep, Creeps or CREEP may refer to:
People
* Creep, a creepy person
Politics
* Committee for the Re-Election of the President (CRP), mockingly abbreviated as CREEP, an fundraising organization for Richard Nixon's 1972 re-election campaign
Art ...
" (alternative version) by
Stone Temple Pilots (1993)
* "Understanding" by
Candlebox (1995)
* "Ballad of the Skeletons" by
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
with
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained worldwide fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John Lennon. One ...
,
Philip Glass,
Lenny Kaye et al. (1996)
* "
Weird" by
Hanson
Hanson or Hansson may refer to:
People
* Hanson (surname)
* Hansson (surname)
* Hanson (wrestler), ringname of an American professional wrestler
Musical groups
* Hanson (band), an American pop rock band
* Hanson (UK band), an English rock ...
(1998)
* "
Who Did You Think I Was" (turntable version) by
John Mayer Trio (2005)
* "
Desecration Smile
"Desecration Smile" is a song from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and was on their 2006 double album, ''Stadium Arcadium''. The song was the fourth single released from the album.
The song was first heard by fans when it was played at the Bridge Schoo ...
" by
Red Hot Chili Peppers (2007)
[ Note that Chris Isaak's ''Solitary Man'' (1993) was ''not'' directed by Van Sant but by Larry Clark.]
* "Ain't it Funny" by
Danny Brown (2016)
Recordings
* ''The Elvis of Letters'' (1985) with
William S. Burroughs
* ''Millions of Images'' (1990) with
William S. Burroughs
Actor
* ''
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' (2001) as Himself
* ''
Entourage''- Season 5, Episode 12: ''Return to Queens Blvd.'' (2008) as Himself
* ''
The Canyons'' (2013) as Dr. Campbell
Television
* ''The Devil You Know'' (2015) – Director, executive producer
* ''
When We Rise'' (2017), an American miniseries written by
Dustin Lance Black – Director of first two-hour part
Boss Season1 Ep 1 Director
See also
*
List of LGBT people from Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon has a large LGBT community for its size. Notable LGBT people from the city include:
* Sam Adams – first openly gay mayor of a large U.S. city
* Matt Alber – singer-songwriter
* Terry Bean – gay rights activist and ...
*
List of people from the Louisville metropolitan area
*
List of Rhode Island School of Design people
References
Further reading
*
External links
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Sant, Gus
1952 births
Living people
American people of Dutch descent
Artists from Oregon
Censorship in the arts
Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director winners
Directors of Palme d'Or winners
Gay artists
American gay writers
German-language film directors
LGBT screenwriters
Writers from Louisville, Kentucky
Rhode Island School of Design alumni
Photographers from Oregon
Film directors from Oregon
LGBT people from Oregon
LGBT people from Kentucky
English-language film directors
Film directors from Kentucky
Catlin Gabel School alumni
Filmmakers from Portland, Oregon
Darien High School alumni
LGBT film directors
People from Los Feliz, Los Angeles