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James Kent is a British television and film director. He directed the feature films ''
Testament of Youth
''Testament of Youth'' is the first instalment, covering 1900–1925, in the memoir of Vera Brittain (1893–1970). It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with ''Testament of Experience'', published in 1957, and encompassing th ...
'' and ''
The Aftermath'' and the TV dramas ''
The White Queen'' and ''
The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister
''The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister'' is a 2010 British biographical historical drama film about 19th-century Yorkshire landowner Anne Lister. Made for television, the film was directed by James Kent and starred Maxine Peake as Lister. Th ...
''. He has also directed many documentaries, notably ''Chopin Saved My Life'', ''9/11: Phone Calls from the Towers'' and ''Holocaust: A Music Memorial Film from Auschwitz''.
He was nominated for the Breakthrough British Filmmaker award at the
2014 London Film Critics Circle Awards.
Productions he has directed have been nominated for
Golden Globe and
Grierson awards and have won
BAFTA and
International Emmy
The International Emmy Awards, or International Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. Bestowed by the New York–based International Academy of Television Arts and Sci ...
awards.
List of James Kent's awards and nominations for awards.
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Early life
Kent was born and grew up in Yorkshire. He was educated at Bootham School
Bootham School is an independent Quaker boarding school, on Bootham in the city of York in England. It accepts boys and girls ages 3–19, and had an enrolment of 605 pupils in 2016. It is one of seven Quaker schools in England.
The schoo ...
, a Quaker institution, and at Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
.
Career
Kent's first job was as a BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
local news journalist in
Bristol
Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...
. He has since directed more than 20 documentaries for the BBC.
The subjects of his documentaries have included
Albert Camus
Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...
,
Philip Larkin
Philip Arthur Larkin (9 August 1922 – 2 December 1985) was an English poet, novelist, and librarian. His first book of poetry, ''The North Ship'', was published in 1945, followed by two novels, ''Jill'' (1946) and ''A Girl in Winter'' (1947 ...
,
John Osborne,
Gianni Versace
Giovanni Maria "Gianni" Versace (; 2 December 1946 – 15 July 1997) was an Italian fashion designer, socialite and businessman. He was the founder of Versace, an international luxury-fashion house that produces accessories, fragrances, make-u ...
,
Mozart and photography.
His directorial break in fiction came on ''
EastEnders'',
helming three episodes which aired in January 2000.
He later made a docudrama about
Elizabeth David
Elizabeth David CBE (born Elizabeth Gwynne, 26 December 1913 – 22 May 1992) was a British cookery writer. In the mid-20th century she strongly influenced the revitalisation of home cookery in her native country and beyond with articles and bo ...
, with
Catherine McCormack
Catherine Jane McCormack (born 3 April 1972) is an English actress of stage and screen. Her film appearances include ''Braveheart'' (1995), ''The Land Girls'' (1998), ''Dangerous Beauty'' (1998), ''Dancing at Lughnasa'' (1998), ''Spy Game'' (20 ...
in the lead. In an interview in 2015, he recalled, "Panned in ''The Times'', ''Elizabeth David'' got me offers from three agents and it was time to either take the plunge or say goodbye to drama."
Since then his directing credits include ''
Marchlands
''Marchlands'' is a British television series developed from the American television drama pilot '' The Oaks'', written and created by David Schulner, broadcast on ITV1 in 2011. A follow-up series, ''Lightfields'', was broadcast in 2013. Each fiv ...
'', ''
Inside Men
''Inside Men'' is a British television drama series, consisting of four episodes, transmitted from 2 to 23 February 2012 on BBC One. The series was filmed in Bristol between June and August 2011, with filming taking place over a 10-week perio ...
'', ''The White Queen'' and the
Richard Gere
Richard Tiffany Gere ( ; born August 31, 1949) is an American actor. He began in films in the 1970s, playing a supporting role in '' Looking for Mr. Goodbar'' (1977) and a starring role in ''Days of Heaven'' (1978). He came to prominence with ...
vehicle ''
MotherFatherSon
''MotherFatherSon'' is a British thriller television series starring Richard Gere his first major television role Helen McCrory, Billy Howle, Ciarán Hinds and Elena Anaya. The series broadcast on BBC Two began on 6 March 2019 and ended on 24 ...
''.
In 2014, Kent made his debut as a feature film director with ''
Testament of Youth
''Testament of Youth'' is the first instalment, covering 1900–1925, in the memoir of Vera Brittain (1893–1970). It was published in 1933. Brittain's memoir continues with ''Testament of Experience'', published in 1957, and encompassing th ...
'', an adaptation of
Vera Brittain
Vera Mary Brittain (29 December 1893 – 29 March 1970) was an English Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) nurse, writer, feminist, socialist and pacifist. Her best-selling 1933 memoir '' Testament of Youth'' recounted her experiences during the Fir ...
's memoir of the First World War, which starred
Alicia Vikander
Alicia Amanda Vikander (, ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, as well as receiving nominations for ...
and
Kit Harington
Christopher Catesby Harington (born 26 December 1986) is an English actor who is widely known for his role as Jon Snow in the HBO epic fantasy television series ''Game of Thrones'' (2011–2019).
After studying at the Royal Central School o ...
. His second feature film was ''
The Aftermath'', which was based on
Rhidian Brook
Rhidian Brook (born 1964) is a Welsh novelist, screenwriter and broadcaster.
Biography
Brook was born in Tenby in 1964. He attended Churcher's College in Hampshire, leaving in 1982. His first novel, ''The Testimony Of Taliesin Jones'' (HarperCol ...
's novel of that name and starred
Keira Knightley
Keira Christina Righton (; née Knightley, born 26 March 1985) is an English actress. Known for her work in both independent films and blockbusters, particularly period dramas, she has received several accolades, including nominations for ...
. In 2022 he directed a film of
Francis Poulenc’s opera ''
La Voix Humaine
' (English: ''The Human Voice'') is a forty-minute, one-act opera for soprano and orchestra composed by Francis Poulenc in 1958. The work is based on the play of the same name by Jean Cocteau, who, along with French soprano Denise Duval, worked ...
'' for the BBC and Royal Opera House. He was also lead director of the second season of ''
The Capture'', the BBC's hit surveillance thriller starring
Holliday Grainger.
External links
List of James Kent's awards and nominations for awards: http://www.sternwild.com/film-makers/james-kent
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kent, James
British film directors
British television directors
People from Yorkshire
People educated at Bootham School
Alumni of the University of Oxford
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)