John Duigan (born 19 June 1949) is an Australian film director and screenwriter. He is mostly known for his two autobiographical films ''

The Year My Voice Broke ''The Year My Voice Broke'' is a 1987 Australian coming of age drama film written and directed by John Duigan and starring Noah Taylor, Loene Carmen and Ben Mendelsohn. Set in 1962 in the rural Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, it was the f ...

'' and ''

Flirting Flirting or coquetry is a social and sexual behavior involving spoken or written communication, as well as body language. It is either to suggest interest in a deeper relationship with the other person or, if done playfully, for amusement. I ...

'', and the 1994 film ''

Sirens Siren or sirens may refer to: Common meanings * Siren (alarm), a loud acoustic alarm used to alert people to emergencies * Siren (mythology), an enchanting but dangerous monster in Greek mythology Places * Siren (town), Wisconsin * Siren, Wisco ...

'', which stars

Hugh Grant Hugh John Mungo Grant (born 9 September 1960) is an English actor. He established himself early in his career as both a charming, and vulnerable romantic lead and has since transitioned into a dramatic character actor. Among his numerous a ...

Biography

Duigan was born in

Hartley Wintney Hartley Wintney is a large village and civil parish in the Hart district of Hampshire, England. It lies about northwest of Fleet and east of Basingstoke. The parish includes the smaller contiguous village of Phoenix Green as well as the ham ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

, England to an Australian father, and emigrated to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

in 1961. He is related to many Australian performers, being the brother of novelist Virginia Duigan (wife of director

Bruce Beresford Bruce Beresford (; born 16 August 1940) is an Australian film director who has made more than 30 feature films over a 50-year career, both locally and internationally in the United States. Beresford's notable films he has directed include ''Br ...

) and uncle of Trilby Beresford. Duigan studied at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne is a public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in Victoria. Its main campus is located in Parkville, an inner suburb nor ...

, where he resided at

Ormond College Ormond College is the largest of the residential colleges of the University of Melbourne located in the city of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It is home to around 350 undergraduates, 90 graduates and 35 professorial and academic residents. H ...

and graduated in 1973 with a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in Philosophy. While at university, he worked extensively as an actor and director in theatre, and acted in a number of films (including ''Brake Fluid'', ''

Bonjour Balwyn ''Bonjour Balwyn'' is a 1971 Australian independent film directed by Nigel Buesst and starring John Duigan, Peter Cummins, and John Romeril. It was one of the most notable films of the "Carlton Wave" of filmmaking.David Stratton, ''The Last New ...

'' and ''Dalmas''). He began directing films in 1974, with early successes including '' Mouth to Mouth'', winner of the Jury Prize at the Australian Film Institute (AFI) Awards and ''

Winter of our Dreams ''Winter of Our Dreams'' is a 1981 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AACTA Awards, AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also. It ...

'', for which he won an Australian Writers' Guild award for Best Screenplay. His 1981 film ''

Winter of Our Dreams ''Winter of Our Dreams'' is a 1981 Australian drama film directed by John Duigan. Judy Davis won the Best Actress in a Lead Role in the AACTA Awards, AFI Awards for her performance in the film. The film was nominated in 6 other categories also. It ...

'' was entered into the 13th Moscow International Film Festival. The multi-award-winning mini-series ''

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

'' followed in 1987; it was one of

Nicole Kidman Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...

's first major roles. Subsequently, Duigan worked in the United States and Europe, returning to Australia to make ''

'', winner of Best Film at the St. Petersburg Film Festival. In the United States, he directed ''

Romero The name Romero is a nickname type of surname for a Roman or an Italian. The name was originally derived from the Latin word Romaeus and the Greek word Romaios, which mean Roman. #A person on a religious journey or pilgrimage from Rome (possibly t ...

'', starring

Raul Julia Raúl Rafael Carlos Juliá y Arcelay (March 9, 1940 – October 24, 1994) was a Puerto Rican actor. Born in San Juan, Puerto Rico, he took an interest in acting while still in school and pursued the career upon completion of his studies. After ...

, which won the

Humanitas Award The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

, and '' Lawn Dogs'', winner of numerous prizes in European festivals. In England he directed ''

The Leading Man ''The Leading Man'' is a 1996 British romantic drama film directed by John Duigan. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 1996 but was not released in the United States until March 1998. The film is set in London in the win ...

'', from a screenplay by his sister Virginia, ''

The Parole Officer ''The Parole Officer'' is a 2001 British comedy film, directed by John Duigan. The film follows a diverse group of former criminals as they assist their probation officer in proving his innocence after a murder accusation. Plot Simon Garden ...

'' with

Steve Coogan Stephen John Coogan (; born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, comedian, producer and screenwriter. He is most known for creating original characters such as Alan Partridge, a socially inept and politically incorrect media personality, which ...

, and in Canada/France/UK '' Head in the Clouds'' with Charlize Theron and

Penélope Cruz Penélope Cruz Sánchez (; ; born 28 April 1974) is a Spanish actress. Known for her roles in films of several genres, particularly those in the Spanish language, she has received various accolades, including an Academy Award and a British A ...

, winner in Canada of four Genie Awards and Best Film at the

Milan Film Festival Milan Film Festival (MFF), also known as Milano Film Festival, is an annual film festival held since 1996 in Milan, Italy. It was founded as a competition of only local short films. It became an international film festival in 1998 when it also st ...

. Between 2005 and 2010, he took time off from the film industry to work on a book on secular ethics, returning to Australia to direct ''

Careless Love "Careless Love" is a traditional song, with several popular blues versions. It has been called a "nineteenth-century ballad and Dixieland standard". The death referenced in an old version was the son of a Kentucky governor. Although published ac ...

'' in 2011/12.

Filmography

Director

* ''

The Firm Man ''The Firm Man'' is a 1975 film which was the first directed by John Duigan. Plot Gerald Baxter, a middle aged businessman, starts a new job at a company called the Firm where his only jobs are collecting occasional messages. Gerald becomes bor ...

'' (1975) * '' The Trespassers'' (1976) * '' Mouth to Mouth'' (1978) * ''

Dimboola Dimboola is a town in the Shire of Hindmarsh in the Wimmera region of western Victoria, Australia, 334 kilometres north-west of Melbourne. History Situated on the Wimmera River, Dimboola was previously known as 'Nine Creeks'. Following a surve ...

'' (1979) * ''

'' (1981) * ''

Far East The ''Far East'' was a European term to refer to the geographical regions that includes East and Southeast Asia as well as the Russian Far East to a lesser extent. South Asia is sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons. The ter ...

'' (1982) * ''

One Night Stand A one-night stand or one-night sex is a single sexual encounter in which there is an expectation that there shall be no further relations between the sexual participants. It draws its name from the common practice of a one-night stand, a single ...

'' (1984) * ''

Winners Winners Merchants International L.P is a chain of off-price Canadian department stores owned by TJX Companies. It offers brand name clothing, footwear, bedding, furniture, fine jewelry, beauty products, and housewares. Products are at a 20-60 ...

'' (1985 TV series) - episode "Room to Move" * '' Room to Move'' (1987 TV movie) * ''

'' (1987) * ''

Vietnam (miniseries) ''Vietnam'' is a 1987 Australian TV mini-series directed by Chris Noonan and John Duigan. It stars Barry Otto, Nicole Kidman and Nicholas Eadie. The series won the Logie Award for Most Popular Single Telemovie or Miniseries. Plot Set in the 1960 ...

'' (1987) * '' Fragments of War: The Story of Damien Parer'' (1988, TV) * ''

'' (1989) * ''

'' (1991) * ''

Wide Sargasso Sea ''Wide Sargasso Sea'' is a 1966 novel by Dominican-British author Jean Rhys. The novel serves as a postcolonial and feminist prequel to Charlotte Brontë's novel ''Jane Eyre'' (1847), describing the background to Mr. Rochester's marriage from ...

'' (1993) * ''

'' (1994) * ''

The Journey of August King ''The Journey of August King'' is a 1995 American drama film directed by John Duigan based on the 1971 novel of the same name by John Ehle, who also wrote the screenplay. It stars Jason Patric and Thandiwe Newton. The film had its world premier ...

'' (1995) * ''

'' (1996) * '' Lawn Dogs'' (1997) * '' Molly'' (1999) * ''

Paranoid Paranoia is an instinct or thought process that is believed to be heavily influenced by anxiety or fear, often to the point of delusion and irrationality. Paranoid thinking typically includes persecutory beliefs, or beliefs of conspiracy c ...

'' (2000) * ''

'' (2001) * '' Head in the Clouds'' (2004) * ''

'' (2012)

Actor

* ''

'' (1971)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Duigan, John 1949 births Living people Australian film directors People from Hart District