A
director who is capable of crafting both deeply unconventional
independent films and mainstream crowd-pleasers, Gus Van Sant has
managed to carve an enviable niche for himself in Hollywood. In the
years that followed his debut in 1985 with Mala Noche, Van Sant
established himself as one of the most vital directorial voices in the
U.S.
Van Sant was born in Louisville, KY, on July 24, 1952. Due to his father's job, the family moved continuously during Van Sant's childhood. One constant in the director's early years was his interest in painting and Super-8 filmmaking. Van Sant's artistic leanings took him to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970, where his introduction to various avant-garde directors inspired him to change his major from painting to cinema.
After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976. He became fascinated by the down-and-out residents of L.A., especially in context with the more ordinary, prosperous world that surrounded them; his film Mala Noche (1985) would reflect his observation of these societal outcasts.
With the assistance of independent production company Avenue, the director made Drugstore Cowboy, his 1989 film about four drug addicts who rob pharmacies to support their habit. Cowboy met with great critical success. The similarly acclaimed My Own Private Idaho (1991) centered on the dealings of two male hustlers, the film won him an Independent Spirit Award for his screenplay.
In 1997 came true mainstream acceptance for the director, thanks to Good Will Hunting. Starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the film was a huge critical and commercial success. In addition to taking in more than 220 million dollars worldwide, it received a number of Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Van Sant.
2008 saw the release of two more Van Sant films: Paranoid Park and Milk. Paranoid Park was a small film utilizing a largely on-professional cast, but Milk signified a resounding return to commercial filmmaking. The film, starring Sean Penn as Milk, opened to strong reviews, and garnered a number of year-end awards including eight Oscar nominations.
Van Sant's 2011 project Restless was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Van Sant's next film, entitled Sea of Trees, will star Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe. The film tells the story of a man who travels to the infamous suicide forest in Japan to kill himself, only to encounter another man wishing to kill himself as well with whom he embarks on a spiritual journey. His next project will be the American live action version of Death Note.
Van Sant was born in Louisville, KY, on July 24, 1952. Due to his father's job, the family moved continuously during Van Sant's childhood. One constant in the director's early years was his interest in painting and Super-8 filmmaking. Van Sant's artistic leanings took him to the Rhode Island School of Design in 1970, where his introduction to various avant-garde directors inspired him to change his major from painting to cinema.
After spending time in Europe, Van Sant went to Los Angeles in 1976. He became fascinated by the down-and-out residents of L.A., especially in context with the more ordinary, prosperous world that surrounded them; his film Mala Noche (1985) would reflect his observation of these societal outcasts.
With the assistance of independent production company Avenue, the director made Drugstore Cowboy, his 1989 film about four drug addicts who rob pharmacies to support their habit. Cowboy met with great critical success. The similarly acclaimed My Own Private Idaho (1991) centered on the dealings of two male hustlers, the film won him an Independent Spirit Award for his screenplay.
In 1997 came true mainstream acceptance for the director, thanks to Good Will Hunting. Starring and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the film was a huge critical and commercial success. In addition to taking in more than 220 million dollars worldwide, it received a number of Academy Award nominations, including a Best Director nomination for Van Sant.
2008 saw the release of two more Van Sant films: Paranoid Park and Milk. Paranoid Park was a small film utilizing a largely on-professional cast, but Milk signified a resounding return to commercial filmmaking. The film, starring Sean Penn as Milk, opened to strong reviews, and garnered a number of year-end awards including eight Oscar nominations.
Van Sant's 2011 project Restless was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Van Sant's next film, entitled Sea of Trees, will star Matthew McConaughey and Ken Watanabe. The film tells the story of a man who travels to the infamous suicide forest in Japan to kill himself, only to encounter another man wishing to kill himself as well with whom he embarks on a spiritual journey. His next project will be the American live action version of Death Note.
