Bille August is a photographer-turned-director whose penchant for weaving deeply personal stories eventually gave way to adapting seemingly impenetrable novels into moderately successful features. His remarkable eye for period and character detail has gained him a solid reputation as one of his generations most talented filmmakers. A native of Brede, Denmark, August graduated from the Danish Film Institute and started out working in the television industry, but it didnt take long for him to gravitate toward film work. First stepping behind the camera as cinematographer for the 1977 drama Homeward in the Night, August took the helm for Honeymoon the following year, to great critical acclaim. A middle-class Danish drama detailing the crumbling marriage of a one-time library assistant and a downbeat factory worker, Honeymoon served as an ideal showcase not only for Augusts abilities as a director, but his talents as a screenwriter as well.

August abandoned directorial duties for the next several years, working in television and spending time honing his skills as a cinematographer for feature films. He returned to directing with the made-for-television romantic drama Maj (1982). As the 80s progressed, Augusts talents behind the camera were obviously maturing, as was his skill for crafting believable, three-dimensional characters. His 1983 release Zappa, a sensitive tale of friendship and discovery, earned him a notable place in the pantheon of respected Scandinavian filmmakers. The following year, August took the helm for the television miniseries Busters World and the popular childrens film of the same name before directing Twist and Shout. Not only did the film fare stratospherically well in Augusts native Denmark, but its sensitive portrayal of youthful love and loss earned the earnest film a place in numerous art-house theaters in the U.S. as well.

Augusts career behind the camera seemed to be reaching a high point, and in 1987, he crafted the film that many consider to be his masterpiece, Pelle the Conqueror, which showcased the best that August had to offer in terms of both character and period detail. In addition to taking home the Oscar for Best Foreign Film at that years Academy Awards, the film earned star Max von Sydow near universal praise from critics circles. With all of the attention August was drawing, he soon caught the eye of legendary Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman, and in 1992, the veteran director teamed with the relative newcomer for the feature The Best Intentions. Bergman penned the biographical tale of his parents lives up to the point of his birth in 1918, while August took the directors chair. Not only did Best Intentions earn August the Golden Palm at the 1992 Cannes Film Festival, it also brought him and star Pernilla August together romantically. They married soon thereafter, and had two children before their divorce in 1997. August impressed critics with the low-key mystery Smillas Sense of Snow (1997) and was generally praised by film lovers for its masterful use of Copenhagens snowbound landscapes and compelling central mystery involving the death of a young boy.

Author: SABINA TAGORE IMMANUEL