Catalogue information
The acclaimed director Gus Van Sant (Kentucky, 1952) was involved in film at a very young age. During his secondary school years he made several short (experimental) films in Super-8 format. He decided to follow his passion and went to study at Rhode Island Art School. Here he was inspired by leading directors such as Andy Warhol and Stanly Kubrick. After his education, he worked for an advertising agency in New York for two years. With his earned money he made his debut film 'Mala Noche' which was warmly received at many film festivals. The Los Angeles press even voted this film the best independent film of the year. He therefore decided to try his luck in this city. This dream start opened the door for him to Hollywood where he had the opportunity to make movies with a larger budget and a professional cast and crew. During this period he directed 'Drugstore Cowboy' and 'To Die For', among others. At the time, Van Sant also made the award-winning arthouse classic 'My Own Private Idaho'. However, he only became known to the general public when he was nominated for an Oscar for his direction in 'Good Will Hunting'. After this success, Van Sant decided to return to his hometown Portland (Oregon) to make more personal films. Inspired by the Colombine massacre, Van Sant directed the unconventional film 'Elephant' with which he won a prestigious Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival. His subsequent films 'Last Days', inspired by the last days of Nirvana singer Kurt Cobain and 'Paranoid Park' about a young skater, were also nominated for this high prize. The two Oscars awarded biopic 'Milk' marked the return for Van Sant in Hollywood. The film about the human rights activist 'Harvey Milk' played by Sean Penn earned him his second Oscar nomination.
This text has been translated automatically from Dutch
Click here for the original text