Nikolaj Arcel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Nicolaj Arcel
Born (1972-08-25) 25 August 1972 (age 51)
Copenhagen, Denmark
Occupation(s)film director, screenwriter
Years active1999–present

Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film A Royal Affair, which won two prizes at the Berlin International Film Festival and which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards, as well as the 2017 American film The Dark Tower.

Early life[edit]

Arcel was born and raised in Copenhagen. His mother Libby Tata Arcel is a psychologist from the town of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos,[1] while his father, Arne Arcel, is an architect from Denmark.[2] His parents divorced when he was seven. His elder sister is actress Nastja Arcel. He attended Bernadotte School in Hellerup and secondary school at Øster Borgerdyd Gymnasium.[3] He then enrolled at the National Film School of Denmark from where he graduated as film director in 2001.[4] His graduation project, the short film Woyzeck's Last Symphony, won the Grand Prix at Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival.[5]

Career[edit]

Arcel made his debut in 2004 with the political thriller King's Game, which won him the award for Best Director at the Danish Film Academy Awards. It was followed by the adventure film Island of Lost Souls in 2007 and the generational comedy Truth About Men in 2010.[6]

After experiencing an international breakthrough with A Royal Affair, he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in filmmaking there. He directed the film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower. The film began principal photography in early 2016, and it was released on 4 August 2017.

Arcel will be directing the movie Fables for Warner Bros.[7]

In 2022, he reunited with Mikkelsen for The Promised Land.[8]

Filmography[edit]

Short film

Feature film

Year Title Director Writer Notes
2002 Klatretøsen No Yes
2004 King's Game Yes Yes
2007 Island of Lost Souls Yes Yes
2007 Cecilie No Yes
Fightgirl Ayse No Yes
2008 Journey to Saturn No Yes
2009 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo No Yes Nominated- BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
2010 Truth About Men Yes Yes
2012 A Royal Affair Yes Yes Silver Bear for Best Screenplay
Nominated- Academy Award for Best International Feature Film
Nominated- Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film
Nominated- César Award for Best Foreign Film
2013 The Keeper of Lost Causes No Yes
2014 The Absent One No Yes
2016 A Conspiracy of Faith No Yes
2017 The Dark Tower Yes Yes
2018 The Purity of Vengeance No Yes
2023 The Promised Land Yes Yes

Television

Awards[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ den2radio. "Europaprofilen: "Med uddrivelsen i blodet – det lilleasiatiske traume i tre generationer " // den2radio". den2radio (in Danish). Archived from the original on 8 July 2018. Retrieved 8 July 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "NIKOLAJ ARCEL - the screenwriter of swedish movie "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" | ellines.com". Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 16 August 2017.
  3. ^ "Filminstruktør: Livet skylder mig en ny ungdom hvert tredje år". Politiken (in Danish). Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  4. ^ John, Ole [in Danish] (2006). At lære kunsten: 40 år med filmskolen (in Danish). Copenhagen, Denmark: Aschehoug. p. 266. ISBN 978-87-11-30048-0. OCLC 466469100. Retrieved 9 June 2021.
  5. ^ "Music in film and literature". FilmPlatform. Archived from the original on 15 December 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  6. ^ a b "Nicolaj Arcel receives Dreyer Award". AOK. Archived from the original on 7 June 2013. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
  7. ^ DC Comic 'Fables' Targeted for Film Adaptation With 'Royal Affair' Director (Exclusive) Archived 16 September 2017 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ "Nikolaj Arcel's Epic Drama 'The Bastard' Assembles Stellar Nordic Cast for Zentropa". Vairey.

External links[edit]