Introduction
Bille August RD (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television. In a career spanning over four decades, he has been the recipient of numerous accolades, making him one of the most acclaimed contemporary Danish filmmakers.
August's 1987 film Pelle the Conqueror won the Palme d'Or, Academy Award and Golden Globe. He is one of only eight directors to win the Palme d'Or twice, winning the prestigious award again in 1992 for The Best Intentions, based on the autobiographical script by Ingmar Bergman. His filmography includes The House of the Spirits, Smilla's Sense of Snow, Les Misérables, Night Train to Lisbon, Silent Heart, The Chinese Widow, and A Fortunate Man. He is the recipient of five Robert Awards (including Best Film and Best Director) and three Bodil Awards for Best Danish Film. He is also a Knight (Ridder) of the Order of the Dannebrog.
Life and career
August was born on November 9, 1948 in Brede, Denmark. He graduated from the Foto- og Dokumentarskolan in Stockholm, Sweden, and later from the National Film School of Denmark. He began his career as a cinematographer, and made his feature directorial debut in 1978 with In My Life, which won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film.
On 23 September 2011, Bille August announced that he had opened his studio in Hangzhou, China and taken a position as Tianpeng Media's Art Director, aiming to produce Chinese films for Tianpeng Media over the next few years. Tianpeng Media is a new media company established in 2010. The company so far has produced two films, The Women Knight of Mirror (竞雄女侠秋瑾) and The Years of Qi Xiao Fu (七小福之燃情岁月), which will be released later this year. Bille is the first foreign director to be hired by the Chinese film company. Recently, August also accepted the invitation from the Hangzhou government to serve as a "culture consultant" for the city.
His 2013 film Night Train to Lisbon premiered out of competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. He had planned to direct a Gianni Versace biopic with Antonio Banderas as Versace, but this project was cancelled.
Personal life
August has been married four times and has a total of eight children with four different women.
He was first married to Annie Munksgård Lauritzen, then Masja Dessau. Together they had two children, Anders Frithiof August (born June 15, 1978) and Adam August (born in 1983), both screenwriters. He was married to Swedish actress Pernilla August from 1991 to 1997. Together they had daughters Asta Kamma August (born November 5, 1991) and Alba Adéle August (born June 6, 1993).