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Marc Forster (born November 30, 1969 in Illertissen near Ulm, Germany) is a German-Swiss film director and screenwriter. Marc Forster was born the son of a German doctor and a German architect and grew up in Davos, a winter resort in eastern Switzerland. Very young, his family moved to Switzerland after learning that his family was blacklisted by the Baader-Meinhoff group, a splinter group of the German terrorist organisation RAF. Although he was born in Germany and speaks "Hochdeutsch" (German as spoken in Germany), he is a Swiss national. The first film he saw in a cinema was Apocalypse Now by Francis Ford Coppola, when he was 12. He was so excited about it, that from that time on he didn't hesitate when asked about his dream job: "Director". Although he was born and raised in Switzerland, Marc Forster's career turning point was his careful direction of a deeply southern story of two lost souls in "Monster's Ball" (2001). Forster had an idyllic childhood growing up in the mountains of Switzerland where he says he did not see television until the age of 12. The first movie he saw was "Apocalypse Now" and it inspired him to become a filmmaker. After finishing his Swiss Maturity degree, Forster went to New York to study film at NYU. After graduating from the university in 1993, Forster made two documentaries. The first was "Silent Windows," an exploration of teenage suicide and the second was "Our Story," a touching look at the lives of child burn victims. Both documentaries aired on European television and offered Forster the chance to have his skills as a director seen by a wide audience. His next project was his feature directorial debut, the black comedy "Loungers" (1995). It won the audience award at the Slamdance Film festival the following year as well as being voted runner-up to the Grand Jury Prize. In 1990, when he was 20 years old, Forster moved to New York. For the next three years, he attended New York University's film school, making several documentary films. In 1995, he moved to Hollywood and shot an experimental low budget film ($10,000) called Loungers, which won the Slamdance Audience Award. Forster's first motion picture was the psychological drama Everything Put Together, which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. His breakthrough film was Monster's Ball (2001), in which he directed Halle Berry in her Academy Award-winning performance as the wife of a man on death row. His next film, Finding Neverland (2004), was based on the life of author J.M. Barrie. The film was nominated for five Golden Globe Awards and seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Forster received BAFTA, Directors Guild of America, and Golden Globe nominations for his direction. The success of "Monster's Ball" gave Forster the appropriate Hollywood cachet to up his budget and explore a bigger cinematic world with A-list stars in his follow-up effort. Forster chose wisely with "Finding Neverland" (2004), an imaginative, often bittersweet exploration of the forces that prompted writer J.M. Barrie to create the enduring story of "Peter Pan." With Johnny Depp cast as the playwright, who becomes enamored of a widow (Kate Winslett) and the vibrant play-world of her three sons despite the dangers to his own childless marriage "Finding Neverland" became, in Forster's hands, a rich, nuanced (if sometimes precious) exploration of imagination and inspiration, as well as the price an artist must pay to find a muse. The thriller Stay (2005) was poorly received by critics, despite a complex visual style and an experienced cast, which included Ewan McGregor and Naomi Watts. The film grossed a scant $4 million (USD) in the United States. Forster's next film, "Stay" (2005) was a rare misstep, an ambitious but murky psychological thriller about a shrink (Ewan McGregor) whose suicidal patient (Ryan Gosling) somehow begins invading his dreams and blurring the lines of their realities and individualities. Stranger than Fiction (2006), a surreal romantic comedy starring Will Ferrell, was a modest success at the box office, earning $54 million worldwide off a $30 million budget. Forster then directed an adaptation of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, scripted by repeat collaborator David Benioff and starring British newcomer Khalid Abdalla. The film follows an Afghani-American man who returns to his war-ravaged country to save the son of his former best friend. The Kite Runner was released on December 14, 2007. The director is currently filming the twenty-second James Bond film, Quantum of Solace. Principal photography for the movie began on January 2, 2008 and it is scheduled for release on October 31, 2008. Born to Dr. Wolf Forster, a German doctor, and his Swiss wife, he was born in Germany, but grew up in Switzerland. Attended New York University's film school from 1990 to 1993. After his studies in New York, he moved to Los Angeles. Is the youngest of three brothers. Moved to Davos, Switzerland with his German parents, when he was a small child. Was a student of the famous Institut Montana Zugerberg in Switzerland, then an all-boys school. Invited to join AMPAS in 2005. Declined a $500,000 offer to direct a film despite having no income at the time and living from money he borrowed from friends. He didn't believe the script was good and was afraid his reputation as a director would suffer. Was offered the job of directing Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2004), but declined and did Finding Neverland (2004) instead. Has directed Halle Berry (for Monster's Ball (2001)) and Johnny Depp (for Finding Neverland (2004)) in Oscar-nominated performances. Halle Berry is so far the only actor to win an Oscar under his direction, having won the Best Actress Oscar. His father died from cancer. Considering himself Swiss, he is the first non-Commonwealth director to helm an Eon-produced Bond film. Became honorary citizen of Davos (November 2007). Supported a Swiss HIV prevention campaign together with Renée Zellweger (2005). The first movie he saw in cinema was Apocalypse Now (1979). Marc Forster was, together with Renée Zellweger, part of the 2005 HIV prevention campaign of the Swiss federal health department. He's shown smiling and making the V sign with his hand and the text "Don't take semen or blood into the mouth" and "Penetrate only with preservatives". |
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