Andrew Niccol

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Andrew M. Niccol (born 1964) is a screenwriter, producer, and director. He wrote and directed Gattaca, S1m0ne, and Lord of War; he wrote The Truman Show, which won him an Academy Award nomination in 1999.

Niccol was born in Paraparaumu, New Zealand and grew up in Auckland. He left New Zealand at age 21 and began directing commercials in London, England.

Many of his films, such as Gattaca, S1m0ne, and The Truman Show, view societal and/or political issues through a fantasy-sci-fi lense. Lord of War, however, was a contemporary, matter-of-fact exploration of gunrunning.

Despite a rise in awareness of New Zealander-directed films in the wake of Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Simone was released in one cinema on one day in Niccol's home country, with its proceeds going to help find a cure for multiple sclerosis, which his sister Fiona, has suffered from for many years. The three showings in 2003 were sold out, despite being in a cinema located over an hour from Wellington, the nearest metropolitan centre.