Alex Proyas

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Alex Proyas

Proyas in February, 1998
Born Alexander Proyas
September 23, 1963
Egypt
Occupation film director, producer and screenwriter

Alex Proyas (born September 23, 1963) is an Australian film director, writer, and producer who directed The Crow, Dark City, and I, Robot.

Contents

[edit] Biography

Proyas was born to Greek parents in Egypt and moved to Sydney, Australia when he was 3 years of age.[1] At seventeen he went to film school and began directing music videos.[1] He moved to Los Angeles in the United States to further his career, working on MTV music videos and commercials.[1]

[edit] Career

Proyas' first feature film was the independent science fiction thriller Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. This was nominated for two Australian Film Institute awards in 1988, for costume design and production design.[2] Next, Proyas directed the 1994 fantasy thriller The Crow starring Brandon Lee. Lee was killed in an accident during filming, only eight days before the completion of the film in March 1993. After Lee's death, Proyas and his producers decided to complete the film, partially rewriting the script, and using a stunt double and special effects to film the remaining scenes.[3] The Crow was released in May 1994 and was a box office and critical success.[4]

Proyas then wrote and directed and produced the 1998 science fiction thriller Dark City, which had disappointing box office results despite winning several awards,[5] but has since gained a strong cult following.[citation needed] In 2004, he directed I, Robot, a science fiction film suggested by[6] the Isaac Asimov short story compilation I, Robot that starred Will Smith. It was a box office success, but met with mixed reactions by readers and fans of the Asimov stories.[citation needed]

Proyas' next film will be thriller Knowing starring Nicolas Cage. It is due to begin production in Melbourne in March 2008.[7]

[edit] Awards

At the 1994 Cannes Film Festival, Proyas was nominated for a Golden Palm award for his short film, Book of Dreams: 'Welcome to Crateland'. For Dark City, he was nominated for several awards and won the Silver Scream Award at the Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, the Bram Stoker Award, the Film Critics Circle of Australia Award and the Pegasus Audience Award at the Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Film.[8]

[edit] Filmography

  • Neon (1980, short)
  • Groping (1980, short)
  • Strange Residues (1981, short)
  • Spineless (1987, short)
  • Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds (1989)
  • Songlines (1989, music video)
  • The Crow (1994)
  • Book of Dreams: 'Welcome to Crateland' (1994, short)
  • The Best of Sting: Fields of Gold 1984-1994 (1994, music video)
  • Dark City (1998)
  • Garage Days (2002)
  • I'm Only Looking: The Best of INXS (2004, music video)
  • I, Robot (2004)
  • Knowing (2009)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Lancaster, Kurt; Thomas J. Mikotowicz (2001). Performing the Force: Essays on Immersion Into Science-Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Environments. McFarland & Company, 61. 
  2. ^ Awards for Spirits of the Air, Gremlins of the Clouds. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  3. ^ Ascher-Walsh, Rebecca (1994-05-13), “How Crow Flew”, Entertainment Weekly, <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,302195,00.html>. Retrieved on 28 December 2007 
  4. ^ The Crow (1994). Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  5. ^ Awards for Dark City. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  6. ^ Full Cast and Crew for I, Robot. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
  7. ^ Fleming, Michael (2007-12-10), “Cage to star in Proyas' 'Knowing'”, Variety, <http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117977454.html?categoryid=13&cs=1>. Retrieved on 28 December 2007 
  8. ^ Awards for Alex Proyas. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.

[edit] External links