Daniel Barber (born 1965) is a British director. Having begun his career as director of commercials, he was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

in 2008 for his short film ''The Tonto Woman''. In 2009 he directed

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

in '' Harry Brown''.

Early life and education

Daniel Barber was born in 1965 in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. He studied graphic design at St Martins School of Art, where he graduated in 1988.

Career

Barber joined the TV department at Lambie-Naim & Co, where he designed and directed title sequences, including those for the BBC Nine O'Clock News. In 1991, he completed new identities for BBC1 and BBC2, for which he won a

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

and a D&AD award. In 1993, he joined Rose Hackney Productions, where he directed commercials full-time, and he also directed the idents and bumpers of the masked troubadour for TSI. His work was showcased at the Cannes International Advertising Festival and in 1994, he was named as a Creative Face of the Future by ''Campaign'' magazine and as one of the UK's "Hotshot" commercial directors. By 1995, he became a partner and Rose Hackney became Rose Hackney Barber. He has won many of awards for his commercials both in Europe and the United States. In 2003, his work was included in the top ten of

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

's ''100 Greatest Commercials''. In 2006, Barber became a partner at London-based film production company Knucklehead, where he continued to direct commercials, including for

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized in all lowercase since 1949) is a German athletic apparel and footwear corporation headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, Germany. It is the largest sportswear manufacturer in Europe, and the second largest in the ...

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

, the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, Estée Lauder,

Sony is a Japanese multinational conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at Sony City in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. The Sony Group encompasses various businesses, including Sony Corporation (electronics), Sony Semiconductor Solutions (i ...

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

, and the

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

. Barber's first film was ''The Tonto Woman'', a 35-minute western based on a short story by

Elmore Leonard Elmore John Leonard Jr. (October 11, 1925August 20, 2013) was an American novelist, short story author and screenwriter. He was, according to British journalist Anthony Lane, "hailed as one of the best crime writers in the land". His earliest no ...

. The film is about a cattle rustler who becomes involved in the life of a woman who has been held captive by Mojave Indians for the past 11 years and is now living in isolation. The film won Best Film at Palm Springs 2007, Best of Festival at LA Shorts 2008 and was nominated for an Oscar in 2008. He directed his first full-length feature, '' Harry Brown'', starring

, who plays a widowed ex-marine whose retirement is disrupted when a gang of vicious thugs take over his neighbourhood and murder his best friend. Described as a modern urban western, it reflects the stark realities of youth crime in the 21st century. It had its world premiere as a Special Presentation at the 2009

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...

and was received with standing ovations. The film was released theatrically on 11 November 2009 at the

Odeon Leicester Square The Odeon Luxe Leicester Square is a prominent cinema building in the West End of London. Built in the Art Deco style and completed in 1937, the building has been continually altered in response to developments in cinema technology, and was the ...

Personal life

Barber was married to Sandra Barber, who died of cancer in 2015.
Sandra Barber (1964–2015)
'. In: twitter.com, 23 September 2015.

Filmography

* ''The Tonto Woman'' (2007) * '' Harry Brown'' (2009) * ''

The Keeping Room ''The Keeping Room'' is a 2014 American Western film directed by Daniel Barber and written by Julia Hart. The film stars Brit Marling, Hailee Steinfeld, Muna Otaru, Sam Worthington, Amy Nuttall, and Ned Dennehy. It was screened in the Speci ...

'' (2014)

References

External links

*
Daniel Barber
at knucklehead.tv {{DEFAULTSORT:Barber, Daniel 1965 births Living people British film directors