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Kevin Macdonald (born 28 October 1967) is a Scottish film director. His films include '' One Day in September'' (1999), a documentary about the 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes, which won him the
Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature The Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film is an award for documentary films. In 1941, the first awards for feature-length documentaries were bestowed as Academy Honorary Award, Special Awards to ''Kukan'' and ''Target for Tonight''. The ...
, the climbing documentary '' Touching the Void'' (2003), the drama '' The Last King of Scotland'' (2006), the political thriller '' State of Play'' (2009), the
Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...
documentary '' Marley'' (2012), the post-apocalyptic drama '' How I Live Now'' (2013), the thriller ''
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
'' (2014), the
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
documentary '' Whitney'' (2018), and the legal drama film '' The Mauritanian'' (2021).


Personal life

Macdonald was born in
Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...
, Scotland. His maternal grandparents were the Hungarian-born British
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
filmmaker
Emeric Pressburger Emeric Pressburger (born Imre József Pressburger; 5 December 19025 February 1988) was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a collaborat ...
and English screenwriter and actress Wendy Orme. He was brought up in Gartocharn, Dunbartonshire and attended the local primary school for the first five years of his education, He was educated at Glenalmond College, and St Anne's College, Oxford. His brother Andrew Macdonald is a film producer. In 1999, he married Tatiana Lund, with whom he has three sons. He lives in North London.


Career

Macdonald began his career with a biography of his grandfather, ''The Life and Death of a Screenwriter'' (1994), which he turned into the documentary ''The Making of an Englishman'' (1995). After making a series of biographical documentaries, Macdonald directed '' One Day in September'' (1999), about the murder of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Possibly the most striking feature of this film was the lengthy interview with Jamal Al-Gashey, the last known survivor among the Munich terrorists (it has been suggested recently in Aaron Klein's book ''Striking Back'' that another, Mohammed Safady, might also still be alive). Macdonald found Al-Gashey through intermediaries, and was able to convince him that the film would only be truly authentic if Al-Gashey gave his side of the story. Since the former terrorist was convinced that Israeli authorities were still hunting him (he had been in hiding ever since being ransomed for a hijacked aeroplane less than two months after the Munich massacre), Al-Gashey agreed to the interview only on condition that he would be disguised, his face would be shown only in shadow or blurred out, and that the interview would be conducted by a person and in a place of Al-Gashey's choosing (which turned out to be
Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...
, Jordan), although Al-Gashey agreed that Macdonald could be present. Since the interview was conducted entirely in
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
(even though Al-Gashey was known to be fluent in English, having been interviewed in the language in 1972), and Al-Gashey (through paranoia or annoyance) frequently stormed out of the interview room, Macdonald did not know if he had anything usable until he returned to London and hired an Arabic translator. The film won an
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
for Best Documentary. His next film was '' Touching the Void'', a
docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...
that told the story of two climbers making the first successful ascent of the West Face of
Siula Grande Siula Grande is a mountain in the Huayhuash mountain range in the Peruvian Andes. It is high and has a subpeak, Siula Chico, high. __NOTOC__ ''Touching the Void'' ascent In 1985, Siula Grande was climbed by Joe Simpson and Simon Yates. Alth ...
, a major peak in the Peruvian
Andes The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range ...
, in 1985 and the subsequent dramatic series of events during their descent after one of the climbers broke his leg whilst high on the peak. The film won the
Alexander Korda Sir Alexander Korda (; born Sándor László Kellner; ; 16 September 1893 – 23 January 1956)
Award for Best British Film at the 2003–04 BAFTA Awards – coincidentally, it was Korda who had given Macdonald's grandfather his first job when he had arrived in Britain in 1935. Next was '' The Last King of Scotland'', for which Forest Whitaker received widespread acclaim and won multiple acting awards including
Academy Award for Best Actor The Academy Award for Best Actor is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It has been awarded since the 1st Academy Awards to an actor who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading ...
. He has also directed a number of television commercials with RSA Films who represent him for all his TV commercial work worldwide. Macdonald directed the film adaptation of hit
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 ...
television drama '' State of Play'', starring Russell Crowe. He then directed '' The Eagle'', an adaptation of the book '' The Eagle of the Ninth'', about a Roman Legion in 2nd century A.D. in
Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...
. ''Bobby Fischer Goes to War'', his next project, is a film about the 1972 World Chess Championship in
Reykjavík Reykjavík is the Capital city, capital and largest city in Iceland. It is located in southwestern Iceland on the southern shore of Faxaflói, the Faxaflói Bay. With a latitude of 64°08′ N, the city is List of northernmost items, the worl ...
,
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
, in which Bobby Fischer took on the entire Soviet chess establishment. Macdonald made the film '' Life in a Day'' with producer
Ridley Scott Sir Ridley Scott (born 30 November 1937) is an English film director and producer. He directs films in the Science fiction film, science fiction, Crime film, crime, and historical drama, historical epic genres, with an atmospheric and highly co ...
. The footage was filmed by thousands of people all around the world about their life in one day and posted on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. The film premiered at the 2011
Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with 423,234 combined in-person and online viewership in 2023. The festival has acted ...
to a global live audience, on 27 January 2011. Macdonald worked with the film production team
Altitude Altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum (geodesy), datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context (e.g., aviation, geometr ...
, who created the commercially and critically acclaimed
Amy Winehouse Amy Jade Winehouse (14 September 1983 – 23 July 2011) was an English singer, songwriter, musician, and businesswoman. With over 30 million records sold worldwide, she was known for her deep, expressive contralto vocals and her eclectic mix ...
documentary film '' Amy'' (2015), on '' Whitney'', a 2018 documentary based on
Whitney Houston Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American singer, actress, film producer, model, and philanthropist. Commonly referred to as "Honorific nicknames in popular music, the Voice", she is List of awards and no ...
's life and death. This was the first Whitney Houston documentary to be officially authorized by the estate, and includes never-before-seen footage of Houston, exclusive demo recordings, rare performances and interviews with luminaries like Clive Davis. Macdonald stated, "The story that is never told about Whitney is just how brilliant she was as an artist; by many measures she had the greatest voice of the last 50 years. She changed the way pop music was sung – bringing it back full circle to its blues and gospel roots. She was also completely unique in being a black pop star who transcended her race globally with her work sold in countries where black artists don't sell." In 2021, Macdonald released '' The Mauritanian'', a
legal drama Legal drama, also called courtroom drama, is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in wh ...
based on the true story of Mohamedou Ould Slahi, a
Mauritania Mauritania, officially the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, is a sovereign country in Maghreb, Northwest Africa. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the west, Western Sahara to Mauritania–Western Sahara border, the north and northwest, ...
n man who was held for fourteen years (from 2002 to 2016) without charge in the
Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp, also known as GTMO ( ), GITMO ( ), or simply Guantanamo Bay, is a United States military prison within Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB), on the coast of Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. It was established in 2002 by p ...
, a United States military prison. The film received mixed to positive reviews, with critics praising Macdonald's direction, its cinematography and performances of the cast but criticised its screenplay. At the 78th Golden Globe Awards the film received two nominations; Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama (for Rahim), with Foster winning Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture. At the 74th British Academy Film Awards the film received five nominations, including Best Film. His 2023 project ''George Blake'', produced by Femke Wolting, won the development prize at 2024 Series Mania SERIESMAKERS section.


Filmography

;As director: * ''The Making of an Englishman'' (1995), about the filmmaker Emeric Pressburger * ''Chaplin's Goliath'' (1996), about the actor Eric Campbell * ''The Moving World of George Rickey'' (1997) * ''Howard Hawks: American Artist'' (1997) * ''Donald Cammell: The Ultimate Performance'' (1998, also producer), about the film director Donald Cammell (co-directed with Chris Rodley) * ''Kindertransport'' (1998) * '' One Day in September'' (1999) (won 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 ...
) * ''Humphrey Jennings'' (2000) * ''A Brief History of Errol Morris'' (2000), interview with Errol Morris * ''Humphrey Jennings: The Man Who Listened to Britain'' (2000) * '' Being Mick'' (2001), a fly-on-the-wall documentary following
Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
* '' Touching the Void'' (2003) * ''Touching the Void: Return to Siula Grande'' (2004) * '' The Last King of Scotland'' (2006) * '' My Enemy's Enemy'' (2007) * '' State of Play'' (2009) * ''Shallow Grave: Digging Your Own Grave'' (2009) * '' The Eagle'' (2011) * '' Life in a Day'' (2011) * '' Marley'' (2012) * '' How I Live Now'' (2013) * ''Christmas in a Day'' (2013) * ''
Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
'' (2014) * '' 11.22.63 '' (2016) (episode 1, "The Rabbit Hole") * '' Sky Ladder: The Art of Cai Guo-Qiang'' (2016) * ''
Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentWhitney'' (2018) * ''Return to Podor'' (2018) * '' Life in a Day 2020'' (2021) * '' The Mauritanian'' (2021) * ''It Takes a Flood...'' (2021) * '' High & Low – John Galliano'' (2023) * ''Last Song from Kabul'' (2023) * ''George Blake'' TV series (2023) * '' Klitschko: More Than a Fight'' (2024) * '' One to One: John & Yoko'' (2024) * '' The Runner'' (TBA)


References


Bibliography

* ''Emeric Pressburger: The Life and Death of a Screenwriter'' by Kevin Macdonald. London: Faber and Faber, 1994. ISBN (Paperback ). * ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. . * ''Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of the Documentary: Second Edition'' by Kevin Macdonald and Mark Cousins. London: Faber and Faber, 1996. . * Ian Aitken (ed) ''Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film,'' Routledge, 2005.


External links

* * * A
interview with Macdonald
on the making of ''Touching the Void'' * A

on making ''The Last King of Scotland''
Davy Rothbart Interviews Kevin Macdonald for Grantland

Television commercials

Kevin Macdonald's Commercial Work
(US) {{DEFAULTSORT:Macdonald, Kevin 1967 births Living people British documentary film directors Scottish documentary filmmakers Scottish film directors Directors of Best Documentary Feature Academy Award winners English-language film directors Film people from Glasgow Alumni of St Anne's College, Oxford Scottish people of English descent British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Scottish people of Hungarian descent Scottish people of Jewish descent People educated at Glenalmond College