Nikolaj Arcel (born 25 August 1972) is a Danish filmmaker and screenwriter. He is best known for his 2012 film ''

A Royal Affair ''A Royal Affair'' () is a 2012 drama film directed by Nikolaj Arcel, starring Mads Mikkelsen, Alicia Vikander and Mikkel Følsgaard. The story is set in the 18th century, at the court of the mentally ill King Christian VII of Denmark, and focus ...

'', which won two prizes at the

Berlin International Film Festival The Berlin International Film Festival (), usually called the Berlinale (), is an annual film festival held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in 1951 and originally run in June, the festival has been held every February since 1978 and is one of Europ ...

and which was nominated for

Best Foreign Language Film The following is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various films, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Bes ...

at the

Academy Awards 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 ...

, as well as the 2017 American film '' The Dark Tower''.

Early life

Arcel was born and raised in Copenhagen. His mother Libby Tata Arcel is a psychologist from the town of Mytilene on the Greek island of Lesbos, while his father, Arne Arcel, is an architect from Denmark. His parents divorced when he was seven. His elder sister is actress Nastja Arcel. He attended Bernadotte School in Hellerup and secondary school at Øster Borgerdyd Gymnasium. He then enrolled at the

National Film School of Denmark The National Film School of Denmark () is an independent institution under the Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was established in 1966 and is based on Holmen in the harbour of Copenhagen. History The National Danish Film School was e ...

from where he graduated as film director in 2001. His graduation project, the short film ''Woyzeck's Last Symphony'', won the Grand Prix at

Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival The Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival (French: ''Festival international du court métrage de Clermont-Ferrand'') is an international film festival dedicated to short films held annually in Clermont-Ferrand, France. It is the ...

Career

Arcel made his debut in 2004 with the political thriller ''

King's Game ''King's Game'' (''Kongekabale'') is a 2004 Danish political thriller film directed by Nikolaj Arcel. It stars Anders W. Berthelsen and Nicolas Bro as reporters uncovering a Government conspiracy. The film received critical praise and won many ...

'', which won him the award for

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * As ...

at the Danish Film Academy Awards. It was followed by the adventure film '' Island of Lost Souls'' in 2007 and the generational comedy ''

Truth About Men ''Truth About Men'' () is a 2010 Danish comedy drama film directed by Nikolaj Arcel. Cast * Thure Lindhardt as Mads * Tuva Novotny Tuva Matilda Moa Karolina Novotny (née Hedström; born 21 December 1979), also known as Tuva Novotny-Hedstr ...

'' in 2010. After experiencing an international breakthrough with ''

'', he moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in filmmaking there. He directed the

film adaptation A film adaptation transfers the details or story of an existing source text, such as a novel, into a feature film. This transfer can involve adapting most details of the source text closely, including characters or plot points, or the original sou ...

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

's '' The Dark Tower''. The film began principal photography in early 2016, and it was released on 4 August 2017. Arcel will be directing the movie ''

Fables Fable is a literary genre defined as a succinct fictional story, in prose or verse (poetry), verse, that features animals, legendary creatures, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature that are Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphized, and that ...

'' for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

In 2022, he reunited with Mikkelsen for '' The Promised Land''.

Filmography

Short film * ' (2001) Feature film Television * ''

Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...

'' (2010) (2 episodes)

Awards

* 2004

, Danish Film Academy Awards (won) * 2012 Dreyer Award

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arcel, Nikolaj 1972 births Danish people of Greek descent Film directors from Copenhagen Living people Danish male screenwriters Silver Bear for Best Screenplay winners