Paul Augustin Driessen (born 30 March 1940) is a Dutch
film director
A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...
,
animator
An animator is an artist who creates images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video games. Animat ...
and
writer
A writer is a person who uses written words in different writing styles, genres and techniques to communicate ideas, to inspire feelings and emotions, or to entertain. Writers may develop different forms of writing such as novels, short sto ...
.
Biography
After studying graphic design and illustration at the Art Academy in Utrecht, Driessen began animating TV commercials in the Netherlands in the 1960s, although he had no training in that art at all. When
George Dunning, in search for talent, found Driessen at the Cine Cartoon Centre in Hilversum, he hired him as an animator for his feature animation film ''
Yellow Submarine'' (1968). He also helped Driessen to emigrate to Canada where he became a member of the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
in 1972.
Style
Driessen's unique style can be easily recognized by the delicate quality of his ever-moving and wiggling lines, as well as by the fluid but awkward movements of his characters. His storytelling sometimes splits up the screen into three or even six different parts, with all actions nicely woven into each other.
Accolades
His short films have won more than fifty prizes all over the world, including the Life Achievement Awards at both
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...
and
Zagreb
Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...
animation festivals, and a 1999
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 ...
nomination for ''3 Misses''.
Legacy
In the 1980s Driessen taught animation at the
University of Art Kassel, Germany, after
Jan Lenica. Two of his students' films--''
Balance
Balance may refer to:
Common meanings
* Balance (ability) in biomechanics
* Balance (accounting)
* Balance or weighing scale
* Balance, as in equality (mathematics) or equilibrium
Arts and entertainment Film
* Balance (1983 film), ''Balance'' ( ...
'' by Christoph and Wolfgang Lauenstein, and ''
Quest
A quest is a journey toward a specific mission or a goal. It serves as a plot device in mythology and fiction: a difficult journey towards a goal, often symbolic or allegorical. Tales of quests figure prominently in the folklore of every nat ...
'' by Tyron Montgomery and
Thomas Stellmach
Thomas Stellmach (born 1965 in Straubing, West Germany) is a German animated film producer and director. Stellmach has received many awards including the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film for his 1996 film ''Quest (1996 film), Quest''.
...
—won Academy Awards. His films ''3 Misses'' and ''2D or Not 2D'' were included in the
Animation Show of Shows.
His short film ''
The Killing of an Egg'' influenced
Stephen Hillenburg to consider the field of animation.
Stephen Hillenburg: marine biologist whi created Spongebob Squarepants, The Independent, The Independent
/ref>
Films
* "The Story of Little John Bailey" (1970)
* "Le Bleu perdu" (1972)
* "Air!" (1972)
* "Au bout du fil" ("Cat's Cradle") (1974)
* "An Old Box" ("Une vieille boîte") (1975)
* "David" (1977)
* " The Killing of an Egg" ("Ei om Zeep") (1977)
* "Ter land, ter zee en in de lucht" ("On Land, at Sea and in the Air") (1980)
* "Jeu de coudes" (Elbowing) (1980)
* "Het Treinhuisje" ("Home on the Rails") (1981)
* "Une histoire comme une autre" ("The Same Old Story") (1981)
* "La Belle et la boîte" ("Oh What a Knight") (1982)
* "Tip Top" (1984)
* "Het scheppen van een koe" ("Spotting a Cow") (1984)
* "Elephantrio" (1985)
* "Spiegel eiland" ("Sunny Side Up") (1985)
* "The Train Gang" (1986)
* "Getting There" (1986)
* "De Schrijver en de Dood" ("The Writer") (1988)
* "Uncles & Aunts #1" (1989)
* "The Water People" (1992)
* "Uncles & Aunts #3" (1992)
* " The End of the World in Four Seasons" ("La fin du monde en quatre saisons") (1995)
* "3 Misses" (1998)
* " The Boy Who Saw the Iceberg" ("Le garçon qui a vu l'iceberg") (2000)
* "2D or not 2D" (2003)
* "Oh What a Nico" (2004)
* "Oedipus" (2011)
* "Cat Meets Dog" (2015)
* "The One-Minute Memoir" (2020)
References
External links
*
Paul Driessen's personal website
NFB films by Driessen online
NFB retrospective ''Beyond the Blue Meanies''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Driessen, Paul
1940 births
Directors of Genie and Canadian Screen Award winners for Best Animated Short
Dutch animators
Dutch animated film directors
Canadian animated film directors
People from Nijmegen
Living people
National Film Board of Canada people