# Bille August

Bille August R. (born 9 November 1948) is a Danish director, screenwriter, and cinematographer of film and television.
August's 1987 film Pelle the Conqueror won the Palme d'Or, Academy Award and Golden Globe Award. He is one of only ten directors to win the Palme d'Or twice, winning the award again in 1992 for The Best Intentions, based on the autobiographical script by Ingmar Bergman.
His filmography includes The House of the Spirits, based on the novel by Isabel Allende; Smilla's Sense of Snow; Les Misérables; Night Train to Lisbon, Silent Heart, The Chinese Widow and A Fortunate Man. He has received five Robert Awards (including Best Film and Best Director) and three Bodil Awards for Best Danish Film. He is also a Knight of the Order of the Dannebrog.

## Life and career

August was born on 9 November 1948, in Brede, Denmark. After attending local schools, he graduated from the Foto- och Dokumentärskolan in Stockholm, Sweden, and later from the National Film School of Denmark. He began his career as a cinematographer. He made his feature directorial debut in 1978 with In My Life, which won the Bodil Award for Best Danish Film.
He collaborated twice with then wife Pernilla August under George Lucas on The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones in The Perils of Cupid and Tales of Innocence. Pernilla would later star in the first two films of the Star Wars prequel trilogy and appeared in an episode of The Clone Wars television series to reprise her role from the films.
After decades of writing, directing and producing notable films in Denmark, on 23 September 2011, Bille August announced that he had opened a studio in Hangzhou, China and taken a position as Tianpeng Media's Art Director, in order to produce Chinese films for Tianpeng Media over the next few years. Tianpeng Media is a new media company established in 2010. The company produced two films, The Women Knight of Mirror (竞雄女侠秋瑾) and The Years of Qi Xiao Fu (七小福之燃情岁月), to be released later in 2011. He is the first foreign director to be hired by the Chinese film company. In 2011, August also accepted the invitation from the Hangzhou government to serve as a "culture consultant" for the city.
His film Night Train to Lisbon (2013) premiered out of competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. He had planned to direct a Gianni Versace biopic with Antonio Banderas as Versace, but this project was cancelled. In August 2021, it was announced that August would direct a feature film adaptation of Karen Blixen's novel Ehrengard, which is being produced by Netflix and SF Studios.

## Personal life

August has been married four times and has a total of eight children with five different women.
He was first married to Annie Munksgård Lauritzen; they had a son Anders Frithiof August. His second wife was Masja Dessau with whom he had a son; both sons have become screenwriters. His third marriage to Swedish actress Pernilla August was from 1991 to 1997. Together they had two daughters, including Alba Adèle August; he also became the stepfather of her daughter from her first marriage to Swedish novelist and screenwriter Klas Östergren. In 2012, he married his fourth wife, actress Sara-Marie Maltha after 10 years together; they have three children.
He has a daughter from a previous relationship.

## Filmography
### Film

Director
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
| 1978 | In My Life | Yes | Yes | |
| 1983 | Zappa | Yes | Yes | |
| 1984 | Busters verden | Yes | No | |
| 1984 | Twist and Shout | Yes | Yes | |
| 1987 | Pelle the Conqueror | Yes | Yes | |
| 1992 | The Best Intentions | Yes | No | |
| 1993 | The House of the Spirits | Yes | Yes | |
| 1996 | Jerusalem | Yes | Yes | |
| 1997 | Smilla's Sense of Snow | Yes | No | |
| 1998 | Les Misérables | Yes | No | |
| 2001 | A Song for Martin | Yes | Yes | Also producer |
| 2004 | Return to Sender | Yes | No | |
| 2007 | Goodbye Bafana | Yes | Yes | |
| 2007 | To Each His Own Cinema | Yes | No | Segment "The Last Dating Show" |
| 2012 | The Passion of Marie | Yes | No | |
| 2013 | Night Train to Lisbon | Yes | No | |
| 2014 | Silent Heart | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | The Chinese Widow | Yes | No | |
| 2017 | 55 Steps | Yes | No | |
| 2018 | A Fortunate Man | Yes | Yes | |
| 2021 | The Pact | Yes | No | |
| 2022 | The Kiss | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Ehrengard: The Art of Seduction | Yes | No | IMDb |
Director of photography
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
| 1977 | Christiania | Flemming Colstrup Ove Nyholm | Documentary film |
| 1977 | Hemåt i natten | Jon Lindström | |
| 1978 | Men Can't Be Raped | Jörn Donner | |
| 1980 | Love | Theodor Kallifatides | |
| 1980 | Mördare! Mördare! | Jon Lindström | |
| 1980 | Tomas: A Child You Cannot Reach | Lone Hertz | Documentary film |
| 1981 | Killing Heat | Michael Raeburn | |
| 1982 | Sova räv | Gun Jönsson | |

### Television

Miniseries
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
| 1978 | Et par dage med Magnus | Yes | No |
| 2024 | The Count of Monte Cristo | Yes | No |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
| 1980 | Verden er så stor, så stor | Yes | Yes |
| 1982 | Maj | Yes | No |
| 2003 | Detaljer | Yes | Yes |
TV series
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1993 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | 2 episodes |

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1978 | In My Life | Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Nominated- Chicago Gold Hugo Nominated- Golden Moscow Prize |
| 1983 | Zappa | Nominated- Golden Moscow Prize |
| 1984 | Busters verden | UNICEF Award C.I.F.E.J. Prize of the International Film Festival for Children and Youth |
| 1984 | Twist and Shout | Robert Award for Best Screenplay UNICEF Award C.I.F.E.J. Prize of the International Film Festival for Children and Youth Nominated- Golden Moscow Prize |
| 1987 | Pelle the Conqueror | Palme d'Or Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Robert Award for Best Danish Film Robert Award for Best Screenplay Guldbagge Award for Best Film Nominated- César Award for Best European Film |
| 1992 | The Best Intentions | Palme d'Or Nominated- Guldbagge Award for Best Director |
| 1993 | The House of the Spirits | Robert Award for Best Danish Film Robert Award for Best Screenplay |
| 1996 | Jerusalem | Lübeck Nordic Film Days |
| 1997 | Smilla's Sense of Snow | Nominated- Golden Berlin Bear |
| 1998 | Les Misérables | Nominated- Golden Cairo Pyramid Award |
| 2001 | A Song for Martin | Nominated- Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Nominated- Crystal Globe Nominated- Guldbagge Award for Best Director Nominated- Guldbagge Award for Best Screenplay Nominated- Golden Festroia Dolphin Nominated- Miami Grand Jury Prize |
| 2007 | Goodbye Bafana | Berlin Peace Film Award Capri Arts Award Nominated- Golden Berlin Bear Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Director of the Year |
| 2012 | The Passion of Marie | Nominated- Chicago Gold Hugo |
| 2014 | Silent Heart | Bodil Award for Best Danish Film Nominated- Robert Award for Best Danish Film Nominated- Robert Award for Best Director Nominated- Robert Audience Award Nominated- Nordic Council Film Prize Nominated- Golden Shell |
| 2017 | The Chinese Widow | Nominated- Shanghai Golden Goblet Award for Best Feature Film |
| 2018 | A Fortunate Man | Beijing Tiantian Award for Best Film Nominated- Robert Award for Best Danish Film Nominated- Robert Award for Best Director Nominated- Robert Award for Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated- Filmfest Hamburg Critics Choice Award |
| 2021 | The Pact | Nominated- Beijing Tiantian Award for Best Film |