Vincenzo Natali
Encyclopedia
Vincenzo Natali is an American-Canadian film director
and screenwriter
, best known for writing and directing science fiction
films such as Cube
, Nothing
and Splice
.
, to a nursery school teacher/painter mother and a photographer father. He is of Italian and English descent. He moved to Toronto
, along with his family, at the age of one. He attended the film programme at Ryerson University
. He was eventually hired as a storyboard artist
at the Nelvana Animation Studios.
(1997). The film became a success worldwide, especially in Japan and France, grossing $15 million in France, and breaking box office records for a Canadian film. At the 19th Genie Awards
, the film received five nominations and also won the award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival
. After this success, Natali went on to direct Cypher
(2002) and Nothing
(2003).
Following the June 2010 release of Splice
(2009), Natali's next efforts were expected to be an adaptation of High Rise and a 3D adaptation of the Len Wein
/Berni Wrightson comic book character Swamp Thing
, for producer Joel Silver
. A May 2010 item in The Hollywood Reporter, however, announced that Natali was to replace Joseph Khan as director of the highly anticipated adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 masterwork Neuromancer
. Natali is nominated for the 4th Annual Splatcademy Awards under the category "Best Director" presented by Cadaver Lab for his work Splice
.
David Hewlett
, who has participated in all of Natali's major films to date, has been good friends with him since high school.
being the most frequent.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, best known for writing and directing science fiction
Science fiction film
Science fiction film is a film genre that uses science fiction: speculative, science-based depictions of phenomena that are not necessarily accepted by mainstream science, such as extraterrestrial life forms, alien worlds, extrasensory perception, and time travel, often along with futuristic...
films such as Cube
Cube (film)
Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project....
, Nothing
Nothing (film)
Nothing is a 2003 Canadian film, directed by Vincenzo Natali. It stars David Hewlett and Andrew Miller.-Plot:The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew , an agoraphobic travel agent who works from his home, and Dave , a loser who works in an office where he is treated with...
and Splice
Splice (film)
Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...
.
Early life
Natali was born in Detroit, MichiganDetroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, to a nursery school teacher/painter mother and a photographer father. He is of Italian and English descent. He moved to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, along with his family, at the age of one. He attended the film programme at Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
. He was eventually hired as a storyboard artist
Storyboard artist
Storyboard artist is a profession specialized in creating storyboards for advertising agencies and film productions.A storyboard artist is able to visualize any stories using quick sketches on paper at any moment...
at the Nelvana Animation Studios.
Career
Natali's directing debut came in 1997, when he was approached to direct CubeCube (film)
Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project....
(1997). The film became a success worldwide, especially in Japan and France, grossing $15 million in France, and breaking box office records for a Canadian film. At the 19th Genie Awards
19th Genie Awards
-Best Motion Picture:*The Red Violin, Niv Fichman, producer*Last Night, Daniel Iron and Niv Fichman, producers*Regeneration, Allan Scott and Peter Simpson, producers*Rupert's Land, Bill Thumm and Scott Kennedy, producers...
, the film received five nominations and also won the award for Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
. After this success, Natali went on to direct Cypher
Cypher (film)
Cypher , is a 2002 science fiction thriller film starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. The film was written by Brian King and directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the USA, and released on DVD on August 2nd 2005.-Plot:Morgan Sullivan, a recently...
(2002) and Nothing
Nothing (film)
Nothing is a 2003 Canadian film, directed by Vincenzo Natali. It stars David Hewlett and Andrew Miller.-Plot:The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew , an agoraphobic travel agent who works from his home, and Dave , a loser who works in an office where he is treated with...
(2003).
Following the June 2010 release of Splice
Splice (film)
Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...
(2009), Natali's next efforts were expected to be an adaptation of High Rise and a 3D adaptation of the Len Wein
Len Wein
Len Wein is an American comic book writer and editor best known for co-creating DC Comics' Swamp Thing and Marvel Comics' Wolverine, and for helping revive the Marvel superhero team the X-Men...
/Berni Wrightson comic book character Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing
Swamp Thing, a fictional character, is a plant elemental in the created by Len Wein and Berni Wrightson. He first appeared in House of Secrets #92 in a stand-alone horror story set in the early 20th century . The Swamp Thing then returned in his own series, set in the contemporary world and in...
, for producer Joel Silver
Joel Silver
Joel Silver is an American Hollywood film producer, co-creator of the sport of Ultimate, co-founder of Dark Castle Entertainment and owner of Silver Pictures.-Life and career:...
. A May 2010 item in The Hollywood Reporter, however, announced that Natali was to replace Joseph Khan as director of the highly anticipated adaptation of cyberpunk author William Gibson's 1984 masterwork Neuromancer
Neuromancer
Neuromancer is a 1984 novel by William Gibson, a seminal work in the cyberpunk genre and the first winner of the science-fiction "triple crown" — the Nebula Award, the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award. It was Gibson's debut novel and the beginning of the Sprawl trilogy...
. Natali is nominated for the 4th Annual Splatcademy Awards under the category "Best Director" presented by Cadaver Lab for his work Splice
Splice (film)
Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...
.
David Hewlett
David Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
, who has participated in all of Natali's major films to date, has been good friends with him since high school.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Director Film director A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:... |
Writer Screenwriter Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... |
Producer Film producer A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The... |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Elevated Elevated (film) Elevated is a 1997 short film directed by Vincenzo Natali and co-written by him and Karen Walton, who also participated in the writing of Ginger Snaps.-Plot:... |
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| Cube Cube (film) Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project.... |
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| 2002 | Cypher Cypher (film) Cypher , is a 2002 science fiction thriller film starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. The film was written by Brian King and directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the USA, and released on DVD on August 2nd 2005.-Plot:Morgan Sullivan, a recently... |
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| 2003 | Nothing Nothing (film) Nothing is a 2003 Canadian film, directed by Vincenzo Natali. It stars David Hewlett and Andrew Miller.-Plot:The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew , an agoraphobic travel agent who works from his home, and Dave , a loser who works in an office where he is treated with... |
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| 2005 | Getting Gilliam Getting Gilliam Getting Gilliam is a 2005 documentary film directed by Vincenzo Natali about the making of Terry Gilliam's film Tideland.-Cast:*Mitch Cullin - Himself*Brendan Fletcher - Himself*Terry Gilliam - Himself*Gabriella Martinelli - Himself... |
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| 2006 | Paris, je t'aime Paris, je t'aime Paris, Je t'aime is a 2006 anthology film starring an ensemble cast of actors of various nationalities. The two-hour film consists of eighteen short films set in different arrondissements... |
AKA Paris, I Love You Segment: Quartier de la Madeleine |
|||
| 2009 | Splice Splice (film) Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal... |
||||
| 2011 | Neuromancer | ||||
| High Rise | Upcoming film | ||||
| 2012 | Tunnels | ||||
| TBA | Swamp Thing | ||||
| 388 Arletta Avenue |
Actors
Natali has casted certain actors in more than one of his films; David HewlettDavid Hewlett
David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:...
being the most frequent.
| Elevated Elevated (film) Elevated is a 1997 short film directed by Vincenzo Natali and co-written by him and Karen Walton, who also participated in the writing of Ginger Snaps.-Plot:... |
Cube Cube (film) Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project.... |
Cypher Cypher (film) Cypher , is a 2002 science fiction thriller film starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. The film was written by Brian King and directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the USA, and released on DVD on August 2nd 2005.-Plot:Morgan Sullivan, a recently... |
Nothing Nothing (film) Nothing is a 2003 Canadian film, directed by Vincenzo Natali. It stars David Hewlett and Andrew Miller.-Plot:The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew , an agoraphobic travel agent who works from his home, and Dave , a loser who works in an office where he is treated with... |
Splice Splice (film) Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal... |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| David Hewlett David Hewlett David Ian Hewlett is an English-born Canadian actor best known for his role as Dr. Meredith Rodney McKay on the science fiction television shows Stargate SG1 and Stargate Atlantis.-Early life:... |
|||||
| Andrew Miller Andrew Miller (actor) Andrew Miller is a Canadian actor, writer, and director.- Career :Miller began his career as an actor at age 16 in Toronto, Canada. Early theater roles include Moritz Stiefel in Frank Wedekind's Spring Awakening and Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon's Brighton Beach Memoirs... |
|||||
| Maurice Dean Wint Maurice Dean Wint Maurice Dean Wint is a British-born, Canadian-based actor who has starred in several television shows and movies; the most notable ones include "Cube", "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", RoboCop: Prime Directives, Psi Factor and the TekWar movies and television series.Wint moved to Canada in 1969 with... |
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| Bruce McFee | |||||
| Vickie Papavs |
Other collaborations
- Derek Rogers was camera operator for ElevatedElevated (film)Elevated is a 1997 short film directed by Vincenzo Natali and co-written by him and Karen Walton, who also participated in the writing of Ginger Snaps.-Plot:...
, CubeCube (film)Cube is a 1997 Canadian science fiction psychological thriller/horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was a successful product of the Canadian Film Centre's First Feature Project....
, CypherCypher (film)Cypher , is a 2002 science fiction thriller film starring Jeremy Northam and Lucy Liu. The film was written by Brian King and directed by Vincenzo Natali. The film was shown in limited release in theaters in the USA, and released on DVD on August 2nd 2005.-Plot:Morgan Sullivan, a recently...
and NothingNothing (film)Nothing is a 2003 Canadian film, directed by Vincenzo Natali. It stars David Hewlett and Andrew Miller.-Plot:The film tells the story of two good friends and housemates, Andrew , an agoraphobic travel agent who works from his home, and Dave , a loser who works in an office where he is treated with...
.
- Michele Conroy edited Nothing and SpliceSplice (film)Splice is a 2009 Canadian/French science fiction horror film directed by Vincenzo Natali and starring Adrien Brody and Sarah Polley. The story concerns experiments in genetic engineering being done by a young scientist couple who attempt to introduce human DNA into their work of splicing animal...
.
- Michael AndrewsMichael Andrews (musician)Michael Andrews is an American musician and film score composer. He is best known for a cover version of the Tears for Fears song "Mad World", which he recorded with Gary Jules for the Donnie Darko soundtrack, and which became a number one single in the UK in Christmas 2003.-Soundtrack...
composed music for Cypher and Nothing.