Simon Hansen

Simon Hansen is a South African born film maker. Hansen has been working in the Film and entertainment industry since 1992. He is best known for producing Alive in Joburg, the film on which District 9 is based.

Hansen discovered and mentored long-time collaborators and friends Sharlto Copley and Neill Blomkamp. Blomkamp was still in high school when they began working together. Hansen mentored many animators and film makers in the South African and African Film Industry. Hansen was partnered with Copley in business for well over a decade. They supplied etv with a show called Deadtime which ran during the 'dead time' of midnight to 6am.

Hansen still conducts workshops in South Africa to inspire and unite young film makers and grow the industry. He is currently collaborating with young talent to produce films under his company Inspired Minority Pictures.

As a writer, producer and director, he has worked to build a film industry in South Africa that can compete in the international arena. Hansen owns a Visual Effects company called Atomic Visual Effects, a talent agency called 'Slaves Talent Management' and a production company called Inspired Minority Pictures, which is now his vehicle for creating, what he calls, 'commercial Independent' films.

Simon has worked closely with Shartlo Copley, Amira Quinlan and Hannah Slezacek on most of his projects. Hansen directed and produced two very popular viral short films, 2001:a space oddity and Hellweek, both of which were featured at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006 under the Cinema Du Monde Section. Hellweek also featured a then unknown Copley as a relentless US drill sergeant. The theme of Hellweek relates to the training of world-class animators in a third world South Africa. 2001:a Space Oddity shares some themes with District 9 in that it features the space shuttle Atlantis landing on a Cape Town street as opposed to New York or Los Angeles.

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