Vincent Ward (director)
| Vincent Ward | |
|---|---|
| Born |
16 February 1956 Greytown, New Zealand |
| Nationality | New Zealander |
| Occupation | Film director, screenwriter |
| Years active | Since 1978 |
| Title | ONZM |
Vincent Ward, ONZM (born 16 February 1956) is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and artist. Ward was awarded an Order of New Zealand Merit in 2007 for his contribution to film making. Ward is best known for his strongly visual and performance driven feature films.
Ward was born on 16 February 1956 in Greytown, New Zealand. He was educated at St Patrick's College, Silverstream and also trained at Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. While still at art school he began writing and directing films. In 1978–81, he made the documentary In Spring One Plants Alone, which won the 1982 Grand Prix at Cinema du Reel (Paris), and a Silver Hugo at the Chicago Film Festival. In Spring One Plants Alone provides the starting-point for his later feature Rain of the Children (2008). His debut feature was Vigil (1984).
Ward's films have earned critical acclaim and festival attention whilst reaching an international audience.Vigil, The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey (1988) and Map of the Human Heart (1993) were the first films by a New Zealander to be officially selected for the Cannes Film Festival. Between them they garnered close to 30 national and international awards (including the Grand Prix at festivals in Italy, Spain, Germany, France and the United States).
The Navigator: A Medieval Odyssey won major awards at both the Australian and New Zealand film industry awards. His film What Dreams May Come, starring Robin Williams, was nominated for two Academy Awards (best art direction-set decoration and best visual effects) and won the Oscar for best visual effects in 1999. It grossed more than US 200 million (all territories).
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