MICHAEL WINTERBOTTOM
Date of Birth: March 29, 1961
Born in Blackburn, Lancashire, Michael Winterbottom earned a degree at Oxford and received film training in
Bristol and London. After beginning his professional career as a film editor for Thames Television, he
directed two documentaries about Ingmar Bergman and a few television series, most notably the acclaimed
BBC drama Family (1994).
Winterbottom first gained recognition for his filming talents with two films in 1995. The first
was Butterfly Kiss (1995), a controversial film that looked at two lesbians (Saskia Reeves and
Amanda Plummer) who went on a killing spree across England. The second film was Go Now (1995) which is about
a man whose life is turned inside out after he is diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The film starred
Robert Carlyle and Juliet Aubrey and showcased strong performances from both.
Winterbottom followed Go Now (1995) with two films that were in a much darker emotional vein: Jude (1996), his 1996
adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure and Welcome to Sarajevo (1997).
Both received a warm reception but no awards. Although they received largely positive critical
notices, audiences stayed away due in part to the difficult subject matter.
After making the romantic crime drama I Want You (1998), Winterbottom directed one of his most anticipated
films to date, Wonderland (1999). An ensemble drama focusing on the lives of three lower-middle class
sisters in London, the film marked a departure from the kind of emotionally devastating works with
which Winterbottom had made his name. That same year he released With or Without You (1999), a romantic drama
about a couple whose marriage is threatened when old flames and amorous pen pals enter the picture.
A year later he completed The Claim (2000) starring Peter Mullan, Wes Bentley, Sarah Polley
and Milla Jovavich.
He won a highly coveted BAFTA Film Award for In This World (2002), as well as the Golden Berlin Bear, the Peace Film Award and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the 2003 Berlin International Film Festival. Winterbottom's next film, Code 46 (2004), starring Tim Robbins and Samantha Morton, won Grand Prize at the Catalonian Film Festival, while Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006) was nominated for Best British Film at the 2006 BAFTA awards. He also won the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Director at the Berlin International Film Festival and a 2007 Independent Spirit award for Best Documentary for the docu-drama The Road to Guantanamo (2006).
He has two children with his ex-wife, Sabrina.
Filmography:
Murder in Samarkand (200)
Genova (2008)
A Mighty Heart (2007)
The Road to Guantanamo (2006)
Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (2006)
9 Songs (2004)
Code 46 (2004)
24 Hour Party People (2002)
In This World (2002)
The Claim (2000)
With or Without You (1999)
Wonderland (1999/II)
I Want You (1998)
Welcome To Sarajevo (1997)
Jude (1996)
Go Now (1995)
Butterfly Kiss (1995)
Family (1994/I)
Love Lies Bleeding (1994)
Under The Sun (1992)