Born 1970, Denmark. Director. Lived in New York between the age of 8 and 17. Studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Art.
At age 24, Refn wrote and directed his feature film debut "Pusher" (1996), winning him instant critical acclaim. "Bleeder" (1999) premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won the FIPRESCI Award at Sarajevo in 2000. John Turturro starred in "Fear X" (2003), Refn's English-language, Canadian-Danish co-production, selected for Sundance. In just one year, Refn wrote, directed, and produced the two follow-ups to his now cult-classic "Pusher": "With Blood on My Hands - Pusher II" (2004), and "I Am the Angel of Death - Pusher III« (2005).
"Bronson" (2009), described by critics as a modern-day "Clockwork Orange", was a British production. His Viking epic "Valhalla Rising" (2010) premiered in Toronto and Venice and was highly commended by British and French critics for it mesmerising imagery and original take on the genre. Refn's Hollywood production "Drive" (2011) with Ryan Gosling and Carey Mulligan won the award for best director in Cannes. His Danish-produced "Only God Forgives", selected for Cannes Competition in 2013, also features Gosling. “The Neon Demon,” a horror film set in Los Angeles’ modeling world, was also selected for the Cannes Competition, in 2016.
| Title | Year | Function | Category |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Neon Demon | 2016 | Direction, Screenplay | DK/Feature |
| My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn | 2014 | Appearance | DK/Documentary |
| Only God Forgives | 2013 | Direction, Screenplay | DK/Feature |
| Jodorowsky's Dune | 2013 | Appearance | Documentary |
| Pusher | 2012 | Dutch Bob, Executive producer | Feature |
| Svartur á leik | 2012 | Executive producer | Feature |
| Drive | 2011 | Direction | Feature |
| Bronson | 2009 | Direction, Script | Feature |
| Valhalla Rising | 2009 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
| Happy go lucky | 2006 | Jang | DK/Documentary |
| Pusher III - Angel death | 2005 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
| Kinamand | 2005 | Lægen | DK/Feature |
| Pusher II | 2004 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
| Fear X | 2003 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
| The Chosen 7 | 2001 | Creative producer, Director: concept | TV series |
| Bleeder | 1999 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
| Pusher | 1996 | Direction, Script | DK/Feature |
Awards and nominations
| Award | Release year | Festival | Film |
|---|---|---|---|
| FIPRESCI Award | 2000 | Sarajevo Film Festival 2000 | Bleeder |
| Emerging Master Award | 2006 | Seattle International Film Festival 2006 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Sydney Film Prize | 2013 | Sydney Film Festival 2013 | Only God Forgives |
| Cine Merit Award | 2010 | München International Film Festival 2010 | Valhalla Rising |
| Audience Award | 2010 | Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival 2010 | Valhalla Rising |
| Best Cinematography | 2013 | SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic of Catalonia 2013 | Only God Forgives |
Det Danske Filminstitut registrerer international festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film,
dog primært de titler, som Filminstituttet varetager i sin festivaldistribution,
og primært i forbindelse med de festivaler, som Filminstituttet har prioriteret at samarbejde med.
Registreringen af festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film, der ikke er i festivaldistribution,
foretages kun for "launch"-festivaler ifølge Filminstituttets prioriterede festivalliste. Se listen over prioriterede festivaler.
Festivals
| Festival | Festival date | Film |
|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Film Festival | 2016-07-28 | The Neon Demon |
| Cannes, Festival de | 2016-05-11 | The Neon Demon |
| Goa - Int. Film Festival of India | 2013-11-20 | Only God Forgives |
| SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic of Catalonia | 2013-10-11 | Only God Forgives |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2013-10-01 | Bleeder |
| Guanajuato International Film Festival | 2013-07-19 | Only God Forgives |
| Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | 2013-07-18 | Only God Forgives |
| München International Film Festival | 2013-06-28 | Only God Forgives |
| Los Angeles Film Festival | 2013-06-13 | Only God Forgives |
| Sydney Film Festival | 2013-06-05 | Only God Forgives |
| Zlin Int. Film Festival for Children & Youth | 2013-05-27 | Pusher |
| Cannes, Festival de | 2013-05-15 | Only God Forgives |
| Guadalajara Film Festival | 2013-03-01 | Valhalla Rising |
| Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival | 2012-07-19 | Bleeder |
| München International Film Festival | 2012-06-29 | Fear X |
| Les Arcs European Film Festival | 2010-12-11 | Pusher II |
| Lithuania Scanorama Film Forum | 2010-11-11 | Valhalla Rising |
| Haifa International Film Festival | 2010-09-23 | Valhalla Rising |
| Zagreb Motovun Film Festival | 2010-07-26 | Valhalla Rising |
| Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival | 2010-07-04 | Valhalla Rising |
| München International Film Festival | 2010-06-25 | Valhalla Rising |
| Jeonju International Film Festival | 2010-04-29 | Valhalla Rising |
| Istanbul Int. Film Festival | 2010-04-03 | Valhalla Rising |
| Göteborg International Film Festival | 2010-01-29 | Valhalla Rising |
| Rotterdam, International Film Festival | 2010-01-27 | Valhalla Rising |
| Marrakech International Film Festival | 2009-12-04 | Valhalla Rising |
| Torino International Film Festival | 2009-11-13 | Bleeder |
| London Film Festival | 2009-10-14 | Valhalla Rising |
| SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic of Catalonia | 2009-10-02 | Valhalla Rising |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2009-09-10 | Valhalla Rising |
| Venice International Film Festival | 2009-09-02 | Valhalla Rising |
| Sevilla Festival de Cine | 2008-11-07 | Pusher II |
| San Sebastian International Film Festival | 2007-09-20 | Pusher |
| Istanbul Festival of Independent Films | 2007-02-15 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Warsaw International Film Festival | 2006-10-06 | Fear X |
| Helsinki Film Festival - Love & Anarchy | 2006-09-14 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Melbourne Film Festival | 2006-07-26 | Pusher |
| Wellington - New Zealand Film Festival | 2006-07-13 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Sydney Film Festival | 2006-06-09 | Pusher |
| Transilvania International Film Festival | 2006-06-02 | Pusher |
| Seattle International Film Festival | 2006-05-25 | Pusher |
| Buenos Aires Festival de Cine Independiente | 2006-04-11 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Brussels Int. Filmfestival of Fantasy,Thriller & Science Fiction Films | 2006-03-10 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Istanbul Festival of Independent Films | 2006-02-16 | Pusher II |
| Göteborg International Film Festival | 2006-01-27 | Pusher |
| Rotterdam, International Film Festival | 2006-01-25 | Pusher |
| Thessaloniki International Film Festival | 2005-11-18 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Stockholm International Film Festival | 2005-11-17 | Pusher II |
| Lithuania Scanorama Film Forum | 2005-11-11 | Pusher II |
| London Film Festival | 2005-10-20 | Pusher 3 - I'm the angel of death |
| Warsaw International Film Festival | 2005-10-07 | Pusher II |
| Helsinki Film Festival - Love & Anarchy | 2005-09-15 | Pusher II |
| Toronto International Film Festival | 2005-09-08 | Pusher |
| Melbourne Film Festival | 2005-07-20 | Pusher II |
| Wellington - New Zealand Film Festival | 2005-07-15 | Pusher II |
| Moscow Int. Film Festival | 2005-06-17 | Pusher II |
| Transilvania International Film Festival | 2005-05-27 | Pusher II |
| Göteborg International Film Festival | 2005-01-28 | Pusher II |
| Rotterdam, International Film Festival | 2005-01-26 | Pusher II |
| Transilvania International Film Festival | 2004-05-28 | Fear X |
| Brussels Int. Filmfestival of Fantasy,Thriller & Science Fiction Films | 2004-03-12 | Fear X |
| Istanbul Festival of Independent Films | 2004-02-12 | Fear X |
| Rotterdam, International Film Festival | 2004-01-21 | Fear X |
| SITGES Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic of Catalonia | 2003-11-27 | Fear X |
| Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | 2003-11-22 | Fear X |
| Mannheim-Heidelberg, Int. Film Festival | 2003-11-20 | Fear X |
| Vienna Film Festival, Viennale | 2003-10-17 | Fear X |
| Rio de Janeiro Film Festival | 2003-09-25 | Fear X |
| Hamburg FilmFest GmbH | 2003-09-19 | Fear X |
| Helsinki Film Festival - Love & Anarchy | 2003-09-18 | Fear X |
| Edinburgh International Film Festival | 2003-08-13 | Fear X |
| Melbourne Film Festival | 2003-07-23 | Fear X |
| Jerusalem Int. Film Festival | 2003-07-10 | Fear X |
| Karlovy Vary International Film Festival | 2003-07-04 | Fear X |
| Moscow - Royal Danish Embassy | 2003-04-05 | Fear X |
| Göteborg International Film Festival | 2003-01-24 | Fear X |
| Rotterdam, International Film Festival | 2003-01-22 | Fear X |
| Venice International Film Festival | 1999-08-25 | Bleeder |
Det Danske Filminstitut registrerer international festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film,
dog primært de titler, som Filminstituttet varetager i sin festivaldistribution,
og primært i forbindelse med de festivaler, som Filminstituttet har prioriteret at samarbejde med.
Registreringen af festivaldeltagelse og priser til danske film, der ikke er i festivaldistribution,
foretages kun for "launch"-festivaler ifølge Filminstituttets prioriterede festivalliste. Se listen over prioriterede festivaler.
