Danis Tanović (; born 20 February 1969) is a Bosnian film director and screenwriter. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, as well as nominations for the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or.
Tanović is known for having directed and written the script for the film No Man's Land (2001), which won him many awards, including an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He has also written and directed the award-winning films An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (2013) and Death in Sarajevo (2016).
Early life Tanović was born on 20 February 1969 in Zenica, a city in SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia. He grew up and received primary and secondary education in Sarajevo.
Tanović attended the University of Sarajevo's Music Academy, where he played the piano. As a young adult, he decided to study at the university's Academy of Performing Arts.
Career Early beginnings Due to the siege of Sarajevo and the Bosnian War, following Bosnia and Herzegovina's declaration of independence from Yugoslavia, Tanović was forced to stop his studies in 1992. Immediately after war broke out, he formed a film crew that followed the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina going on dangerous missions. The material that he and the film crew produced has since been used in numerous films and news reports about the Siege of Sarajevo and the Bosnian War.
In late 1994, Tanović left the film crew he had worked with for over two years. A year later, he decided to resume his studies, this time in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. In 1997, he completed his studies in Brussels, graduating at the top of his class. During his studies, Tanović made several documentary films.
International recognition
Shortly after, Tanović began his first movie project, entitled No Man's Land. He wrote and directed the movie, which was completed in 2001 and premiered at the Cannes Film Festival that same year. No Man's Land went on to win the Award for Best Screenplay (Prix du scénario) at Cannes, followed by numerous awards including the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001, the European Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay, the César for the Best First Feature Film, the André Cavens Award for Best Film in 2001, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002. Tanović was a member of the jury at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.
His second feature project was L'Enfer, completed in 2005, from the screenplay by the late Krzysztof Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz. The film marked the second installment in the Polish duo's projected trilogy Heaven (filmed by Tom Tykwer in 2002), Hell and Purgatory. Inspired by Euripides' Medea, L'Enfer explores the lives of three sisters, "each locked in her own unhappiness, nursing a secret flower of misery, the seed for which was planted by their late father with a terrible incident in their girlhood" (from a review by Peter Bradshaw). The film received mixed reviews.
Later projects Tanović's 2010 film Cirkus Columbia was selected as the Bosnian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 83rd Academy Awards, but it did not make the final shortlist. In June 2011, he was bestowed with an "honoris causa" doctorate by the University of Sarajevo.
His 2013 film An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker premiered in competition at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival where it won two prizes: Silver Bear for Best Actor and the Jury Grand Prix. Tanović's 2016 film "Death in Sarajevo" won the Jury Grand Prix at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. It has also won the FIPRESCI Award for the best film in competition.
In March 2020, Tanović's film The Postcard Killings was released, based on the 2010 crime novel "The Postcard Killers". The film Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair was released in August 2021, receiving positive reviews. His latest film, My Late Summer, premiered at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival on 16 August 2024.
Personal life
Tanović holds joint Bosnian and Belgian citizenship and lives in Sarajevo with his wife Maelys de Rudder and five children. He lived in Paris until 2007.
Political engagement Tanović announced in March 2008 that he would be founding a political party with his friend, director Dino Mustafić, called Our Party, which would start contesting elections with the municipal elections in October 2008. He stated his motivations as wanting to bring political change to the country; his announcement was received positively.Oscar-winning director to establish new political party in BiH (SETimes.com)http://soc.kuleuven.be/iieb/docs/2009/26780_Touquet.pdf
Filmography Year Film Director Writer Composer Screenplay Rotten Tomatoes Metacritic1995Miracle in Bosnia1996L'Aube1999Buđenje2001No Man's Land 93% 84%200211'09"01 September 1178%2005Hell67%2009Triage2010Cirkus Columbia80%57%2011Prtljag2013An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker93%2014Tigers2016Death in Sarajevo 76%2020The Postcard Killings 25%29%2021Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair 2024My Late Summer
Television Year Television show Episode/s Director Writer Producer2022–2025KotlinaKriminalistička serija "Kotlina" na Federalnoj televiziji Regionalna serija Oscarom nagrađenog redatelja! 'Kotlinu' u režiji Danisa Tanovića ne propustite na PLAYU13 episodes
Awards and nominations Year Association Category Work Result 2001Cannes Film FestivalPalme d'OrNo Man's LandBest ScreenplayEuropean Film AwardsBest ScreenwriterBelgian Film Critics AssociationAndré Cavens Award2002Academy AwardBest Foreign Language FilmGolden Globe AwardsBest Foreign Language FilmCésar AwardsBest Original Screenplay or AdaptationEuropean Film AcademyBest Screenplay2003Cinema for PeaceThe Cinema for Peace Award for the Most Valuable Film of the Year 2013Berlin International Film FestivalGolden BearAn Episode in the Life of an Iron PickerJury Grand Prix2016Berlin International Film FestivalGolden BearDeath in SarajevoJury Grand Prix
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