Hossein Amini Iranian-British writer Hossein Amini is a master of truthful yet inspired adaptation. Though his first writing credit was the BAFTA-nominated single drama for director Peter Kosminsky, The Dying Of The Light (1992), his early work for film featured two critically acclaimed literary adaptations: Thomas Hardy’s Jude (1996), for Michael Winterbottom, and The Wings Of The Dove (1997), based on the Henry James novel, which also won him BAFTA and Oscar nominations for adapted screenplay. Since then, he has taken audiences to 19th century Sudan in The Four Feathers (2002), for acclaimed director Shekhar Kapur, and in 2008’s Killshot he ventured into crime fiction with an Elmore Leonard adaptation. The BAFTA-nominated neo-noir crime thriller Drive in 2011 was a stylish, subtle adaptation of James Sallis’ novel. To further underline his impressive range, Amini followed Drive in 2012 with a muscular re-imagining of a classic fairytale in Snow White And The Huntsman. in association with The JJ Charitable Trust
Wednesday 25 September, BAFTA, 195 Piccadilly
Whether turning his hand to an acclaimed novel, American crime fiction or a fairytale, an Amini adaptation is as distinctive as it is respectful, breathing fresh life into the interior worlds of the characters in his charge. On his approach to dialogue, Amini says: “I think cinematic storytelling is about the reaction to dialogue rather than dialogue itself… the subtext, as in when something’s said, the scene becomes more about the reaction on someone’s face. And I’ve always loved that style of writing.” [www.wordandfilm.com] NICHOLAS WINDING REFN My collaboration with Hossein Amini on Drive was an absolute wonderful experience for two reasons: one, it was like working with the Phantom of the Opera – he was living in the attic of my house in Los Angeles and would come downstairs for writing sessions. And two, he has an incredible gift for dialogue and character nuance, which made everything around me seem so easy. And that is what makes a great screenwriter. In my opinion, Hoss is the best at what he does.
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