Career
Bier studied at the Bezalet Academy of Arts & Design in Jerusalem and read architecture in London before enrolling for the film direction course at the National Film School of Denmark. De Saliges (1987), Bier’s graduation film, won first prize at the Munich film school festival and subsequently distributed by Channel Four.
Finding immediate success in Denmark with her features Frued Flytter Hjemmefra (Freud Leaving Home, 1990), Det Bli’r Familien (Family Matters, 1993), Pensionat Oscar (Like it Was Never Before, 1995) and Sekten (Credo, 1997), Bier’s major breakthrough came with Den Eneste Ene (The One and Only, 1999). A comedy about the fragility of life, the film won a clutch of Danish Film Academy awards and established Bier’s relationship with actor Paprika Steen. The film remains one the most successful domestic films ever released in Denmark.
A sidestep from the easy going charm of Livet ar en schlager (Once in a Lifetime, 2000), Elsker dig for evigt (Open Hearts, 2002) brought Bier’s work to much wider international attention. Acutely observed and beautifully written by Bier and Anders Thomas Jensen, the film is a perceptive and painful exploration of broken lives and interconnected tragedies. Made under Dogme 95 regulations, the film also marked a move towards a more minimalist aesthetic.
Since the completion of Open Hearts, Bier’s reputation has continued to ascend with the harrowing Brødre (Brothers, 2004) and the emotional and engaging Efter Brylluppet (After the Wedding, 2006), which was nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the 2007 Academy Awards. After her somewhat disappointing first American film, Things We Lost in the Fire (2008) starring Benicio del Toro and Halle Berry, Bier went on to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language film for In a Better World (2011).
Also a maker of shorts, music videos and commercials, Bier’s films typically meditate on pain, tragedy and atonement. Susan King describes Bier’s films as “infused with an intimate concern for family yet often play out on a global stage.”
In 2013 she will be a member of the jury at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival.
Read more about this topic: Susanne Bier
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