Danis Tanović Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Danis Tanović
Tanović in 2014
Born	(1969-02-20) 20 February 1969 (age 56) Zenica, SR Bosnia and Herzegovina, SFR Yugoslavia
Citizenship	Bosnia and Herzegovina Belgium
Alma mater	University of Sarajevo
Occupation	Film director screenwriter
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Maelys de Rudder
Children	5

Danis Tanović (born 20 February 1969) is a famous film director and screenwriter from Bosnia and Herzegovina. He has won many important awards for his movies. These include an Academy Award (also known as an Oscar) and a Golden Globe Award. He was also nominated for the Golden Bear and the Palme d'Or.

Tanović is best known for directing and writing the film No Man's Land (2001). This movie won him many awards, including an Oscar for Best International Feature Film and a Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film. He also wrote and directed other award-winning films like An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker (2013) and Death in Sarajevo (2016).

Danis Tanović is the only person born in Bosnia and Herzegovina to have ever won an Academy Award.

Early Life and Education
Career in Film
Personal Life
- Getting Involved in Politics
Images for kids
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Early Life and Education

Tanović was born in Zenica, which was part of Yugoslavia at the time, on 20 February 1969. He grew up in Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia. He went to primary and secondary school there.

He also studied at the University of Sarajevo Music Conservatory, where he played the piano. Later, he decided to study film at the Academy of Performing Arts in Sarajevo.

Career in Film

Starting His Film Journey

In 1992, Danis Tanović had to stop his studies. This was because of the Bosnian War and the siege of Sarajevo. After Bosnia and Herzegovina became independent, war broke out. Tanović quickly formed a film crew. They followed the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina on dangerous missions. The videos they filmed were later used in many movies and news reports about the war.

In late 1994, Tanović left the film crew. A year later, he decided to continue his studies in Brussels, the capital of Belgium. He finished his studies in Brussels in 1997. He was one of the best students in his class. During his time there, he made several documentary films.

Becoming World Famous

Tanović and Viviane Reding at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival, 24 May 2002

Soon after finishing his studies, Tanović started his first major film project. It was called No Man's Land. He wrote and directed this movie. It was finished in 2001 and shown for the first time at the Cannes Film Festival that same year. No Man's Land won the Award for Best Screenplay at Cannes.

After that, it won many more awards. These included the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 2001. It also won the European Film Academy Award for Best Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 2002. Tanović was even a judge at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival.

His second big film was L'Enfer, which came out in 2005. This movie was based on a script by famous Polish filmmakers. It explored the lives of three sisters.

More Great Films

In 2010, Tanović's film Cirkus Columbia was chosen to represent Bosnia at the Oscars. In 2011, the University of Sarajevo gave him an honorary doctorate degree.

His 2013 film An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker won two awards at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival. These were the Silver Bear for Best Actor and the Jury Grand Prix. Tanović's 2016 film Death in Sarajevo also won the Jury Grand Prix at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival. It also won the FIPRESCI Award for best film.

In March 2020, Tanović's film The Postcard Killings was released. It was based on a crime novel. His film Not So Friendly Neighborhood Affair came out in August 2021 and got good reviews. His newest film, My Late Summer, was shown for the first time in August 2024.

Personal Life

Tanović in 2008

Danis Tanović has citizenship in both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Belgium. He lives in Sarajevo with his wife, Maelys de Rudder, and their five children. Before 2007, he lived in Paris.

Getting Involved in Politics

In March 2008, Tanović announced that he would start a political party. He created it with his friend, director Dino Mustafić. The party was called Our Party. They planned to take part in elections starting in October 2008. Tanović said he wanted to bring positive political change to his country. Many people welcomed his announcement.