Lynne Ramsay facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lynne Ramsay
Ramsay at ADIFF 2018
Born	(1969-12-05) 5 December 1969 (age 55) Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality	Scottish
Alma mater	Napier College National Film and Television School
Occupation	Film director screenwriter cinematographer
Years active	1995–present
Children	1

Lynne Ramsay (born 5 December 1969) is a talented Scottish filmmaker. She is known for directing, writing, producing, and even filming her own movies. Some of her most famous films include Ratcatcher (1999), Morvern Callar (2002), We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011), and You Were Never Really Here (2017).

Lynne Ramsay's films often explore themes like growing up, sadness, and how people deal with difficult events. She uses strong images, sounds, and music to tell her stories, rather than lots of talking. This makes her movies very unique and powerful.

Early Life and Education

Lynne Ramsay was born in Glasgow, Scotland, on December 5, 1969. She first studied fine art and photography at Napier College in Edinburgh.

A film called Meshes of the Afternoon by Maya Deren inspired her to try filmmaking. She decided to apply to film school. Even though she first focused on filming movies (called cinematography), she soon realized she loved directing even more. In 1995, she graduated from the National Film and Television School in Beaconsfield, England. There, she learned both cinematography and direction.

Career Highlights

Early Short Films (1996–1998)

In 1996, Ramsay made her first short film, Small Deaths. This film showed three short stories about children dealing with family life. Lynne Ramsay wrote, directed, and filmed this movie herself. It won an award at the Cannes Film Festival in 1996. Later that year, she made her second short film, Kill the Day.

Her short film Gasman (1998) was also written and directed by her. It tells the story of a brother and sister who meet two other children at a Christmas party. This film won her another award at Cannes and a Scottish BAFTA for Best Short Film.

Ratcatcher and Morvern Callar (1999–2002)

Lynne Ramsay's short films impressed Ruth McCance from BBC Scotland. She asked Ramsay to create an idea for a full-length movie. This idea became Ramsay's first feature film, Ratcatcher, released in 1999. It was supported by BBC Scotland and Pathé. Many people who worked on the film were also new to filmmaking, including Ramsay's friends from film school.

Ratcatcher is set in Glasgow during the 1970s, when garbage collectors were on strike. It follows a boy named James from a working-class family. The film was highly praised by critics. It was shown at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival and opened the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Ramsay won a BAFTA Award for Best New British Filmmaker.

Her next film, Morvern Callar (2002), was based on a book by Alan Warner. The movie explores themes of sadness and feeling disconnected. Its soundtrack featured music from popular bands like Can and Aphex Twin.

Working on Big Projects

In 2001, Lynne Ramsay was chosen to direct a movie based on the book The Lovely Bones. She had read the book before it became very popular. Her script focused on the story from the father's point of view.

As the book became a huge bestseller, there was a lot of pressure. Ramsay felt that the movie studio wanted the film to be exactly like the book, which made it hard for her to create her own vision. Eventually, another director, Peter Jackson, took over the project in 2004. Ramsay described working with big Hollywood studios as a "David and Goliath situation," meaning it felt like a small person fighting a giant.

After this, Ramsay faced a tough time. Her father and a close friend, Liana Dognini, both passed away. Dognini had helped Ramsay write the script for Morvern Callar and the early version of The Lovely Bones.

We Need To Talk About Kevin and Other Works (2010–2015)

After a break, Ramsay returned in 2011 with We Need to Talk About Kevin. This film, based on a book by Lionel Shriver, is about a mother (Tilda Swinton) dealing with the difficult actions of her son (Ezra Miller). Ramsay directed this film and co-wrote it with her then-husband, Rory Kinnear. She enjoyed working with Jonny Greenwood on the movie's music.

Around 2011, Ramsay also planned to direct a science-fiction movie called Mobius, based on the classic book Moby Dick. This film would be set in space and explore feelings of being trapped. She secured funding for it in 2012, but it is still a future project.

Her short film Swimmer (2012) won a BAFTA Award for Best Short Film in 2013.

In 2012, Ramsay was set to direct a movie called Jane Got a Gun, starring Natalie Portman. However, in 2013, Ramsay left the project because of creative differences with the producers. She wanted to tell the story her way, but the producers had different ideas. Another director took over. This situation was difficult for Ramsay. During this time, her marriage also ended. She then traveled to Santorini, Greece, where she started writing the script for her next film, You Were Never Really Here. She stayed in Santorini for four years and had her daughter there.

Cannes jury including Ramsay (2013)

In 2013, she was chosen to be a judge at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, she was also a judge at the Venice Film Festival.

You Were Never Really Here and New Projects (2016–2024)

You Were Never Really Here, based on a short book, premiered at the 70th Cannes Film Festival in 2017. It was highly praised and received a standing ovation. Ramsay won the award for Best Screenplay. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as Joe, and it explores how past difficult experiences can affect a person's mind. This was her second time working with composer Jonny Greenwood. Ramsay later said she found a "soulmate in making movies" in Joaquin Phoenix.

After You Were Never Really Here, Ramsay planned to make a film about the American Civil War called Call Black Horse, possibly starring Casey Affleck.

In 2018, she mentioned writing a script for an "epic environmental horror" film. In 2020, it was announced that Ramsay would direct a movie based on Stephen King's novel The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.

In 2019, she released Brigitte, a short documentary about photographer Brigitte Lacombe.

At a film festival in 2021, Ramsay shared that she was working on another movie with Joaquin Phoenix and Rooney Mara called Polaris. She described it as a suspenseful film set in the Arctic.

In 2022, Ramsay announced she was adapting Margaret Atwood's book Stone Mattress. This film is set to star Julianne Moore, Sandra Oh, and Kyle Chandler. Ramsay feels this story is very important, especially with current events. The movie will be set in the Arctic and Greenland.

Die, My Love (2024–present)

In 2022, it was announced that Ramsay would direct a film called Die, My Love, based on a novel. Famous filmmakers Martin Scorsese and Jennifer Lawrence are producing it. Jennifer Lawrence will also star in the movie as a woman dealing with the challenges of marriage and motherhood. Ramsay said Lawrence sent her the book, which explores themes like postpartum depression. The film is expected to be both funny and serious. In 2024, Robert Pattinson, LaKeith Stanfield, Sissy Spacek, and Nick Nolte joined the cast, and filming began in Calgary.

In 2024, it was reported that Ramsay is also writing another script called Hierarchies.

Personal Life

Lynne Ramsay was previously married to Rory Stewart Kinnear, who is a writer and musician. Her niece, Lynne Ramsay Jr., appeared in some of her early short films.

Lynne Ramsay has one daughter. She has shared that the actors Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly, who starred in We Need To Talk About Kevin, are her daughter's godparents.

Influences and Themes

Lynne Ramsay has been inspired by many artists and filmmakers. In 1999, she mentioned photographers like Nan Goldin and Richard Billingham, and filmmakers like Terrence Malick and Andrei Tarkovsky. She also found Robert Bresson's book Notes on the Cinematographer to be very important for her filmmaking. Other movies that deeply moved her include Fear Eats the Soul by Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Blue Velvet by David Lynch, and The Virgin Spring by Ingmar Bergman.

Ramsay's films often explore big ideas like death, new beginnings, childhood, and losing innocence. They also frequently deal with feelings of sadness, guilt, and how people remember things.

Filmography

Feature films

Short films

Awards and Nominations

On October 8, 2013, Lynne Ramsay received an honorary doctorate from the University of Edinburgh. This was to recognize her important contributions to British film.

See also

In Spanish: Lynne Ramsay para niños

• List of female film and television directors
• Women's cinema