Nicolas Winding Refn facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nicolas Winding Refn
Refn at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival
Born	(1970-09-29) 29 September 1970 (age 54) Copenhagen, Denmark
Nationality	Danish
Occupation	Film director screenwriter producer
Years active	1996–present
Notable work	Pusher film series (1996–2005) Bleeder (1999) Bronson (2008) Drive (2011) Only God Forgives (2013) The Neon Demon (2016) Too Old to Die Young (2019)
Spouse(s)	Liv Corfixen ​ (m. 2007)​
Children	2
Awards	AACTA International Award Festival de Cannes Prix de la mise en scène FIPRESCI Prize José Luis Guarner Critic's Award Satellite Award

Nicolas Winding Refn (born September 29, 1970) is a famous Danish film director, writer, and producer. He is known for making movies that are often very stylish and intense.

He directed the Pusher film series, which came out between 1996 and 2005. He also made the crime drama Bronson in 2008. Another one of his adventure films is Valhalla Rising from 2009.

In 2011, he directed the action drama Drive. For this movie, he won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. He was also nominated for a BAFTA Award for his directing. Later, he directed Only God Forgives (2013) and the psychological horror film The Neon Demon (2016).

In 2019, Nicolas Refn directed his first TV series, Too Old to Die Young. It was shown on Amazon Prime. After that, he worked with Netflix on his series Copenhagen Cowboy. This show brought him back to his hometown of Copenhagen. In 2008, he also helped start a production company called Space Rocket Nation.

Early Life and Education

Nicolas Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He spent some of his childhood growing up in New York City, United States. His parents are also involved in filmmaking. His father, Anders Refn, is a film director and editor. His mother, Vibeke Winding, is a cinematographer, who works with cameras.

He went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to study acting. However, he was asked to leave after an incident where he reportedly threw a chair.

Filmmaking Career

Early Films and the Pusher Series

Nicolas Refn started his directing career with the Danish crime film Pusher in 1996. This movie helped actor Zlatko Burić win an award.

After Pusher, Refn directed Bleeder in 1999. Many of the same actors from Pusher, like Kim Bodnia and Mads Mikkelsen, were in this film. Bleeder won an award at the Sarajevo Film Festival. It also received nominations for Best Film at other festivals.

In 2003, Refn made his first English-language film, Fear X. This movie starred John Turturro and was filmed in Canada. Even though it didn't make much money, it won an award for Best Screenplay at the Fantasporto Film Festival.

Refn then made two more Pusher films. These were Pusher II (2004) and Pusher 3 (2005). For Pusher II, actor Mads Mikkelsen won several awards for his performance. The first Pusher film was later remade in Britain in 2012. Nicolas Refn was an executive producer for this remake.

Gaining Recognition

In 2008, Refn directed Bronson. This film starred Tom Hardy as Charles Bronson, a famous UK prisoner. The movie won Best Film at the 2009 Sydney Film Festival. Tom Hardy also won a Best Actor award for his role.

In 2009, Refn worked again with actor Mads Mikkelsen on Valhalla Rising. This was a unique film about the Viking era. It won special awards at film festivals like Fantasporto and Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival.

Hollywood Success

Refn promoting Drive at the Deauville American Film Festival in September 2011

In 2011, Nicolas Refn directed the American action drama film Drive. This movie was shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Refn won the Best Director Award there.

Drive also earned Refn a BAFTA nomination for directing. The film received many other awards and nominations. These included an Academy Award for Best Sound Editing nomination. Actor Albert Brooks was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for his role. The movie was praised for its music and acting.

Refn later directed Only God Forgives, which starred Ryan Gosling. This film was shown at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. It won the Sydney Film Prize in 2013.

Liv Corfixen, Refn's wife, made a documentary about his life and work. It was called My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. This film came out in Denmark in 2014.

Refn at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

In 2014, Refn started working on a film called The Neon Demon. This movie was filmed in Los Angeles in 2015. It starred Elle Fanning, Keanu Reeves, and Christina Hendricks. The Neon Demon was also shown in competition at the Cannes Film Festival.

Recent Projects

After The Neon Demon, Refn created and directed the TV series Too Old to Die Young for Amazon in 2019. He then directed Copenhagen Cowboy for Netflix in 2023. This was his first Danish-language project since the Pusher series.

It was announced in April 2025 that Refn would write and direct a new film. The movie is called Her Private Hell. Filming for this project began in May 2025.

Other Creative Work

Nicolas Refn has also directed commercials. He made an extended commercial for Gucci, which featured actress Blake Lively. He also directed music videos and commercials for Lincoln cars, starring Matthew McConaughey.

In 2019, the Cannes Film Festival held a special class with Refn. He shared his experiences working in film and TV.

Directing Style and Influences

Nicolas Refn has a unique way of making movies. He often likes characters who change because of what happens to them. He believes they become who they are meant to be. For example, in Pusher II, a character realizes he needs to take action to become free. Refn sees this as a happy ending for the character.

Refn often films his movies in the order the story happens. He says this is like painting a picture as you go along. He likes not knowing exactly how the movie will turn out. For Drive, about 80% of the film was shot in chronological order. This helped the actors build their emotions as the story progressed.

When working with actors, Refn likes to ask them what they want to do. He tries to get them deeply involved in their roles. He believes this helps them be more honest in their performances.

Refn's color blindness also affects his style. He cannot see many mid-range colors. This is why his films often have very strong, contrasting colors.

Inspirations

Refn has said that watching the movie The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) inspired him to become a filmmaker. He grew up in a family that loved French films. But he wanted to do something different, so he watched American horror movies. He realized he wanted to do all parts of filmmaking at once.

He has also said that director Alejandro Jodorowsky is a big influence on him. Refn even dedicated his film Only God Forgives to Jodorowsky.

For his first film, Pusher, Refn was influenced by films like The Battle of Algiers (1965) and Cannibal Holocaust (1980). Other movies that influenced him include The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976) and Clerks (1994).

He also enjoys many other films, such as Tokyo Drifter (1966), The Shining (1980), and Alien (1979). Refn has even helped restore old films like Night Tide (1961).

Refn has mentioned that he is influenced by the idea of extraterrestrials. In a documentary about Copenhagen Cowboy, he said he talks with extraterrestrials through his work. He felt it was natural to bring this idea into his stories.

Personal Life

Nicolas Refn is married to actress Liv Corfixen. They have two daughters named Lola and Lizzielou. Liv Corfixen's documentary, My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn, shows what it was like making Only God Forgives when their family moved to Thailand.

After making the movie Fear X, Refn faced financial difficulties. A documentary called Gambler tells the story of how he recovered from this.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer

• Black's Game (2012)
• Pusher (2012)
• Dying of the Light (2014)

Acting roles

Documentary appearances

• Gambler (2006) (subject)
• Jodorowsky's Dune (2013)
• My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn (2015) (subject)
• Dario Argento Panico (2023)

Short Film

Television

Acting role

Music Videos

See also

In Spanish: Nicolas Winding Refn para niños