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, screenwriter, and producer. He is known for making movies that often have a unique visual style and strong characters.

Some of his most well-known films include the Pusher trilogy, the action-packed Drive, and the psychological horror film The Neon Demon. He has also directed TV series like Too Old to Die Young and Copenhagen Cowboy.

Early Life and Beginnings

Nicolas Winding Refn was born in Copenhagen, Denmark. He also spent some of his childhood in New York, United States. His parents were both involved in filmmaking: his father, Anders Refn, was a director and editor, and his mother, Vibeke Winding, was a cinematographer (someone who plans and shoots films).

He went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts to study acting. However, he was expelled for throwing a table into a wall! This shows he had a strong, energetic personality even back then.

Career Highlights

Starting with the Pusher Films

Refn began his directing career with the Danish crime film Pusher in 1996. This movie was a big success and helped him become known. One of the actors in the film, Zlatko Burić, even won an award for his role.

After Pusher, Refn directed Bleeder (1999). Many of the same actors from Pusher, like Mads Mikkelsen, also starred in this film. Bleeder won an award at the Sarajevo Film Festival.

In 2003, Refn made his first English-language film called Fear X, starring John Turturro. Even though it didn't make a lot of money, it won an award for its screenplay at the Fantasporto Film Festival.

He later made two more Pusher films: Pusher II (2004) and Pusher 3 (2005). These films continued the story of the original and were also very popular. Mads Mikkelsen won an award for Best Actor for his role in Pusher II.

Gaining More Attention

In 2008, Refn directed Bronson, a film about a famous British prisoner named Charles Bronson. Tom Hardy played the main character and won an award for his acting. The film itself won an award at the Sydney Film Festival.

In 2009, Refn worked with Mads Mikkelsen again on Valhalla Rising. This was a unique film set in the Viking era, known for its dream-like style. It won several awards at film festivals.

Hollywood Success

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

Refn became even more famous in 2011 with the American action film Drive. This movie was shown at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival, where Refn won the award for Best Director. It also earned him a nomination for a BAFTA award for directing.

His next films were Only God Forgives (2013), starring Ryan Gosling, and the psychological horror film The Neon Demon (2016). Both films were shown at the Cannes Film Festival.

In 2019, Refn directed his first TV series, Too Old to Die Young, for Amazon Prime. Later, he returned to his home city of Copenhagen to film the series Copenhagen Cowboy for Netflix.

Directing Style

Nicolas Winding Refn has a very distinct way of making movies. He often films his movies in the order the story happens, from beginning to end. He says this is like painting a picture, where he builds the movie as he goes along.

Refn also has color blindness, which means he can't see some mid-range colors very well. This has influenced his films, which often use very strong, contrasting colors. This makes his movies look very bold and unique.

He has mentioned that he was influenced by many different films, from classic horror movies like The Shining to comedies like Pretty Woman.

Personal Life

Nicolas Winding Refn is married to actress Liv Corfixen, and they have two daughters together.

After making the film Fear X, Refn faced a lot of debt. A documentary called Gambler tells the story of how he overcame this challenge. His wife, Liv Corfixen, also directed a documentary called My Life Directed by Nicolas Winding Refn. This film shows what it was like behind the scenes when Refn was making Only God Forgives in Thailand, and how his family moved there with him.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer

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

Acting roles

Documentary appearances

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

Short film

Television

Acting role

Music videos

Images for kids

• 

  Refn at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival

See also

In Spanish: Nicolas Winding Refn para niños