Neill Blomkamp

Director

“Once the budgets get bigger, you can’t do what you want as a director, unless you’re Peter Jackson or James Cameron.”

Biography

South African-born short film director Neill Blomkamp established himself in his field with a hand-held, first-person camera style. He also became highly sought after for his ability to blend computer-generated effects with a film’s naturalistic elements, soon becoming a popular director for commercials. He provided his visual effects services for a number of American TV shows, like Smallville and Dark Angel, before combining his skill sets as the director of a feature film, helming the sci-fi epic District 9 in 2009. The film earned strong reviews, and was a box-office hit. In addition, Blomenkamp earned a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination from the academy for his work on his debut. —allmovie guide