Sacha Gervasi

Sacha Gervasi is a British film director, screenwriter, and film producer known for his work across documentary and feature films. He first gained significant recognition for writing the Steven Spielberg-directed film The Terminal, starring Tom Hanks and Catherine Zeta-Jones. His directorial debut, the acclaimed rockumentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, earned widespread praise and several awards, solidifying his reputation as a versatile storyteller. Gervasi has since directed the biographical drama Hitchcock, featuring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren, and created the Netflix series The Last Kingdom.

Early life and education

Born in London in 1966, he was raised in a creative environment; his mother was a journalist for The Guardian and his stepfather was the noted film critic Derek Malcolm. He attended the prestigious Westminster School before developing a passion for heavy metal music, which led him to work as a roadie for the Canadian band Anvil as a teenager. He later pursued higher education in the United States, graduating from the University of California, Los Angeles with a degree in screenwriting.

Career

His career began in Hollywood as a screenwriter, with his script for The Terminal being purchased by DreamWorks Pictures and Amblin Entertainment. Following this success, he shifted focus to directing, making his debut with the 2008 documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by VH1. The film was a critical and commercial success, winning awards including the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary. He then directed the 2012 feature Hitchcock, a drama about the making of Psycho, produced by Fox Searchlight Pictures. He expanded into television as the creator and an executive producer for the historical drama series The Last Kingdom, based on Bernard Cornwell's The Saxon Stories novels. He also co-wrote the biopic My Dinner with Hervé for HBO.

Filmography

* The Terminal (2004) – Screenwriter * Anvil! The Story of Anvil (2008) – Director, producer * Hitchcock (2012) – Director * November Criminals (2017) – Director, screenwriter * My Dinner with Hervé (2018) – Co-writer, executive producer * The Last Kingdom (2015–2022) – Creator, executive producer

Personal life

He is married to the British journalist and author Jessica Fellowes, the niece of Julian Fellowes. The couple resides in Los Angeles and London. He maintains a long-standing friendship with the members of Anvil and is an advocate for documentary filmmaking.

Awards and nominations

His film Anvil! The Story of Anvil won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Documentary. It also received awards from the International Documentary Association and the National Board of Review. For Hitchcock, Anthony Hopkins was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Drama.

Category:British film directors Category:British screenwriters Category:1966 births Category:Living people