De Britse regisseur Michael Apted is op 79-jarige leeftijd overleden. Hij blikte onder meer de James Bond-film The World is Not Enough in en acht films van de docureeks Seven Up, waarin veertien Britten worden gevolgd sinds hun kindertijd.

Verder regisseerde Apted onder meer de Oscargenomineerde films Coal Miner’s Daughter, Gorilla’s in the Mist en Nell, de thrillers Thunderheart, Enigma en Enough.

Apted was van 2003 tot 2009 de voorzitter van de Directors’ Guild of America (DGA) en wordt herdacht door de voormalige vicevoorzitter Steven Soderbergh.

“Ik heb talloze uren in Michaels buurt doorgebracht en hield van elke minuut,” zegt Soderbergh. “Naast zijn eigen opmerkelijke oeuvre leverde hij een enorme bijdrage aan de DGA. Hij wijdde zich met hart en ziel aan de Guild en inspireerde ons om hetzelfde te doen.”

Ook onder meer de voormalige DGA-voorzitter Paris Barclay en regisseur Paul Feig hebben een laatste groet gebracht aan Apted.

Een greep uit de reacties:

Here’s #MichaelApted, one of my #DGA heroes, who nominated me to be president,with 3 presidents who followed: Thomas Schlamme, Taylor Hackford and I. We lost a great leader today, who started the Diversity Task Force, & fought the good fight to the end. thank you, Michael. pic.twitter.com/tlTdYfjwfu

— Paris Barclay (@Harparbar) January 8, 2021

So very very sad to hear of the passing of Michael Apted. He was always so kind to me and I was such a great admirer of his work. We were on the DGA board together for a couple of years and I always looked forward to sitting next to him. RIP Michael. https://t.co/JN4s6NfS4m

— Paul Feig (@paulfeig) January 8, 2021

“It is with very heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Michael Apted. He was a director of enormous talent and range and unique in his ability to move effortlessly and successfully between all genres. He was beloved by all those who worked with him. pic.twitter.com/DhazGUiIsp

— James Bond (@007) January 8, 2021

Director Michael Apted will always be remembered for the groundbreaking documentary "Up" series. A past president of the Directors Guild and Academy Governor, he also made many acclaimed feature films, from "Coal Miner's Daughter" to "The World Is Not Enough." He will be missed. pic.twitter.com/5vtLfBJgmR

— The Academy (@TheAcademy) January 8, 2021

Bron: IndieWire