26 Apr Neill Blomkamp visit to FMM

During April, South African/Canadian film director, film producer, screenwriter and animator Neill Blomkamp paid a visit to FMM and was shown around the museum complex by curator Wayne Harley. Born in Johannesburg in 1979, at the age of sixteen he met fellow ex-Redhill High School student Sharlto Copley, who provided him with the use of computers at his production company to pursue his passion and talent for 3D animation and design. In return, Neill assisted Copley in creating 3D work for pitches on various projects. When he was 18, Neill moved to Vancouver, British Columbia with his family, where he enrolled at the Vancouver Film School to pursue his career.

Neill has become renowned for his documentary-style, hand-held, cinéma vérité technique, blending naturalistic and photo-realistic computer-generated effects. He is best known as the co-writer and director of the critically acclaimed and financially successful science fiction film District 9 and the dystopian science fiction film Elysium, which garnered moderately positive reviews and a good box office return. He is also known for his ongoing collaborations with Copley.
Time magazine named Neill as one of the 100 Most Influential People of 2009. Forbes magazine named him as the 21st most powerful celebrity from Africa.