Vincenzo Natali

Vincenzo Natali, born in 1969, is an American-born Canadian film director and screenwriter best known for his work in the realm of science fiction and horror. His birthplace is Detroit, Michigan, and he moved to Toronto with his family at the age of one. Natali's parents were creatives themselves, a nursery school teacher/painter mother and a photographer father. This background likely played a role in fostering his creative ambitions. He went on to study at the Ryerson Polytechnical Institute's film program, and later worked as a storyboard artist at the Nelvana Animation Studio. Natali admits to drawing influence from various significant figures like Samuel Beckett, David Cronenberg, and Terry Gilliam. His directorial debut came in 1997 with 'Cube,' a film he also co-wrote, and it was well-received, especially in France and Japan, where it broke box office records for a Canadian film. 'Cube' scored several nominations at Genie Awards and clinched Best Canadian First Feature at the Toronto International Film Festival. Post that, Natali lent his writing and directing skills to 'Cypher' (2002), 'Nothing' (2003), and 'Splice' (2009). He was then expected to undertake projects like adapting J. G. Ballard's novel 'High Rise' and offering a 3D version of the comic character Swamp Thing. Later, he replaced director Joseph Kahn on the long-awaited adaptation of William Gibson's 'Neuromancer.' Natali received nomination for 'Best Director' at the 4th Annual Splatcademy Awards for his work in Splice.