Asif Kapadia (born 1972) is a British filmmaker of Indian descent. He directed several award-winning films, including The Sheep Thief (1997), winner of the 2nd Prize Cinéfondation for Short Film at the Cannes Film Festival, The Warrior (2001), which won the BAFTA Award for Best British Film 2003 and Senna (2010), winner of the BAFTA Award for Best Documentary and the BAFTA Award for Best Editing and the World Cinema Audience Award Documentary at the Sundance Film Festival 2011.
[on his documentary about Formula One racer Ayrton Senna] Senna was an incredibly charismatic figure.Some people are inspired by him because they feel he was the best driver motorsport has ever seen. Some see his compassion for other people, and some might just think he's very good-looking. But there was something special about him, and it's that distant look in his eyes. I think Senna was a person who went on a journey, and God was part of that journey. My job was to capture the moments along the way.
2
I made three short films of my own which I wrote, produced, directed ... you did everything in those days. My favourite one was something I shot on VHS ... a little documentary. I used to live in Pillgwenlly and there was this old Italian Pizzeria that used to be there with a really amazing character who ran it. It was really just a starting point. You're only as good as what you've got to show, and so it gave me that first piece of work that could lead me on to do some more studying, where I could make another film that I could just improve on and keep pushing myself.
3
[About directing his film "The Warrior" in a desert in Rajasthan] "The crew suffered the odd illness along the way; dehydration, sunstroke, heat-stroke, malaria, dysentery, scorpion stings, being bitten by rabid dogs, the usual kind of thing."
Director
Title
Year
Status
Character
Maradona
2018
Documentary filming
The Tale of Thomas Burberry
2016
Short
Ali and Nino
2016
Amy
2015/III
Documentary
Standard Operating Procedure
2013
Short
The Odyssey
2012
Documentary short
Senna
2010
Documentary
My World
2008/I
Short
Trancity
2008
Short
Uneternal City
2008
Documentary segment director
Far North
2007
The Return
2006/I
The Warrior
2001
The Sheep Thief
1997
Short
The Waiting Room
1996
Short
Wild West
1996
Short
Indian Tales
1994
Short
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
The Odyssey
2012
Documentary short
Trancity
2008
Short writer
Uneternal City
2008
Documentary segment "writer"
Far North
2007
screenplay
The Warrior
2001
screenplay
The Sheep Thief
1997
Short
The Waiting Room
1996
Short
Wild West
1996
Short
Indian Tales
1994
Short
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Oasis: Supersonic
2016
Documentary executive producer
Ronaldo
2015
Documentary executive producer
Monsoon Shootout
2013
executive producer
The Odyssey
2012
Documentary short producer
The Bypass
2003
Short producer
Black Nor White
2002
Short executive producer
Actor
Title
Year
Status
Character
Electric Shorts
2016
TV Series
Curator
The Nine Lives of Tomas Katz
2000
Gwupigrubynudny-landians
Cartoon Sushi
1998
TV Series segment "Pariah the Red Man"
- Episode #1.11 1998 ... segment "Pariah the Red Man" voice
Pariah the Red Man
1994
Short voice
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
My Wife
1999
Short consulting director
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
King for A Day
2013
Short special thanks
Touch
2012/IV
Short special thanks
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
The 88th Annual Academy Awards
2016
TV Special
Himself - Winner: Best Documentary Feature
The European Film Awards
2015
TV Movie
Himself - Winner: European Documentary
CBS This Morning
2015
TV Series
Himself - Director, Amy
Newsnight
2015
TV Series
Himself - Director, Amy
Doc Talk
2011
TV Series
Himself
Breakfast
2011
TV Series
Himself - Director
The Fabulous Picture Show
2011
TV Series
Himself
Formula 1: BBC Sport
2010
TV Series
Himself
Creation of a Nightmare: The Making of 'The Return'
2007
Video documentary short
Himself
Cinema16: British Short Films
2003
Video
Himself - Commentary, The Sheep Thief (voice)
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2016
Oscar
Academy Awards, USA
Best Documentary, Feature
Amy (2015)
2016
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Best Documentary
Amy (2015)
2016
EDA Award
Alliance of Women Film Journalists
Best Documentary Feature Film
Amy (2015)
2016
Gold Derby Award
Gold Derby Awards
Documentary Feature
Amy (2015)
2016
Grammy
Grammy Awards
Best Music Film
Amy (2015)
2016
INOCA
International Online Cinema Awards (INOCA)
Best Documentary
Amy (2015)
2015
ACCA
Awards Circuit Community Awards
Best Documentary Feature Film
Amy (2015)
2015
European Film Award
European Film Awards
European Documentary
Amy (2015)
2015
Lost Weekend Award
Film Club's The Lost Weekend
Best Soundtrack
Amy (2015)
2015
Hollywood Film Award
Hollywood Film Awards
Documentary of the Year
Amy (2015)
2015
LAFCA Award
Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
Best Documentary/Non-Fiction Film
Amy (2015)
2015
NTFCA Award
North Texas Film Critics Association, US
Best Documentary
Amy (2015)
2012
BAFTA Film Award
BAFTA Awards
Best Documentary Film
Senna (2010)
2012
Evening Standard British Film Award
Evening Standard British Film Awards
Best Documentary
Senna (2010)
2012
ALFS Award
London Critics Circle Film Awards
Documentary of the Year
Senna (2010)
2011
Austin Film Critics Award
Austin Film Critics Association
Best Documentary
Senna (2010)
2011
Audience Award
Ghent International Film Festival
Best Film
Senna (2010)
2011
Audience Award
Los Angeles Film Festival
Best International Feature
Senna (2010)
2011
Most Popular Documentary
Melbourne International Film Festival
Senna (2010)
2011
Audience Award
Sundance Film Festival
World Cinema - Documentary
Senna (2010)
2003
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film
BAFTA Awards
The Warrior (2001)
2003
Carl Foreman Award for the Most Promising Newcomer
BAFTA Awards
The Warrior (2001)
2003
Evening Standard British Film Award
Evening Standard British Film Awards
Most Promising Newcomer
The Warrior (2001)
2001
Sutherland Trophy
British Film Institute Awards
The Warrior (2001)
2001
Douglas Hickox Award
British Independent Film Awards
The Warrior (2001)
2001
Golden Hitchcock
Dinard British Film Festival
The Warrior (2001)
1998
Aaton Award
Locarno International Film Festival
The Sheep Thief (1997)
1998
City of Melbourne Award
Melbourne International Film Festival
Best Short Fiction
The Sheep Thief (1997)
1997
European Grand Prix
Brest European Short Film Festival
The Sheep Thief (1997)
1994
Gold Plaque
Chicago International Film Festival
Best Short Film
Indian Tales (1994)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2016
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film
BAFTA Awards
Amy (2015)
2016
Cinema Eye Audience Choice Prize
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
Amy (2015)
2016
Cinema Eye Honors Award
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking
Amy (2015)
2016
DGA Award
Directors Guild of America, USA
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary
Amy (2015)
2016
Robert
Robert Festival
Best Non-American Film (Årets ikke-amerikanske film)
Amy (2015)
2016
Seattle Film Critics Award
Seattle Film Critics Awards
Best Documentary
Amy (2015)
2015
British Independent Film Award
British Independent Film Awards
Best Director
Amy (2015)
2015
Queer Palm
Cannes Film Festival
Amy (2015)
2015
Golden Eye
Cannes Film Festival
Amy (2015)
2015
Best Documentary
East End Film Festival, UK
Amy (2015)
2015
Audience Award
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Amy (2015)
2015
Best Documentary Feature Film
Edinburgh International Film Festival
Amy (2015)
2015
IDA Award
International Documentary Association
Best Feature
Amy (2015)
2012
Alexander Korda Award for Best British Film
BAFTA Awards
Senna (2010)
2012
Cinema Eye Honors Award
Cinema Eye Honors Awards, US
Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking