Henrik Ruben Genz
Encyclopedia
Henrik Ruben Genz is a Danish film director
.
Before becoming involved with film, Genz attended Designskolen Kolding
, where he studied graphic design
, after giving up on an earlier dream of being a painter. While there, he did some work with video, and a chance meeting with director Arne Bro encouraged him to pursue film as a career. Genz was then accepted into the National Film School of Denmark
at the age of 31, graduating after completing the well-regarded short film Cross Roads (Danish
title: Omveje, Detours) in 1995.
Genz's next work, the short film Theis and Nico (Danish
title: Bror, min bror, Brother, my brother), released in 1999, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
. He then became involved with the Dogme 95
movement, but was unable to produce any quality work after six months of effort. Speaking later about his difficulty in trying to work under the Dogme restrictions, he described himself as a "visual director" and Dogme as a movement where "the camera follows the [actors] and choice means nothing".
In 2003, Genz released his first feature film, an adaptation of the children's book Someone like Hodder (Danish
title: En som Hodder) by popular writer Bjarne Reuter
. He followed it in 2005 with Chinaman
(Danish
title: Kinamand), a romantic comedy about a man who takes a foreign wife in an arranged marriage so that she can obtain permission for residency, and then falls in love with her.
Genz returned to his roots in 2008, adapting (with Dunja Gry Jensen) a novel by fellow Gram native Erling Jepsen into the film Terribly Happy
. In their youths, Genz and Jepsen had been childhood acquaintances who lived across the street from one another. It won numerous awards, including the Crystal Globe
at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
.
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
Before becoming involved with film, Genz attended Designskolen Kolding
Designskolen Kolding
Designskolen Kolding is a University-level school that teaches design. It is located in the town of Kolding in eastern Jutland, Denmark...
, where he studied graphic design
Graphic design
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and usually completed in conjunction with producers of form – undertaken in order to convey a specific message to a targeted audience...
, after giving up on an earlier dream of being a painter. While there, he did some work with video, and a chance meeting with director Arne Bro encouraged him to pursue film as a career. Genz was then accepted into the National Film School of Denmark
National Film School of Denmark
TheNational Film School of Denmark is an independent institution under the Danish Ministry of Cultural Affairs. It was established in 1966 and is based on Holmen in the harbour of Copenhagen.-History:...
at the age of 31, graduating after completing the well-regarded short film Cross Roads (Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
title: Omveje, Detours) in 1995.
Genz's next work, the short film Theis and Nico (Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
title: Bror, min bror, Brother, my brother), released in 1999, was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...
. He then became involved with the Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
movement, but was unable to produce any quality work after six months of effort. Speaking later about his difficulty in trying to work under the Dogme restrictions, he described himself as a "visual director" and Dogme as a movement where "the camera follows the [actors] and choice means nothing".
In 2003, Genz released his first feature film, an adaptation of the children's book Someone like Hodder (Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
title: En som Hodder) by popular writer Bjarne Reuter
Bjarne Reuter
Bjarne Reuter is a Danish writer and screenwriter, best known for his books for children and teenagers.Many of his works are set in the fifties and sixties, the time period of his childhood and adolescence. Many also deal with the Copenhagen area, where he was born...
. He followed it in 2005 with Chinaman
Kinamand
Kinamand is a bitter comedy/drama film made in 2005 in China and Denmark. The film deals with the Chinese immigrant experience in Denmark and marriage of convenience.-Plot:...
(Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
title: Kinamand), a romantic comedy about a man who takes a foreign wife in an arranged marriage so that she can obtain permission for residency, and then falls in love with her.
Genz returned to his roots in 2008, adapting (with Dunja Gry Jensen) a novel by fellow Gram native Erling Jepsen into the film Terribly Happy
Terribly Happy
Terribly Happy is a 2008 Danish film directed by Henrik Ruben Genz, based on Erling Jepsen's novel of the same name from 2004....
. In their youths, Genz and Jepsen had been childhood acquaintances who lived across the street from one another. It won numerous awards, including the Crystal Globe
Crystal Globe
Crystal Globe is the main award at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, first given in the city of Karlovy Vary of the Czech Republic, in 1948.In the international competition of films, IFFKV presents the following awards:...
at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary , Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival gained worldwide recognition over the past years and has become one of Europe's major film events....
.