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Oliver Stone
Oliver Stone is one of the most important voices in contemporary American culture. Living up to his name, he's left no stone unturned to reveal the truth about his homeland's past and present. With politically-charged and activist cinema that's engaging and communicative, Oliver Stone’s work has given rise to some of the most iconic Hollywood films of the past four decades.
Oliver Stone was born in 1946, a year after the end of World War II, and in 1967 he enlisted in the US army and served in the Vietnam War. This war has been at the center of some of his most notable films – PLATOON (1986), which won an Oscar for Best Picture and earned him an Oscar for directing, took place during the military conflict itself; BORN ON THE FOURTH OF JULY (1989) focused on life after the war and presented the story of Ron Kovic, an injured veteran who became an anti-war activist. Together, these two films make up one of the most important statements about the contentious Vietnam War and its outcomes. While many directors have tackled it, few have done so with Oliver Stone's passion, commitment and depth, and with such a combination of personal experience and talented filmmaking.
In his following films, Oliver Stone tackled two wartime presidents. JFK (1991) breathed new life into the conversation about John F. Kennedy's assassination – a conversation that the director took up once again two years ago with the fascinating documentary JFK REVISITED: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS (2021), which held its Israeli premiere at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Mr. Stone was also daring enough to present a portrait of Richard Nixon, one of the most reviled presidents in American history, who continued the war but also eventually ended it. Later, Mr. Stone was the first to present a biographical film focused on George W. Bush, a figure no less controversial. On the other side of the spectrum, he directed a biographical film about Edward Snowden, who fled the US after exposing state secrets on ideological grounds.
In 1987, Mr. Stone directed the film that is perhaps the most characteristic of the conservative and capitalist period of Reagan's presidency – WALL STREET. His intuitive understanding of societal trends remained, and in the mid-nineties he directed NATURAL BORN KILLERS (1994), a cinematic exploration of a prevalent trend in modern America – the morbid glorification of serial killers in the media.
Oliver Stone also came to our region when he directed PERSONA NON GRATA (2003), a documentary about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, 20 years ago. The list of his credits is far from exhaustive, and others include ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999), one of the greatest football movies of all time, along with screenplays he wrote for several modern classics, including MIDNIGHT EXPRESS (1978) and SCARFACE (1983). In his latest documentary, NUCLEAR NOW, Stone is looking into the possibility of addressing climate change with a move away from fossil fuels to nuclear power. The film premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, and we are excited to present it in Jerusalem.
Oliver Stone has never hesitated to voice his opinion or feature polemical subjects, but his views have been presented through exhilarating and effective cinema that reached a broad audience. His screenplays have spawned some of the most quoted dialogue in the history of contemporary Hollywood and provided actors with their greatest roles. In his directorial work, he has made the most out of all means of cinematic expression – editing, music, cinematography, and so on.
Naturally, the subject matters of Oliver Stone’s films, such as war and its outcomes, are quite familiar to Israeli audiences. His films have always enjoyed popularity and recognition, and have sparked discussion here as well. We are proud to present Oliver Stone with the Jerusalem Film Festival Achievement Award and thank him for his canonical films and the questions they have forced us to ask.