Alexander Payne is one of the best directors in history. He won the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2001 for his work on 《About Schmidt》. He has a fantastic ability to make audiences laugh while feeling something else, like sympathy or sadness. His films may deal with complex subjects such as addiction and infidelity, but he handles them gracefully and delicately. Payne has directed many well-loved classics, including 《The Descendants》and 《Nebraska, each receiving praise from critics and audiences worldwide.
Alexander Payne is currently working on another film titled 《Downsizing, which depicts the effects of a radical shrinking of the world population.
Alexander Payne was born in Omaha, Nebraska, and raised in Oklahoma. In 1983 Payne worked as an assistant to the director Richard Linklater. He helped him with most of his projects, including his Award-winning Academy film 《Dazed and Confused[/b]. After graduating high school, Payne went to the University of Southern California film school. While there, he won The Sidney Hillman Award for career achievement in 1989 and was awarded his degree in 1992 with a BFA in Film Production and Television Directing. After college, he began working on his films. He started directing commercials and music videos but soon began making more serious films. Today Payne is known for his solid comedic edge, which balances out with the poignancy of his subject matters to give them a truly unique feel.
Payne’s first film was titled 《Citizen Ruth, a dark comedy about the effects of illegal drug use in America. It was a minor hit but considered controversial by the MPAA for portraying drugs in an uncensored fashion. The Town Hall Theater even refused to show it.
Payne’s next film was The Descendants, released in 2011. It tells the story of a middle-aged man who deals with his wife’s infidelity while also dealing with two daughters and their odd lifestyles. The film is funny and moving, although some critics found it uncomfortable because of its gritty depiction of infidelity and guilt.