André Singer (producer)
André Singer is a documentary film-maker and anthropologist. He is currently CEO of Spring Films Ltd of London and is President of The Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. Having studied at Oxford University under Professor Sir E.E. Evans-Pritchard specializing in Iran and Afghanistan for his doctorate, he moved to television in the early 1970s as a researcher, then producer and director for the Disappearing World series at Granada Television.
As a director he made several award –winning films including the Strangers Abroad series, Khyber and Witchcraft Among the Azande.[1] His television career has moved between working for several broadcasters including Commissioning editor for Discovery Channel, Europe; Senior Vice-President for Alliance Atlantis; and the BBC where he headed the Independent Documentary Unit.
At the BBC, he founded and commissioned for the Fine Cut series working with such international filmmakers as Jean Rouch, Werner Herzog, DA Pennebaker, Bob Drew, Fred Wiseman and Vikram Jayanti.[2]
In the independent sector, Singer was instrumental for several production companies including InCa, Café Productions, West Park Pictures, and currently Spring Films.[3] He has been responsible in an executive or producer role for hundreds of documentary productions for cinema and television including the Oscar nominated Prisoner of Paradise (Malcolm Clarke); Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine (Vikram Jayanti); and the International Critics Award film The Wild Blue Yonder (Werner Herzog). Since 1992, Singer has worked with Herzog as a producer or Executive producer on eight productions including Into the Abyss (2011) and is Producer alongside Lucki Stipetic on Werner Herzog's latest documentary "Into the Inferno" (2016) about mankind's relationship with volcanoes.. He was also an Executive Producer on the multi-award winning documentaries by Joshua Oppenheimer The Act of Killing (2012) and "The Look of Silence" (2014). His latest film as director is "Night Will Fall" (2014), described by Stephen Fry as "incredibly dark, deep, disturbing, shocking and brilliant".[4]
Singer was given the Oscar Pomilio Award for Ethics in Pescara, Italy in 2015. He is the author of five books of non-fiction including, with his wife Lynette, Divine Magic : The World of the Supernatural. Singer was elected President of the Royal Anthropological Institute in 2014 and was awarded their Patrons Medal in 2007.[5] He is Adjunct Professor of the Practice of Anthropology, at the University of Southern California.[6] is Visiting Professor of Film at the University of Westminster and was on the Film and Television Committee of BAFTA, The British Academy of Film and Television Arts between 2010 and 2013.
References
- ^ ""imdb.com,Andre Singer, August 13th, 2011
- ^ Sheffield Documentary Festival, Andre Singer, August 13th, 2011
- ^ Spring Films,Television Without Frontiers, August 13th, 2011
- ^ Stephen Fry on Twitter, September 19th, 2014
- ^ Royal Anthropological Institute, Governance, August 13th, 2011
- ^ University of Southern California, Andre Singer, August 13th, 2011