Simon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoy
Simon Beaufoyis a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Malsis School in Cross Hills, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College, Oxford and graduated from Arts University Bournemouth. In 1997 he earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for The Full Monty. He went on to win the 2009 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Slumdog Millionaire as well as winning a Golden Globe...
NationalityBritish
ProfessionWriter
excited leaves money
I just can't get excited about money as a motivation in a film. It leaves me cold.
looks midst
In the midst of global recession, in the face of uncertainty about what's going to happen next, film looks for inspiration to real people.
bay global issue pigs war
There isn't a more important issue in the world than global warming. Even the Cold War and the Bay of Pigs crisis were a notional threat.
heart cry lighters
They say crying makes the heart lighter
moving character discovering
Keep your central character moving, discovering, learning.
miracle
One doesn’t question a miracle.
like-love weather people
I learned to stop being English about things like love. If you make a film in England about love, it's hugely complicated. It's all about saying what the weather is like, and you're secretly telling someone you love them. You know what the English are like; they're very repressed people. You don't get that in India. India is incredibly un-cynical about love. It's a not a complicated thing. It's me, you, love. Let's go.
drama real life-is
Real life is messy, and drama is a shaped version of real life.
way tradition british
For me, as a writer who comes from quite a naturalistic tradition, British screenwriting is quite delicate, quite small, and rarified in a way.
long people important
What's important in the filmmaking process has stayed the same. Keep it small, keep it personal, keep it authentic, work with people you like and trust. That process is much longer than the filmmaking process. The development process is a long one, so try and say something of importance.
heart pride generosity
India is desperately romantic, utterly unashamed of its sentimentality, its generosity, its fierce pride and massive heart.
lucky desks doom
I'm very lucky. I actually like screenwriting. I rarely feel a sense of doom going to my desk.