Oliver Hermanus

EARLY LIFE

Oliver Hermanus was born on 26 May 1983 in Cape Town, South Africa. When he was three years old, his family moved to Plettenberg Bay. He grew up in a house his father built in the hills because, under apartheid, his “coloured” (mixed-race) family was not permitted to live in the town centre. His parents were ANC activists. The family buried banned books in the garden, ignored segregated beaches, and homeschooled his older siblings. They also travelled to school in the nearby Eastern Cape. Hermanus earned a Bachelor of Arts in Film, Media and Visual Studies from the University of Cape Town. He later worked as a press photographer for the Cape Argus newspaper. A mutual friend introduced him to German director Roland Emmerich, who provided a private scholarship that enabled him to complete a Master’s degree at the London Film School.

CAREER

Hermanus made his feature debut with Shirley Adams (2009), a drama about a single mother caring for her son who was paralysed in a gang-related shooting. The idea came from a story his sister (an occupational therapist) shared. The film premiered at the Durban International Film Festival (winning Best South African Film, Best First Film and others), screened in competition at Locarno, and appeared at Toronto. It also won SAFTA awards for Best Film and Best Director. His second feature, Beauty (Skoonheid, 2011), was the first Afrikaans-language film selected for competition at Cannes (Un Certain Regard) and won the Queer Palm. It explores a married, closeted middle-aged Afrikaner’s obsession with a younger man. Hermanus received the SAFTA for Best Director, and lead Deon Lotz won multiple acting awards. The Endless River (2015) became the first South African film to compete for the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival. Set in the Overberg region, it follows a French expatriate and a local waitress after a farm murder. Moffie (2019), adapted from André Carl van der Merwe’s autobiographical novel, premiered at Venice. It depicts a young gay conscript navigating the brutal South African Defence Force during the apartheid-era Border War. The film received strong critical acclaim (90% on Rotten Tomatoes), BAFTA and BIFA nominations, and the Jury Prize at the Dublin International Film Festival. Hermanus directed his first non-South African feature, Living (2022), an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s Ikiru written by Kazuo Ishiguro and starring Bill Nighy. It premiered at Sundance, screened at Venice, and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actor (Nighy) and Best Adapted Screenplay (Ishiguro), along with BAFTA and British Independent Film Award nominations. In 2024 he directed and executive produced the first three episodes of the miniseries Mary & George (starring Julianne Moore) for Sky/AMC. His most recent feature, The History of Sound (2025), adapted from Ben Shattuck’s short story and starring Josh O’Connor and Paul Mescal, competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival — his first film in the main competition there.

PERSONAL LIFE

Hermanus is openly gay. He lives in Barrydale in the Western Cape, South Africa. He has spoken about his background as a coloured South African born during apartheid and how it shapes his perspective on race, repression, and identity.

Oliver Hermanus is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most significant contemporary filmmakers. His work frequently examines repression, masculinity, race, sexuality, and the lingering effects of apartheid. He has been honoured by the City of Cape Town and continues to work internationally while maintaining strong ties to South African cinema.