Identical twin brothers Peter Spierig and Michael Spierig (), known collectively as the Spierig Brothers, are German-Australian film directors, producers, and screenwriters. They are best known for their 2014 sci-fi thriller, Predestination, and 2017 horror, Jigsaw.
Film career
Peter and Michael made their directing debut in 2003 with Undead, a low-budget zombie horror-comedy film, after they agreed on pooling together their life savings. It won a prize for Best Visual Effects at the Australian Film Institute Awards, and screened at 17 film festivals, including Edinburgh, Montreal, Toronto, Sitges, Berlin, Amsterdam and Puchon. At the Melbourne International Film Festival, the International Federation of Film Critics awarded Undead the prestigious FIPRESCI Award. The film was sold to 41 countries, and was released in the US and Canada by Lions Gate Entertainment, who developed a close relationship with Peter and Michael, and backed their second film, Daybreakers.
Daybreakers (2010) starred four-time Academy Award nominee Ethan Hawke, four-time Academy Award nominee Willem Dafoe, Sam Neill, Claudia Karvan, Vince Colosimo, Michael Dorman, and Isabel Lucas. The film was released in the United States on 2,500 screens in January 2010.
The Spierig brothers' third film was the action sci-fi thriller Predestination based on the 1959 science fiction short story '"—All You Zombies—" by Robert A. Heinlein. The film stars Ethan Hawke and Sarah Snook, and includes an appearance by Noah Taylor. The story recounts that of a detective from a covert government agency (Hawke) who embarks on an intricate series of time-travel journeys in order to catch a master criminal and ensure his own existence. The film was co-written and co-directed by the twins, and was filmed in Australia during Spring of 2013. After its premiere at SXSW on 8 March 2014, the film received many positive reviews including Variety, The Guardian, and IGN Movies.
The two directed the eighth Saw film, Jigsaw, which was released on 27 October 2017. Their next film was Winchester: The House That Ghosts Built, a horror film about the Winchester Mystery House, starring Helen Mirren as heiress Sarah Winchester, and released on 2 February 2018. "Jigsaw" grossed $102,952,888 worldwide. "Winchester" grossed a worldwide total of $46 million on a budget of $3.5 million.
Filmography Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 2000 The Big Picture Short film 2003 Undead Also editors, visual effects supervisors and sound designers 2009 Daybreakers Also visual effects supervisors 2014 Predestination Also visual effects supervisors and music composer 2017 Jigsaw 2018 Winchester Also music composer 2026 Fall 2: Deadpoint
Awards and nominations Predestination won the 2014 John Hinde Award for Excellence in Science-Fiction Writing.
AACTA Awards Year Nominated work Category Result 2015 Predestination Best Film Best Direction Best Adapted Screenplay Best Original Music Score
Australian Film Institute Awards Year Nominated work Category Result 2010 Daybreakers Best Visual Effects
International Federation of Film Critics Year Nominated work Category Result 2003 Undead Fipresci Award
Toronto After Dark Film Festival Year Nominated work Category Result 2014 Predestination Special Award for Best Sci-Fi Film Special Award for Best Screenplay Audience Award for Best Feature Film
References
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