Biography
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He was nominated for an Academy Award for Achievement in Directing for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, and won the Palme d'Or at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival for his film Elephant. He lives in Portland, Oregon. His early career was devoted to directing television commercials in the Pacific Northwest. In his films, he has dealt with themes conc...
Known For
Complete Filmography
The Trainer
2024
as Gus Van Sant
Jack Flex, a penniless, muscle-bound "creative genius" who maniacally pursues his dream of appearing on his mother's favorite home shopping channel to...
who is Gus Van Sant?
2024
as Himself
An essay based on photographs and videos taken during the Gus Van Sant retrospective held at La Casa Encendida during 2018. Perhaps a glorified powerp...
Nicole Kidman: Eyes Wide Open
2023
as Self (interview)
Over the years, Nicole Kidman, Oscar and two-time Emmy Award winner, became both a pop culture icon & a complex dramatic actress. Her career is a uniq...
Joe Gives Up and Moves to Montana
2021
Producer
LA can be a hard place to live, and Joe is about to give up and move back to Montana, the place he escaped from years before. But when he returns, wil...
At the Video Store
2019
as Self
Equal parts personal essay, intense rumination, and playful satire, this movie laments the death of the American Video Store while it searches for the...
Zeroville
2019
as Film Archive Curator
A young actor arrives in Hollywood in 1969 during a transitional time in the Industry.
Illegal Civilization 3
2018
as Self
Features Kevin White, Aramis Hudson, Zach Saraceno, Nico Hiraga, and Olan Prenatt skating, having fun, and getting into all of the hijinks that we’ve ...
Age Out
2018
Executive Producer
Fresh out of foster care at age 18, a young drifter turns to petty crime to survive, and discovers an impossible love in an unlikely friend.
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
2018
as Willamette Week Editor
On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing...
Don't Worry, He Won't Get Far on Foot
2018
Director, Editor, Screenplay
On the rocky path to sobriety after a life-changing accident, John Callahan discovers the healing power of art, willing his injured hands into drawing...
Xavier Dolan: Bound to Impossible
2016
as Self
Actors Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément, Monia Chokri, Gaspard Ulliel, Vincent Cassel, Niels Schneider and Melvil Poupaud discuss working with the young C...
The Sea of Trees
2016
Director
In Japan's Aokigahara Forest, a troubled teacher meets a mysterious lost stranger who takes him on a life-changing journey of love and redemption.
I Don't Belong Anywhere: The Cinema of Chantal Akerman
2015
as Self
I Don’t Belong Anywhere - Le Cinéma de Chantal Akerman, explores some of the Belgian filmmaker’s 40 plus films. From Brussels to Tel-Aviv, from Paris...
About Cinema
2015
as Self
An abandoned tumbledown theater in the outback of Paraíba state is the initial setting of a film about cinema, which explores the testimonials of the ...
I Am Michael
2015
Executive Producer
The controversial true story of a gay activist who rejects his homosexuality and becomes a Christian pastor.
The Canyons
2013
as Dr. Campbell
The discovery of an illicit love affair leads two young Angelenos on a violent, sexually charged tour through the dark side of human nature.
Strutter
2013
Thanks
A young musician recovers from the loss of his girlfriend with the help of his female filmmaker friend, and even forms a friendship with the rival who...
Promised Land
2012
Director, Executive Producer
A salesman for a natural gas company experiences life-changing events after arriving in a small town, where his corporation wants to tap into the avai...
Reflecting On A Journey: Good Will Hunting 15 Years Later
2012
as Self
Documentary featurette for the 15th Anniversary Edition of Good Will Hunting, including interviews with Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Robin Williams, Gus V...
Laurence Anyways
2012
Executive Producer
The story of an impossible love between a woman named Fred and a transgender woman named Laurence who reveals her inner desire to become her true self...
A Special Day
2012
as Self
At the 60th anniversary of Cannes Film Festival, 34 famous directors are followed by camera.
My Own Private River
2012
Director
Unused footage from Gus Van Sant's 1991 film My Own Private Idaho is re-contextualized in James Franco's tribute to River Phoenix.
The Advocate for Fagdom
2011
as Self
The Advocate for Fagdom unites the puzzle pieces one by one. Testimonies are combined with rare archive images. Art galeries present movie extracts th...
Restless
2011
Director, Producer
Two outsiders, both shaped by the circumstances that have brought them together, forge a deep and lasting love.
William S. Burroughs: A Man Within
2010
as Self
A riveting and emotional journey into the world of writer William S. Burroughs, a man considered as cold as an iceberg on a winter night.
I'm Still Here
2010
Thanks
I'm Still Here is a portrayal of a tumultuous year in the life of actor Joaquin Phoenix. With remarkable access, the film follows the Oscar-nominee as...
Howl
2010
Executive Producer
It's San Francisco in 1957, and an American masterpiece is put on trial. Howl, the film, recounts this dark moment using three interwoven threads: the...
Virginia
2010
Executive Producer
A sheriff sees his state senate bid slide out onto the ice when his daughter begins to date the son of a charming but psychologically disturbed woman ...
Shit Year
2010
Thanks
Renowned actress Colleen West abandons her successful career for a secluded life in the hills. But the peace and quiet she longed for is disrupted by ...
Accidents Happen
2009
Thanks
There are dysfunctional families... and then there are the Conways. After a family tragedy, 15-year-old Billy Conway has become the de facto glue betw...
Milk
2008
Director, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an acti...
8
2008
Director, Editor
8 shorts centered around 8 themes directed by 8 famous film directors involved and sharing their opinion on progress, on the set-backs and the challen...
Mansion on the Hill
2008
Director
Part of the film "8", Gus Van Sant delivers a film on child health.
Making Paranoid Park
2008
Behind the scenes documentary of Gus Van Sant's "Paranoid Park." Felix Andrew: director, cinematographer, editor. Dane La Chiusa: titles and original...
Critic
2008
as Self
Seventy critics and filmmakers discuss cinema around the conflict between the artist and the observer, the creator and the critic. Between 1998 and 20...
To Each His Own Cinema
2007
Director
Commissioned to mark the 60th anniversary of the Cannes Film Festival, "To Each His Own Cinema" brought together 33 of the world's pre-eminent filmmak...
In the Mood for Doyle
2007
as Self
Christopher Doyle is one of the best known and most acclaimed directors of photography in world cinema. Born in Australia, he sees himself as an Asian...
Paranoid Park
2007
as Guy Reading Newspaper (uncredited)
A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".
Paranoid Park
2007
Screenplay, Director, Editor
A teenage skateboarder becomes suspected of being connected with a security guard who suffered a brutal death in a skate park called "Paranoid Park".
First Kiss
2007
Director
A young projectionist falls in love with a girl in a film.
Here’s Looking at You, Boy
2007
as Self
Documentary on the history of gay and lesbian film.
Wild Tigers I Have Known
2006
Executive Producer
A lyrical telling of the coming of age of a 14-year-old boy who learns to cope with his new found sexuality and his unrequited love for the cool kid i...
Paris Je T'aime
2006
Director, Writer
Olivier Assayas, Gus Van Sant, Wes Craven and Alfonso Cuaron are among the 20 distinguished directors who contribute to this collection of 18 stories,...
Le Marais
2006
Writer, Director
Le Marais is a singular short film, taken from the collection of films set in Paris, used for Gus Van Sant's "Paris: Je t'aime". Two customers walk in...
Cinema16: American Short Films
2006
Director
CINEMA16 celebrates the short film by showcasing some of the best classic and award-winning shorts on DVD. With over three hours of films CINEMA16: A...
Best of Chris Isaak
2006
Director
Chris Isaak begins his third decade as one of the most distinctive recording artists- and the epitome of modern cool-with his first career-spanning re...
Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema
2006
as Self
A chronological look at films by, for, or about gays and lesbians in the United States, from 1947 to 2005, Kenneth Anger's "Fireworks" to "Brokeback M...
Last Days
2005
as Phone Voice (voice)
The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial...
Last Days
2005
Director, Screenplay, Editor
The life and struggles of a notorious rock musician seeping into a pit of loneliness whose everyday life involves friends and family seeking financial...
The Making of ‘My Own Private Idaho’
2005
as Self
Making-of documentary of Gus Van Sant's 'My Own Private Idaho'.
On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time
2004
as Himself
An artistic and unconventional documentary about the making of Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant'. Brief interviews are put together with behind-the-scenes cli...
On the Set of 'Elephant': Rolling Through Time
2004
Executive Producer
An artistic and unconventional documentary about the making of Gus Van Sant's 'Elephant'. Brief interviews are put together with behind-the-scenes cli...
The Making of Last Days
2004
as Himself
Behind-the-scenes documentary of Gus Van Sant's "Last Days."
Saltlake Van Sant
2003
as Self
Behind-the-scenes documentary of one morning on the set of "Gerry" directed by Gus Van Sant.
Tarnation
2003
Executive Producer
Filmmaker Jonathan Caouette's documentary on growing up with his schizophrenic mother -- a mixture of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, ...
Elephant
2003
Screenplay, Editor, Director
Several ordinary high school students go through their daily routine as two others prepare for something more malevolent.
About Elephant
2003
as Self
15-minute interview with director Gus Van Sant on Elephant (2003)
Gerry
2002
Editor, Director, Writer
Two friends named Gerry become lost in the desert after taking a wrong turn. Their attempts to find their way home only lead them into further trouble...
David Bowie: Best of Bowie
2002
Director
Disc 1: Oh. You Pretty Things, Queen Bitch), Five Years, Starman, John I'm Only Dancing, The Jean Genie, Space Oddity, Drive-in Saturday, Life on Mars...
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back
2001
as Gus Van Sant
When Jay and Silent Bob learn that their comic-book alter egos, Bluntman and Chronic, have been sold to Hollywood as part of a big-screen movie that l...
Rescued from the Closet
2001
as Self
Rescued from the Closet is a 2001 documentary consisting of interviews originally recorded for the 1995 film The Celluloid Closet. It explores the his...
Finding Forrester
2000
as Library Assistant (uncredited)
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accide...
Finding Forrester
2000
Director
Gus Van Sant tells the story of a young African American man named Jamal who confronts his talents while living on the streets of the Bronx. He accide...
Easter
2000
Director
The story of a man who believes himself to be gay after watching a gay pornographic film with his wife.
Psycho Path
2000
as Self - Director
Documentary on the making of Gus Van Sant's "Psycho."
Psycho Path
2000
Executive Producer
Documentary on the making of Gus Van Sant's "Psycho."
De Witt Clinton Choir
2000
Director
A record of a teenage choir singing a song.
The Making of Drugstore Cowboy
1999
Portland, 1988. Filmmaker Gus Van Sant shoots Drugstore Cowboy, the project that will bring he and his collaborators a formidable burst of mainstream ...
Speedway Junky
1999
Executive Producer
A naive drifter runs away from his army father in hopes of making it on the car racing circuit. In Las Vegas, he meets a young scam artist, who develo...
Psycho
1998
as Man Talking to Man in Cowboy Hat (uncredited)
A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.
Psycho
1998
Producer, Director
A young female embezzler arrives at the Bates Motel, which has terrible secrets of its own.
Strange Parallel
1998
as Self
Strange Parallel is a documentary/short film revolving around the American singer/songwriter Elliott Smith. The film features interviews with Elliott ...
The Director's Vision: Hollywood's Best Discuss Their Craft
1998
as himself
The nominees for the 1998 Oscar for Best Director — Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, James L. Brooks, Gus Van Sant and Curtis Hanson — discuss their c...
Good Will Hunting
1997
Director, Sound Re-Recording Mixer
Headstrong yet aimless, Will Hunting has a genius-level IQ but chooses to work as a janitor at MIT. When he secretly solves highly difficult graduate-...
Ballad of the Skeletons
1997
Writer, Director
A close-up of Allen Ginsberg reciting his “skeletons” poem is bluescreened and dissolved against archival film and video clips, and backed by musician...
Four Boys in a Volvo
1996
Director
The short film was made from material shot for a Levi’s commercial on which Gus Van Sant was given complete freedom. Van Sant delivered the ad, and se...
To Die For
1995
Director
Suzanne Stone wants to be a world-famous news anchor and she is willing to do anything to get what she wants. What she lacks in intelligence, she make...
Kids
1995
Executive Producer
A day in the life of a group of teens as they travel around New York City skating, drinking, smoking and deflowering virgins.
Guns on the Clackamas
1995
Nigel Nado, the notable documentary filmmaker, is trying to make a movie about some people trying to make a movie. But everything is going wrong. The ...
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
Director, Writer, Editor
A girl born with enormous thumbs in the repressive era of the 1950s learns to turn her quirks into assets.
Made in the USA
1993
as Self
A Paul Joyce documentary on the American independent film scene.
Red Hot Chili Peppers: Funky Monks
1991
as Self
An intimate look at Los Angeles-based funk rock foursome Red Hot Chili Peppers' creative process as they join producer Rick Rubin at a Hollywood Hills...
My Own Private Idaho
1991
as Man Behind Hotel Counter (uncredited)
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor...
My Own Private Idaho
1991
Director, Screenplay
In this loose adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV," Mike Waters is a hustler afflicted with narcolepsy. Scott Favor is the rebellious son of a mayor...
Thanksgiving Prayer
1991
Director, Producer
An indictment ballad of all the different political groups in America.
Flea Sings
1991
Director
Experimental short subject preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.
Drugstore Cowboy
1989
as Himself (uncredited)
Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne, and another couple, Rick and Nadine, w...
Drugstore Cowboy
1989
Director, Screenplay
Portland, Oregon, 1971. Bob Hughes is the charismatic leader of a peculiar quartet, formed by his wife, Dianne, and another couple, Rick and Nadine, w...
Ken Death Gets Out of Jail
1988
Director
Youth tells about his jail experience. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.
Junior
1988
as Himself
In Gus Van Sant's loving portrait of his cat, a reflected light leads the subject to explore a domestic composition in a manner that can only be descr...
Junior
1988
Director
In Gus Van Sant's loving portrait of his cat, a reflected light leads the subject to explore a domestic composition in a manner that can only be descr...
Mala Noche
1987
as Guy at Hotel (uncredited)
Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the ...
Mala Noche
1987
Director, Screenplay, Producer
Walt is a lonely convenience store clerk who has fallen in love with a Mexican migrant worker named Johnny. Though Walt has little in common with the ...
Five Ways to Kill Yourself
1987
Gus Van Sant, dissatisfied professionally, counts five ways to end his life. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.
Five Ways to Kill Yourself
1987
Director, Writer
Gus Van Sant, dissatisfied professionally, counts five ways to end his life. Preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.
My New Friend
1987
Director
An older man meets and becomes fascinated by a younger man in this somewhat autobiographical work.
Switzerland
1985
Director
Experimental short film preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.
The Discipline of D.E.
1982
Director
"The Discipline of D.E." is a short 16mm film directed by Gus Van Sant. It’s based on a story in “Exterminator!” by William Burroughs that at times re...
Property
1979
Sound
Facing eviction, the residents of a bohemian quarter of Portland, Oregon organize to collectively purchase a block of houses, only to get a crash cour...
Psycho Shampoo
1979
Director
A short parody of the iconic shower murder scene from Hitchcock's "Psycho" framed as a shampoo commercial. This short was produced for the LA-based co...
1/2 of a Telephone Conversation
1973
Director
Preserved by the Academy Film Archive.
Little Johnny
1972
Director
Experimental short film preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017.
The Happy Organ
1971
Director
Experimental short film preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2017.
Thank You for Supporting the Arts
N/A
Directors W. Alexander Jones and Carolann Stoney turn their cameras on Liv Osthus, one of the best-known artists working in Portland’s adult entertain...
Killing Gawker
N/A
Director
An upcoming film based on the Hulk Hogan vs. Gawker court case.
The Prince of Fashion
N/A
Screenplay, Director
A father brings his son to Paris for Men's Fashion Week.
Dead Man's Wire
N/A
Director
Set in 1977 and based on a true story, Tony Kiritsis, a former real estate developer puts a dead man's switch on himself and the mortgage banker who d...
Antinous
N/A
Producer
A present-day young actor becomes convinced he is the reincarnation of Antinous, sparking a psychosexual drama that bridges the grandeur of ancient Ro...
My Friend
N/A
Director
"This diary of a male friendship is both perplexing and hilarious. Using the cliches of the diary film, it tells a story of friendship, love, and reje...