Oliver Stone Named Artistic Director of Tisch Asia
By Richard Pierce
Tisch School of the Arts Asia President Pari Sara Shirazi recently announced that Oliver Stone, three-time Academy Award-winning filmmaker and NYU alumnus, has been named artistic director. In his role, Stone will advise the president on the artistic direction of the school in Singapore, while possibly teaching courses and conducting workshops.
“Forty-some years ago, I came to Asia as a young teacher in South Vietnam, and the region opened my eyes to a world I never knew. I was never the same again,” said Stone. “I hope, in the same capacity, to continue to learn from Asia and its students at Singapore’s Tisch School about a craft that is still fresh and open to greater and greater exploration. I look forward to spending, outside of my own filmmaking interests, as much time as I can there.”
Stone was born in New York in 1946. His directorial credits include World Trade Center (2006), Alexander (’04), Any Given Sunday (’99), U-Turn (’97), Nixon (’95), Natural Born Killers (’94), Heaven and Earth (’93), JFK (’91), The Doors (’91), Born on the Fourth of July (’89), Talk Radio (’88), Wall Street (’87), Platoon (’86), Salvador (’86), The Hand (’81) and Seizure (’73). Stone was also the screen¬writer or co-screenwriter on all of the above, with the exception of U-Turn and World Trade Center.
Stone also has written or co-written the screenplays for Midnight Express (’78), Scarface (’83), Conan The Barbarian (’82), Year of the Dragon (’85), Evita (’96), and 8 Million Ways To Die (’86). In addition, he has directed the documentaries Looking for Fidel (’04), Comandante (’03), and Persona Non Grata (’03). He produced or co-produced: The People vs. Larry Flynt (’96), The Joy Luck Club (’93), Reversal of Fortune (’90), Savior (’98), Freeway (’96), South Central (’98), Zebrahead (’92), Blue Steel (’90), and the ABC mini-series Wild Palms (’93). Stone won an Emmy for the HBO film Indictment: The McMartin Trial, and was nominated for his documentary The Last Days of Kennedy and King.
Stone won directing Oscars for Born on the Fourth of July and Platoon, and the writing Oscar for Midnight Express. He has received Oscar nominations for Best Director (JFK), and Best Screenplay (Nixon, Born on the Fourth of July, and Salvador). Stone received four Golden Globe Awards: three for directing Platoon, Born on the Fourth of July and JFK, and one for writing Midnight Express.
Prior to his film career, Stone worked as a school teacher in Vietnam, a Merchant Marine sailor, taxi driver, messenger, production assistant, and sales representative. He served in the U.S. Army Infantry in Vietnam in 1967-68. He was wounded twice and decorated with the Bronze Star for Valor. After returning from Vietnam, he completed his undergraduate studies at NYU in 1971.
Mary Schmidt Campbell, chairman of the board of directors of Tisch Asia and dean of the Tisch School, said, “Oliver Stone truly embodies what it means to be an alumnus of the Tisch School of the Arts. As a keen observer of the world, he chooses to tell stories that often challenge the audience and the nation. Most importantly, he is a masterful filmmaker who makes films with consummate skill and craftsmanship. His association now with Tisch Asia provides our students an exemplary model of superlative filmmaking.”
“It is an honor to be able to announce that Oliver Stone will serve as artistic director of Tisch Asia,” said Shirazi. “He is one of our most accomplished graduates, inspiring countless numbers of students to choose an education in the arts. His commitment to our school has never wavered, and his interest in Southeast Asia and the region will ensure that Tisch Asia will achieve unprecedented success.”
Tisch School of the Arts Asia opened in Singapore in 2007. It is NYU’s first campus outside of New York City and students there come from 20 countries to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree in animation and digital arts, dramatic writing, or film.
