Peter Strickland

Peter Strickland was an English filmmaker who rose to prominence in 2014 with the release of his highly-praised erotic drama "The Duke of Burgundy." Born and raised in the town of Reading, Strickland always had a passion for filmmaking. At the age of 24 he released his first short film, "Bubblegum" (1996). That film, about an aging Elvis-like performer, drew the attention of critics and audiences, but failed to advance Strickland's directing career. Defeated, Strickland spent the next several years bouncing around from one day job to the next until his luck took a dramatic turn for the better. His uncle had left his a small but substantial inheritance, and rather than purchase a house with a mortgage, as everyone in his family expected him to do, Strickland decided to use the inheritance to fund his feature directorial debut. That film, "Katalin Varga" (2009), was a revenge drama set in Transylvania. The film, which was shot on a micro-budget over the course of 17 days, was a critical hit when it was released in 2009. After the success of "Katalin Varga," Strickland decided his second feature would be about horror filmmakers in 1970s Italy. "Berberian Sound Studio" (2012) premiered at the 2012 Edinburgh International Film Festival, and was described by various critics as one of the year's best thrillers. With his star on the rise, Strickland wrote and directed the erotic drama "The Duke of Burgundy" (2014). The film screened at the Toronto Film Festival in 2014 to wide praise, thus further cementing Strickland's status as one of Britain's emerging young film directors.