Education
Sauper studied photography in the United States, then film directing at the University of Fine Arts in Vienna, and the Universite de Paris. He was also a guest student at the FEMIS after receiving an European Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students grant. His Cinema thesis, published in Vienna, was entitled: "Film as testament", and focused on the three last films of the directors Cyril Collard, Andrey Tarkovsky, and Joris Ivens ("Die Verdichtung").
Sauper graduated with a special mention as director from film school, receiving a Bachelor of Arts.
Career
Sauper has lived in the United Kingdom, Italy, and the United States of America and now lives in France. He teaches film classes in Europe and the United States of America. Sauper is famed for his political documentary films, shot in cinema verite style. He earned world wide recognition for his film"s expression, content, and aesthetics.
His films are usually controversial for their explicit political, social, and poetic expression.
Sauper"s film Darwin"s Nightmare was nominated for best documentary at the Oscars, and he has been awarded for his work with more than 50 international film prizes. He acted in several short films and two feature-length films: In The Circle Of The Iris, directed by Peter Patzak, (with Philippe Léotard), and Blue Distance, directed by Peter Schreiner.
He has taught as a visiting professor/tutor at Harvard, Yale, University of California, Los Angeles, Columbia University, Colorado University, Universidad de Caracas, Universidad de la Havana, FEMIS (French film school), Moscow International Film School, Istanbul University, and Southern Mediterranean Cinema School. Sauper born in the Tyrolean Alps, Austria in 1966 as son of inn keepers, musicians.
His father, Anton Hubertus Sauper is a writer and painter.
Maria, his mother, is a passionate singer and works occasionally on humanitarian missions in the Balkans. Sauper has spent his adult life in Italy, Southern California - United States of America, Great Britain, Tanzania, Zaire (now DR Congo) Sudan, South Sudan. His permanent home is since 1995 in Paris and Burgundy, France.
