Jonathan Glazer

Jonathan Glazer is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent; his family in Hadley Wood was Reform Jewish — 'synagogue three times a year, and Friday-night dinners every week' — and he attended the Jewish Free School in Camden. He began in theatre and in music videos for Radiohead, Massive Attack, Blur and Jamiroquai before directing Sexy Beast (2000), Birth (2004) and Under the Skin (2013). The Zone of Interest (2023) shows the family life of Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss in the villa beside the camp, keeping the killing entirely off-screen and carrying it in sound alone; it won the Grand Prix at Cannes, the BAFTA for Outstanding British Film and the Academy Award for Best International Feature, and Glazer was nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. His speech accepting that award drew wide comment and dispute.