Roland Joffé

Directing

Roland Joffé

Born

1945-11-17 (80)

Place of birth

London, England, UK

Known for

Directing

Credits

39 titles

Roland Joffé (/ˈdʒɒfeɪ/; born 17 November 1945) is an English film and television director, producer and screenwriter. He is known for directing the critically acclaimed films The Killing Fields (1984) and The Mission (1986), earning him Academy Award nominations for Best Director. The latter won the Palme d'Or at the 1986 Cannes Film Festival. Joffé began his career in television, with early credits including episodes of Coronation Street and an adaptation of The Stars Look Down for Granada. He gained a reputation for hard-hitting political stories with the series Bill Brand and factual dramas for Play for Today. In the late 1980s, he co-founded the production company Lightmotive with Ben …

Known for

Le Grand Échiquier poster
8.0

Le Grand Échiquier is a French variety television program created and presented by Jacques Chancel. It aired at 8:30 pm on the first channel of the ORTF from January 12, 1972 to July 12, 1972, then on the second color channel of the ORTF from September 1972 to December 1974, and finally on Antenne 2 from January 1975 to December 21, 1989. The program returned to France 2 on December 20, 2018 and is hosted by Anne-Sophie Lapix.

Le Grand Échiquier

1972

The Killing Fields poster
7.5

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

The Killing Fields

1984

The Mission poster
7.4

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

The Mission

1986

Ennio poster
8.3

A portrait of Ennio Morricone, the most popular and prolific film composer of the 20th century, the one most loved by the international public, a two-time Oscar winner and the author of over five hundred unforgettable scores.

Ennio

2022

Super Mario Bros. poster
4.5

Mario and Luigi, plumbers from Brooklyn, find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in hi-tech squalor. They're the only hope to save our universe from invasion by the dino dictator, Koopa.

Super Mario Bros.

1993

November 1963 poster
NR

Follows the 48 hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the alleged involvement of Sam Giancana and the 'Chicago Outfit', and a supposed broken promise after the mob helped to get Kennedy elected.

November 1963

2026

Film credits

Series credits

Behind the camera

The Killing Fields poster
7.5

New York Times reporter Sydney Schanberg is on assignment covering the Cambodian Civil War, with the help of local interpreter Dith Pran and American photojournalist Al Rockoff. When the U.S. Army pulls out amid escalating violence, Schanberg makes exit arrangements for Pran and his family. Pran, however, tells Schanberg he intends to stay in Cambodia to help cover the unfolding story — a decision he may regret as the Khmer Rouge rebels move in.

The Killing Fields

1984

The Mission poster
7.4

When a Spanish Jesuit goes into the South American wilderness to build a mission in the hope of converting the Indians of the region, a slave hunter is converted and joins his mission. When Spain sells the colony to Portugal, they are forced to defend all they have built against the Portuguese aggressors.

The Mission

1986

Super Mario Bros. poster
4.5

Mario and Luigi, plumbers from Brooklyn, find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in hi-tech squalor. They're the only hope to save our universe from invasion by the dino dictator, Koopa.

Super Mario Bros.

1993

November 1963 poster
NR

Follows the 48 hours after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the alleged involvement of Sam Giancana and the 'Chicago Outfit', and a supposed broken promise after the mob helped to get Kennedy elected.

November 1963

2026

The Scarlet Letter poster
6.1

Set in puritanical Boston in the mid 1600s, the story of seamstress Hester Prynne, who is outcast after she becomes pregnant by a respected reverend. She refuses to divulge the name of the father, is "convicted" of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet "A" until an Indian attack unites the Puritans and leads to a reevaluation of their laws and morals.

The Scarlet Letter

1995

The Scarlet Letter poster
6.1

Set in puritanical Boston in the mid 1600s, the story of seamstress Hester Prynne, who is outcast after she becomes pregnant by a respected reverend. She refuses to divulge the name of the father, is "convicted" of adultery and forced to wear a scarlet "A" until an Indian attack unites the Puritans and leads to a reevaluation of their laws and morals.

The Scarlet Letter

1995

Fat Man and Little Boy poster
6.2

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

Fat Man and Little Boy

1989

Fat Man and Little Boy poster
6.2

Assigned to oversee the development of the atomic bomb, Gen. Leslie Groves is a stern military man determined to have the project go according to plan. He selects J. Robert Oppenheimer as the key scientist on the top-secret operation, but the two men clash fiercely on a number of issues. Despite their frequent conflicts, Groves and Oppenheimer ultimately push ahead with two bomb designs — the bigger "Fat Man" and the more streamlined "Little Boy."

Fat Man and Little Boy

1989

Captivity poster
4.9

The sought-after images of top model Jennifer adorn magazine covers and billboards worldwide. When alone at a club, she is abducted and incarcerated in a cell with another prisoner. When their captor subjects the two to torture, they commit to escaping the chamber of horrors before they're killed.

Captivity

2007

Vatel poster
6.1

Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favour. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty conflict.

Vatel

2000

Vatel poster
6.1

Vatel is the cook of Prince Condé. When the prince invites Louis XIV to hunt, he has to give lavish banquets in order to fall in his favour. But when Vatel falls in love with the king's mistress, love and duty conflict.

Vatel

2000

The Forgiven poster
6.1

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.

The Forgiven

2018

The Forgiven poster
6.1

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.

The Forgiven

2018

The Forgiven poster
6.1

After the end of Apartheid, Archbishop Desmond Tutu meets with a brutal murderer seeking redemption.

The Forgiven

2018

City of Joy poster
6.6

Max Lowe is a Houston surgeon who has grown weary of the bureaucracy of American medicine. When he loses a patient on the operating table, Max impulsively decides to leave America and travel to India in the hope of finding himself. Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked by a group of thugs and left without money or a passport.

City of Joy

1992

City of Joy poster
6.6

Max Lowe is a Houston surgeon who has grown weary of the bureaucracy of American medicine. When he loses a patient on the operating table, Max impulsively decides to leave America and travel to India in the hope of finding himself. Not long after he arrives in Calcutta, Max is attacked by a group of thugs and left without money or a passport.

City of Joy

1992

Goodbye Lover poster
5.6

Police investigate when a man having an affair with his brother's wife disappears suddenly.

Goodbye Lover

1999

The Lovers poster
4.8

The Lovers is an epic romance time travel adventure film. Helmed by Roland Joffé from a story by Ajey Jhankar, the film is a sweeping tale of an impossible love set against the backdrop of the first Anglo-Maratha war across two time periods and continents and centred around four characters — a British officer in 18th century colonial India, the Indian woman he falls deeply in love with, an American present-day marine biologist and his wife.

The Lovers

2015

The Lovers poster
4.8

The Lovers is an epic romance time travel adventure film. Helmed by Roland Joffé from a story by Ajey Jhankar, the film is a sweeping tale of an impossible love set against the backdrop of the first Anglo-Maratha war across two time periods and continents and centred around four characters — a British officer in 18th century colonial India, the Indian woman he falls deeply in love with, an American present-day marine biologist and his wife.

The Lovers

2015

There Be Dragons poster
5.1

Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.

There Be Dragons

2011

There Be Dragons poster
5.1

Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.

There Be Dragons

2011

There Be Dragons poster
5.1

Arising out of the horror of the Spanish Civil War, a candidate for canonization is investigated by a journalist who discovers his own estranged father had a deep, dark and devastating connection to the saint's life.While researching the life of Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, the young journalist Robert uncovers hidden stories of his estranged father Manolo, and is taken on a journey through the dark, terrible secrets of his family’s past.

There Be Dragons

2011

You and I poster
4.5

Janie Sawyer, an American teenager, is forced to live in Moscow because of her father's job. Janie is trying to escape her lonely life in Moscow through her deep love of music and the internet. Janie and Lana Starkova meet on a fansite for the pop-band t.A.T.u. Trapped in a small Russian town, Lana wants desperately nothing more than to flee her mundane life causing the two girls to develop an instant connection through their love of t.A.T.u.'s music.

You and I

2011

A Lover Scorned poster
4.9

Trapped in a loveless marriage, Brooke begins an affair with Jake a young, hotshot insurance-agent.

A Lover Scorned

2019

No artwork available
NR

A tale of torn loyalty and love between SS officer Nikolaus Fuhrich and his first love, Jewish violinist Elisabeth Soloviechik. From two befriended Austrian families, one Jewish, one "Germanic," the fates of these two young characters intersect and intertwine prior to the First and after the Second World War.

L'Inverno

—

Twelve Off the Belt poster
NR

Grand Challenge pie-eating contest : ' Winner finishes most whole pies off the belt in half-an-hour. Ties decided on a raw cabbage '. The Bedworth Hog faces tough competition.

Twelve Off the Belt

1977

United Kingdom poster
7.0

Incendiary 1981 Play for Today, written by Jim Allen and directed by Roland Joffé that tells the story of a group of housing estate residents who attempt to organise against persistent rent rises.

United Kingdom

1981

'Tis Pity She's a Whore poster
6.0

Lord Sorenzo marries the beautiful young Annabella, but unbeknownst to him, she is pregnant as a result of an incestuous relationship with her brother Giovanni. Sorenzo discovers the truth, and his ambitious, scheming servant Vasques, resorts to murder (and worse) to ensure that the whole affair ends in a heart rending tragedy! The original 17th century play was set in Italy, this version the action takes place in Victorian England.

'Tis Pity She's a Whore

1980

The Legion Hall Bombing poster
9.0

The story of the trial of Willie Gallagher, convicted of bombing the Strabane British Legion Hall in Northern Ireland, 1976. The transmission of this film was postponed by the BBC several times, and when it did finally air, it was shown with cuts; the writer, Caryl Churchill, and director, Roland Joffé, had their names removed from the credits in protest.

The Legion Hall Bombing

1978

No Mama No poster
NR

After giving birth to her second boy, Jodie recognises a growing dissatisfaction in all areas of her life.

No Mama No

1979

The Spongers poster
10.0

In the days leading up the Queen's Silver Jubilee, Pauline, a recently separated single mother, receives a visit from a bailiff and is given 15 days to address her overdue rent payments. Meanwhile, the local council is under pressure to cut expenditure, and their decisions result in Pauline's mentally handicapped daughter Paula being transferred from a care home for special needs children to an old people's home, where she is all alone.

The Spongers

1978

A Taste of Freedom poster
7.0

Covers six weeks of the lives of Sasha Politkovsky, a prominent TV journalist, and his family. Chronicles the events of 1990 as glasnost and perestroika lift the lid of totalitarianism in the Soviet Union.

A Taste of Freedom

1991