Born in 1961 in New Plymouth, Anthony McCarten's novels have been translated into 14 languages. His first novel, Spinners (Picador, 2000), was voted one of the top ten novels of that year by Esquire magazine. His third novel, Death Of A Superhero, won the 2008 Austrian Youth Literature Prize and was a finalist for the 2008 German Youth Literature Prize. In 2005, McCarten adapted his second novel, The English Harem, for the screen. It was broadcast on ITV in December 2005 starring Martine McCutcheon and Art Malik. Novelist and three times Booker finalist, Timothy Mo, named The English Harem his Novel Of The Year. His fourth novel, Show Of Hands, was published in Europe, and in the US by Simon and Schuster in 2009.
McCarten received early international success with his play Ladies Night. Translated into twelve languages, it remains New Zealand's most commercially successful play of all time, and in addition to eight sell-out national tours of Britain it continues to play worldwide. In 2001 it won France's premiere theatre award for comedy, the Molière Prize. McCarten is also a film director whose first feature film, Via Satellite, which he adapted from his own stage play, was invited to several film festivals including London, Cannes, Toronto, Melbourne, Hawaii and Seattle.
His follow-up feature, Show of Hands (2008), premiered at the Montreal International Film Festival, was an official selection for the Shanghai Film Festival 2009 and was nominated for Best Picture and Best Director at the New Zealand Film Awards. His screenplay, The Theory Of Everything, based on the life of Prof. Stephen Hawking and his first wife, Jane Hawking, is under development in Hollywood. He wrote two librettos for Vienna's largest musical theatre.
Tribeca Film
