Film director Gus Van Sant was born on July 24, 1952, in Kentucky, USA. After graduating from college, he worked at an advertising agency. However, he became interested in the film industry and began working as an assistant to director Roger Corman. He made his directorial debut with "Maranoche" in 1986, and continued to make independent films thereafter. In his second film, "Drugstore Cowboy," Matt Dillon, who played the lead role, won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Actor. In his third film, "My Own Private Idaho," River Phoenix, who played the lead role, won Best Actor at the Venice Film Festival and the Independent Spirit Awards, and he became a well-known figure in the independent film industry. In 1997, "Good Will Hunting" was nominated for nine Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director. Gus's name quickly became a focus of attention in Hollywood. Incidentally, the screenplay was written by leading actor Matt Damon, who was still unknown at the time, and won a Golden Globe for Best Original Screenplay. In 2003, he released "Elephant," a film about the Columbine High School shooting, which achieved the unprecedented feat of winning both the Palme d'Or and Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2008, "Milk" was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture. He recently became the director of the live-action Hollywood version of "Death Note." His latest film, "Sea of Trees," is set in the Aokigahara forest of Mount Fuji and stars Ken Watanabe and Matthew McConaughey, and is garnering attention in Japan.