Alex Cox

Before making his first film, Alex COX (1954, UK) directed several plays and wrote two screenplays. In 1977, Cox graduated in Radio, Film & TV from the University of Bristol. After his graduation, Cox earned a scholarship that allowed him to study abroad at the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television. Cox continued writing several screenplays and eventually convinced Universal Studios to finance Repo Man (1984). After an initial short-lived cinema release, the film gained a re-release, mainly because of the success of the film's soundtrack album, featuring many popular LA punk bands. After its second release, the film became a commercial success and gained wide recognition. It was awarded Best Screenplay by the Boston Society of Film Critics. Cox's fascination with punk music also manifested itself in his next film Sid and Nancy (1986), which was highly praised and received several awards. After a commercial failure, Cox turned to making more independent films with small budgets that allowed him greater creative freedom. His anarchic attitude and punk aesthetics resulted in a large cult following for several of his films.