| District 9 | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Neill Blomkamp |
| Written by |
|
| Based on | Alive in Joburg[a] by Neill Blomkamp |
| Produced by | |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Trent Opaloch |
| Edited by | Julian Clarke |
| Music by | Clinton Shorter[1][2] |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing (through Ster-Kinekor in South Africa[3]) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 112 minutes[4] |
| Countries | |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[3] |
| Box office | $210.8 million[3] |
District 9 is a 2009 science fiction action film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zealand, the United States, and South Africa. The film stars Sharlto Copley, Jason Cope, and David James, and was adapted from Blomkamp's 2006 short film Alive in Joburg.
The film is partially presented in a found footage format by featuring fictional interviews, news footage, and video from surveillance cameras. The story, which explores themes of humanity, xenophobia and social segregation, begins in an alternate 1982, when an alien spaceship appears over Johannesburg, South Africa. When a population of sick and malnourished insectoid aliens is discovered on the ship, the South African government confines them to an internment camp called District 9. Twenty years later, during the government's relocation of the aliens to another camp, one of the confined aliens named Christopher Johnson, who is about to try to escape from Earth with his son and return home, crosses paths with a bureaucrat named Wikus van de Merwe leading the relocation. The title and premise of District 9 were inspired by events in Cape Town's District Six, during the apartheid era.
A viral marketing campaign for the film began in 2008 at San Diego Comic-Con, while the theatrical trailer debuted in July 2009. District 9 had its World Premiere on 23 July 2009 at San Diego Comic-Con.[6][7] It was released by TriStar Pictures on 14 August 2009, in North America and became a financial success, earning over $210 million at the box office. It also received acclaim from critics and garnered numerous awards and nominations, including four Academy Award nominations for Best Picture, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Visual Effects, and Best Film Editing.[8]
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- ^ Simpson, Paul. "The Expanse: Interview: Composer Clinton Shorter". SciFi Bulletin. Archived from the original on 5 December 2020.
- ^ Schweiger, Daniel (12 September 2009). "CD Review: District 9". Film Music Magazine. Archived from the original on 5 September 2013.
- ^ a b c "District 9 (2009)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ "District 9". British Board of Film Classification. 21 July 2009. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
- ^ a b c "District 9 (2009)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
- ^ "'District 9' Premieres at Comic-Con to Rave Reviews". Scifi Scoop. 29 July 2009. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ Sciretta, Peter (24 July 2009). "Comic-Con Video Blog: Thoughts On District 9". Slashfilm. Retrieved 25 September 2023.
- ^ "The 82nd Annual Oscar Nominations". The New York Times. 2 February 2010. Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 1 May 2010.