Alex Proyas

Proyas was born in Egypt to Greek parents and raised in Australia, where he studied filmmaking before building a career directing music videos and commercials internationally through the 1980s.

The director of Dark City brought that background to one of the most visually ambitious studio films of the late 1990s, building its perpetual-midnight city as a fully designed universe rather than a simple backdrop. He had previously directed the cult hit The Crow.

Roger Ebert became one of Dark City's most vocal champions, naming it the best film of its year and recording a full commentary track — advocacy that helped transform the film's critical reputation over time.